We're Beautiful. We're Here: A Close Look at African Americans in Theater in the Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

African Americans have a long-standing and troublesome relationship with theater inthe United States. This thesis explores what has happened in theater in the past forAfrican Americans and what is currently happening in order to craft an initiative ofchange for future generations. It expands on existing literature by exploring thehistory of African Americans in theater and uncovering the gradual developments andshortcomings. Ethnographies and interviews reveal that work is being done in thetheater world with the aims of seeing change but that work is not nearly enough forthere to be equality for all people. Using these different methods of investigation touncover the intricacies of the relationship between African Americans and the theaterhistorically and in the present moment, a proposal for a future theater company ispresented with the intention of alleviating some of the flaws in the current theaterenvironment.