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Negro Theatre History

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The American Negro Theatre was established in Harlem in June 1940 by black writer Abram Hill and black actor Frederick O 'Neal. The purpose and legacy was to create opportunities for African American artists and produce many plays that reflected the great diversity of African American culture. Many of the theater 's first members including O 'Neal and actress Ruby Dee were from another theater company. Financial issues and artistic difficulties brought the unfortunate demise of ANT by the mid-1950s, yet the legacy and revolutionary spirit had only just begun. The American Negro Theater was the beginning for many amazing artists such as Vinie Burrows, Harry Belafonte, Alice Childress, Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, Isabel Sanford, and many other …show more content…

Its programs paved the way for predecessor organizations like the American Negro Theatre, which grew out of the disbanded Negro Theatre Project. This group would train a new generation of actors like Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, and Ruby Dee, who would become fixtures on American stage and screen in later decades and would be known particularly for their investment in exploring race and The Rose McClendon Players. Initially, the ANT held its performances in the basement of the 135th Street Library. In 1945, however, it moved to a larger space at the Elks Lodge on West 126th Street, which was renamed as the American Negro Theatre Playhouse. Soon after its founding, the American Negro Theatre won attention and praise for its first major production, a staging of Abram Hill 's On Striver 's Row. Between 1940 and 1949, the American Negro Theatre produced a total of nineteen plays, of which twelve were based on original …show more content…

The American Negro Theatre (ANT) was established in Harlem in June 1940 by black writer Abram Hill and black actor Frederick O 'Neal. Its purpose was to create opportunities for African American artists and produce plays that reflected the great diversity of African American culture. Many of the theater 's first members, including O 'Neal and actress Ruby Dee, were from another theater company, the Rose McClendon Players. Initially, the ANT held its performances in the basement of the 135th Street Library. In 1945, however, it moved to a larger space at the Elks Lodge on West 126th Street, which was renamed as the American Negro Theatre Playhouse. Soon after its founding, the American Negro Theatre won attention and praise for its first major production, a staging of Abram Hill 's On Striver 's Row. Between 1940 and 1949, the American Negro Theatre produced a total of nineteen plays, of which twelve were based on original scripts. The 1944 production of Anna Lucasta, by white playwright Philip Yordan, became a huge success and was transferred to Broadway, where it had a successful run. This unexpected breakthrough had mixed results for the American Negro Theatre. Some ANT members were unhappy with the royalties the company received from the Broadway production, and actors who had not been chosen to stay with the show on Broadway were bitter. Furthermore, the pressure to repeat the success of Anna Lucasta led the company to concentrate on plays by established white

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