August Wilson's call: notes from editors.In a speech delivered on June 26, 1996, to the 11th biennial Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is an organization dedicated to the promotion of non-profit professional theatre in the United States. TCG has over 450 member theatres located in 47 states; 17,000 individual members; and a growing number of University, Funder, Business and Conference at Princeton University, August Wilson, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, issued the following call: "The time has come for Black playwrights, Black theatre intellectuals, and Black theatre artists to confer with one another ... to come together to meet each other face to face, to address questions of aesthetics and ways to defend ourselves from nay-sayers who would trumpet our talents as insufficient to warrant the same manners of investigation and exploration as the majority. We need to develop guidelines for the protection of our cultural property, our contributions, and the influence they accrue.... Artists, playwrights, actors, [intellectuals,] we can be the spearhead of a new movement to reignite Verb 1. reignite - ignite anew, as of something burning; "The strong winds reignited the cooling embers" ignite, light - cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat; "Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter"; "Light a cigarette" and reunite our people's positive energy for a political and social change that is reflective of our spiritual truths.... " "The call" sparked controversy which resulted in a debate at Town Hall in Manhattan on January 27, 1997, where August Wilson and Robert Brustein (his chief critic) debated issues such as color-blind /nontraditional casting, Black-owned theaters, and the social importance of theatre. With an audience comprised of the leading contemporary politicians, musicians, dramaturgs, critics, actors, producers, and directors, the debate spurred a national dialogue in both print and electronic media-e.g., The New York Times, The New York Times, The Morning daily newspaper, long the U.S. newspaper of record. From its establishment in 1851 it has aimed to avoid sensationalism and to appeal to cultured, intellectual readers. Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Morning daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the dominant paper in the U.S. capital and one of the nation's leading newspapers. Established in 1877 as a Democratic Party organ, it changed orientation and ownership several times and faced Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). , National Public Radio, and American Theatre Magazine. Clearly Wilson views the arts as a catalyst for social change and cultural enrichment, including artistic expression that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also instructive intellectually, culturally, socially, and politically. Hence, the essays, book critiques, and theatrical reviews by Black scholars and practitioners collected in this issue address those stated concerns and reflect the direction and purpose of Black performative arts with an eye toward the next millennium. Paul Carter Harrison Paul Carter Harrison (born March 1, 1936) is an American playwright and professor. Biography Born in New York City, Harrison earned a B.A. in psychology from Indiana University in 1957. Harrison earned an M.A. and Victor Leo Walker, II, have co-edited this special issue of African American Review The African American Review is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the Division on Black American Literature and Culture of the Modern Language Association. , devoted to contemporary African American theater. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion