The Newark Public Library will explore the world of black theater through March 4 as part of its Black History Month programming.
For a start, it will feature We Wear the Mask:Black Theatre in Newark & Near, From 1700s to 2012 from February 1 – March 24 at the second floor of the Main Library on Washington Street. It will celebrate former poet and playwright Langston Hughes’ birthday who hails from Westfield, NJ.
Meet the new faces of For Colored Girls! will be showcased on Wednesday, February 15, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Centennial Hall of the Main Library.
Historian Wendell Holbrook, associate professor in the Department of African-American Affairs at Rutgers-Newark, will speak, and the Adelaide Drummers from the Dr. Adelaide Sanford Charter School in Newark will perform.
Clarence Ali, founder of the "Theatre of Universal Images," will speak about theater in Newark, and David Mills, a Hughes scholar and interpreter, will discuss the poet's work. Cynthia Roberson will sing the Negro National Anthem.
Included in the ongoing exhibit, curated by library associated Sandra West, is a photo of Louis Armstrong in the all-star black jazz opera "Swingin' The Dream," a version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and a 1959 Playbill from the original production of "Raisin in the Sun."
"I'm a former teacher, so this is a teach-in to me. Every year I pick a different topic and I introduce it to the community as if they're the class and I'm still a teacher," says West.
"I don't see Black History Month as just a venue for entertainment; I think that's a waste of time. You have to learn about the history of black doctors, the history of black dance and all different things."
Black theater in Newark has a rich, often overlooked history that stretches back to the 18th century, West says, including a vital community theater scene in the 1970s and 1980s. On Broadway, black actors and actresses battled segregation and racist stereotypes to win acclaim on stage.
"African-American writers, producers and performers have a deep and wonderful history in the American theater. They played a major role in creating its vitality and helping to maintain its popularity despite the many obstacles they faced," says Newark Public Library director Wilma Grey. "Some of Newark's finest writers, producers, actors and theater companies were a large part of this history."
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