As I think about the National Black Theatre, Minnie Riperton’s “Les Fleurs” (1970) comes to mind:
This song is reflective of similar black art sensibilities that are pervasive throughout the National Black Theatre; it is celebratory and freeing. This song reflects a newfound black joy, along with other forms of expressions, that came out of the Black Power movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The origin story of the theatre, founded in 1968, is based on a longing to be reflected as a black person in the realm of theater, a traditionally white art form:
“The whole concept of theater in this country is an European concept that’s based on a dramatic tradition that comes from Europe. We are not European people, we are African people.” – Barbara Ann Teer, “The Quest”
“As members of the same family, the negative aspects of Western theatre are virtually eliminated for the performers as they each have areas of specialization, as well as freedom to experiment. Sound technicians act. Actors build sets. Lighting people dance. There is total cooperation in all phases of her theatre.”- p. 40, Jessica B. Harris’ “The Sun People of 125th Street. The National Black Theatre”
Harris is referring to the performers and actors at the National Black Theatre as members of the same family. This structure took away the traditionally cut-throat, individualistic, and hostile nature of theater. Teer held the concept of unity as being an important element to the organization’s structure. Another interesting fact is that the last priority of the theater was to entertain. The most important part was to liberate those participating in the performance, whether they were actors or audience members. So, not only were the performers acting as a family, they performed in a way that was meant to uplift those watching the performances.
However, to say that the performances at the National Black Theatre were meant purely to uplift and impart joy in the hearts of the audience would be oversimplifying the productions held at the venue. The plays were designed by the founder Barbara Ann Teer to reflect the reality of black everyday life in Harlem. For example, Teer created the first exercise for the actors and performances to go to places in Harlem that were part of the community fabric, one of them being the church. As they visited these places, they were supposed to make note of the types of people they would see. From this exercise, Teer created a spectrum of the black experience as seen in black Harlem everyday life:
Nigger – Negro – Militant – Nationalist – Revolutionary
“The Nigger is the most free, colorful and creative character. But he has strong materialistic and individualistic values. The Negro is also individualistic and materialistic. He accepts white cultural standards and is an imitation of a white American imitating Europeans, imitating Romans, imitating Greeks, who we all know were imitating Africans. The Militant is an aware Nigger, still individualistic and materialistic. He’s in that I-hate-all-white-people bag but he’s not for real change, and is only angry and frustrated because the sys tem won’t let him in. The Nationalist is non-materialistic. He is intellectually for the collective. This is the first step into true blackness, where you develop a consciousness and a love for your people. The Revolutionary is the highest, the most evolved of all the cycles, for in this cycle you deal with the spirituality of blackness. You know who you are, what you have to do, and you simply go about quietly doing it.”- Jessica Harris (p.42)
These characters would be depicted in the plays that the National Black Theatre would perform. As a result, the performances not only served as a means to empower and unify the black community in Harlem, but it also served as a visual archive, one that acts outside of the larger mainstream American history narrative. The National Black Theatre filled the voids of black history and culture that broader American history failed to adequately recognize.
Taking a step back . . .
As the final article, I researched the history of The National Black Theatre in Harlem. What I did differently, research-wise throughout this fellowship, was that I watched clips of videos posted on National Black Theatre’s YouTube channel. Since black performance is at the heart of this site, I thought that it was only right that I watch parts of their earliest performances and the founder Barbara Ann Teer’s interviews. I found all of these components in this segment of the documentary capturing the history of the National Black Theatre:
During the final week of my fellowship, I will be visiting the National Black Theatre on Tuesday and solidifying my National Black Theatre article for City Lore. I also expressed interest in working with City Lore’s Sahar on a storytelling workshop that the organization will be presenting later in the month.
Work Cited
Harris, Jessica B. “The Sun People of 125th Street. The National Black Theatre.” The Drama Review: TDR, vol. 16, no. 4, 1972, pp. 39–45. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1144752.
NationalBlackTheatre. “The Quest.” YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 04 Aug. 2017.
Therotatingchinmen. “Minnie Riperton – Les Fleurs.” YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 04 Aug. 2017.
What a great topic and one that is sadly under-represented in the history of New York! Watching the interviews was a great idea. I wonder if you also spoke with those who are part of the company now and how they see themselves connected to the origins and vision Teer set out? Also worth asking: who was the audience for the theater? Was it only those in Harlem and/or the city’s Black community or was the idea to liberate all of those who saw their performances, regardless of race, religion, etc.? Thanks for sharing this story!