Black musicals of the 20th century-stereotypes, themes, and progress
Introduction
All through the 20th century, black Americans showed their efforts to attain autonomy and equality. For many years, black Americans have been trapped in poverty, discrimination, and they have been stereotyped as foolish, irresponsible, violent, and lazy, among other degrading stereotypes. The root cause of the stereotypes is the negative portrayals in the media. The presence of blacks in the motion pictures presents unfavorable light against minorities, and as a result, society views blacks as second-class citizens. Note that the media play an important role in presenting the morals and values of different cultures. In addition, it the role of the media to construct or shape public attitude toward other cultures since people use the information presented by the media to define Blacks. Since the media present negative images, the public perceives the Blacks as inferior and threat to the society. However, black Americans started their mobility toward attaining identity, equality, and autonomy through social and literacy practices. The primary purpose of engaging in musical theater was to perform theatrical practices in form of rituals, acting, dancing, among other practices to resist stereotypes, claim their identity, and celebrate their cultural values and heroism. In the period of 1920s to 1960s, black Americans expressed the collective memories of the trauma they experienced, and their struggle for heritage through cultural and artistic resources.
During the end of the 18th century (the 1800s), black slaves would gather in New Orleans and connect themselves with their ancestors through songs and dances. During the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, African American performers entered the musical theater to respond to the suppression and prejudice showed by the European-Americans (Juang et al, 378). At the early 20th century, black musicals such as Bert Williams and George Walker presented the black ethnic group through minstrel style. Playwrights such as Granny Maumee, Eugene O'Neill, Ernest Culbertson, among others presented the Black's renewed interest in the musical. Since they were strong enough to resist the stereotype and false images, these playwrights could not reinscribing the black stereotypes (Juang et al, 378). In the musical theater, black Americans' primary focus was to re-establish the African settings. Note that during the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans reclaimed their identity, expressed their self-determination, and resisted prejudice and discrimination. During this period, African Americans moved to urban regions where they gained economy opportunities and their life flourished. Since some of the migrants were artists, writers, and musicians, African Americans entered in the theater to express the African histories and their need to participate in the socioeconomic, and industrial field (Juang et al, 378). Dorothy C Guinn, Willis Richardson, Shirley Graham, among others participated in the musical theater to present the African-American community culturally and artistically.
During pre and post-civil rights era, African Americans had started to participate in the socio-economic and political arena. Thus, they were interested in redefining their cultural and artistic values and they focused on presenting their symbols (Juang et al, 379). Since they had succeeded in the civil rights struggle, the black artists and playwrights such as Amiri Baraka, Joseph A. Walker, Ntozake Shange, among others presented the African image. Their practices such as dance and meditation played a significant role in strengthening African Americans, promoting spirituality, and redefining cultural values. In black plays or in other words, black theater, African Americans portrayed their experience through different forms including songs, acting, dance, movement, rituals among other forms (Juang et al, 379). However, the most used form was rituals since they believed that it brought communal bonding. The second common practice that blacks practiced was drama. Heroes and heroines participated in the African American drama to symbolize strength and defiance. In the drama, they resisted racism and sexism, and more importantly, they reclaimed their theatrical heritage that is rich in dance, song, ritual, sermon tradition, among other important elements (Juang et al, 380). The dramatists were against the Euro-Americans rules and models that hindered blacks from attaining cultural and sociopolitical needs.
Downs & Ramsey (52) talks about theatre and cultural diversity and asserts that not all people enter in theatre to reflect their culture but rather, theater allows people from the dominant culture, government and people from the upper class to present art and entertainment. For example, throughout the years, only individuals from the dominant culture have been allowed to write, play, and conduct drama, among other practices. On the other hand, minority racial could not write plays or participate in theater (Downs & Ramsey, 52). Thus, males from the dominant culture dominated the art and women who were playwrights were excluded. Today, biases and stereotypes exist in modern theatres in that only 15 to 16% of women work in Hollywood compared to the number of male writers in Hollywood (Downs & Ramsey, 53). However, it is important to understand that the role of theater is to allow all people to perform art and create cultural awareness. Theater plays a significant role in promoting multiculturalism in that when people from different cultures share their culture through art forms, other people understand and recognizes the cultural differences, and as a result, cultural diversity is promoted within the society. Cultural diversity then eliminates all form of discrimination and people within the society lives in peace and creates a pluralistic society. Note that conflicts between human beings emerge from the beliefs that a certain group or culture are inferior. Each group views themselves as correct and superior and as a result, people use stereotype while defining others (Downs & Ramsey, 59). However, the theater eliminates all stereotype as it allows different cultures to celebrate their differences. The author states that in the theater, culture expresses their cultural identity and allows other cultures to experience the culture's traditions and history. There is also a theater of protest where the dominant cultures allow the minority culture to express their social economic and political views (Downs & Ramsey, 61). The third type of theatre is a cross-cultural theater where different cultures mingle with a common aim of understanding each other.
Having understood the types of theater; theatre of identity, theater of protest, and cross-cultural theatre, it is important to note that in African American musicals, blacks entered in the theater to seek identity through expressing their experiences, and culture (Downs & Ramsey, 57). Note that the white cultures stereotyped and discriminated the blacks and for this reason, blacks expressed their voice, their defeats, their regrets, and demand for their freedom. Note that blacks are a diverse population who have been discriminated by Americans for many years. For this reason, African Americans created a theater of identity where they presented plays by blacks and about blacks in the 20th century (Downs & Ramsey, 57). However, before the 20th century, whites stereotypes blacks in the theatre through theatrical make-up such as ‘Blackface', ‘Yellowface', and more. For instance, during the 19th century, the Blackface minstrel show gave rise to racial stereotype. Note that the Black minstrelsy was the popular form of entertainment where urban white male presented the images of Negroes and black life. The white's performance laid the groundwork from black's stereotypes that endured in the American consciousness (Downs & Ramsey, 58). However, the Black musicals superseded the minstrel show since African Americans developed a new black show and changed the material and tone. For example, Black produced The Creole Show, The Octoroon, Black Patti's, among other shows that expressed how Blacks were treated by whites, their expressed their dark-skinned slaves, and their struggle for artistic independence (Downs & Ramsey, 59). By 1920s, Blacks had dominated in and artists, musicians, writers, gather at Black theater in Harlem to express their cultural history.
It is important to understand that initially, the American Theater did not contain national identity but due to sociopolitical and economic changes, there was a modification in that the theatrical practices were turned to be self-representation (Jones, 1). However, movements such as the Renaissance brought positive social changes since African-American could represent themselves artistically. In addition, there were able to attain natural and cultural values, and more importantly, they could recognize themselves as Americans. Today, African American theater present how race and stereotype have operated in American society throughout the ages. The theater is not only a social protest but it serves the role of changing the black lives, finding oppressive conditions, and creating cultural memory (Jones, 1). Note that during the 20th century, there was Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theatre-means that there were regional theaters and small theaters where actors expressed their culture and traditions. The minority could enter into these spaces and produce plays that reflected their reality, anxieties identities and protest against prejudice and discrimination (Jones, 1). For example, Hansberry's play ‘A Raisin in the Sun' presented a protest against the society full of prejudice. In this play, the author demonstrated the need to fight racism, and the need to value the dream. Blacks struggled to tolerate the oppressive circumstances and to obtain happiness. It is worth saying that African American theater is a powerful site where blacks constructed their identity. Despite the oppression and stereotype, blacks could still present their reality using art productions (Jones, 1). In the 20th century, African Americans experienced a positive change socially and musically but before then, they had to endure minstrelsy in the 19th century. However, despite the stereotyping by Southerners, blacks entered the entertainment industry. Today, Africa American Theatre is enriched by West African folklore, rituals, theatrical practices, among other important elements (Jones, 1). Black can now enjoy African American identity and traditions through entertainment and practicing rituals, songs, and more.
It is important to understand that in the 20th century, Africa Americans made a great advancement but the Great Depression affected their progress (Hatch & Shine, 257). For example, black musicals such as Shuffle Along, Chocolate Dandies, and others disappeared. By 1931, a large number of Black performers who worked in theater lost the employment. However, the Federal Theatre Project was launched in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration and four companies were established. African American artists received employment and they could portray the black society, its cultures, and traditions (Hatch & Shine, 258). Note that the blacks' beginning was associated with stereotype and discrimination but by the 20th century, there was a great success. Hollywood industry was white dominated until in the 1960s when the black actors fought for their presence in the theater. The American Theatre was characterized by color line or in other words, Americans such as Jim Crow South discriminated African-American talents (Hatch & Shine, 258). However, Blacks have great accomplishments that shape African-American experience today. For example, plays such as ‘A raising in the Sun’ play a significant in the African American community since blacks gain a sense of dignity and pride when they remember the freedom they gained against race and discrimination.
Conclusion
Focusing on Black musicals, the research paper has shown that in U.S Theater, blacks were discriminated and they were not allowed to enter on stage. Instead, whites stereotyped blacks through theoretical make-up such as ‘Blackface' to present the ethnic characters. Before the 20th century when Blacks created the black theatre through the influence of the Harlem Renaissance, the minstrel show was the common form of entertainment throughout the 19th century. In the minstrel show, white actors could present comic scenes, sentimental ballads, among other images to show white's negative perceptions about black. However, blacks came out of the white stereotypes and discrimination and reclaimed their heritage through the New Negro movement in the 20th century. The primary aim of the Harlem Renaissance was to embrace theatrical rituals, musical arts, and cultural awakening. They claimed their civil rights, socioeconomic opportunities, black heritage, and art development. As a result, Blacks were able to create a theatre of identity where they could express their tradition and cultures and rejected the white stereotypes against blacks. Despite the stereotype and all form of discrimination they encountered while trying to define their identity, they maintained their theme of social protest and social change. They demonstrated against stereotypes by whites and their aim was not to entertain but to demand justice. Today, black musicals have increased its popularity as it presents significant and important aspects of black culture and traditions.
Work cited
Juang, Richard M, Noelle Morrissette, and Melissa Fullmer. Africa and the Americas: Culture,
Politics, and History : a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-
CLIO, 2008. Internet resource.
Downs M. William., & Ramsey E. Wright. The Art of Theatre: Then and Now. Cengage
Learning, 2012
Jones, John B. Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater.
Hanover: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England,
- Internet resource.
Hatch V. James., & Shine Ted. Black Theatre USA Revised and Expanded Edition, Vol. 1:
Plays by African Americans from 1847 to today. Simon and Schuster, 1996
