Macbeth in Harlem: Black Theater in America from the Beginning to Raisin in the Sun [Hardcover]

2020 George Freedley Memorial Award Special Jury Prize from the Theatre Library Association​
2021 PROSE Awards Finalist, Music & the Performing Arts

In 1936 Orson Welles directed a celebrated all-black production ofMacbeththat was hailed as a breakthrough for African Americans in the theater. For over a century, black performers had fought for the right to perform on the American stage, going all the way back to an 1820s Shakespearean troupe that performedRichard III,Othello, andMacbeth, without relying on white patronage.

"Macbeth" in Harlemtells the story of these actors and their fellow black theatrical artists, from the early nineteenth century to the dawn of the civil rights era. For the first time we see how African American performers fought to carve out a space for authentic black voices onstage, at a time when blockbuster plays likeUncle Tom’s CabinandThe Octoroontrafficked in cheap stereotypes. Though the Harlem Renaissance brought an influx of talented black writers and directors to the forefront of the American stage, they still struggled to gain recognition from an indifferent critical press.

Above all, "Macbeth" in Harlemis a testament to black artistry thriving in the face of adversity. It chronicles how even as the endemic racism in American society and its theatrical establishment forced black performers to abase themselves for white audiences’ amusement, African Americans overcame those obstacles to enrich the nation’s theater in countless ways.Macbeth in Harlemtells the story of African American actors, playwrights, directors, and producers who worked to carve out a space for authentic black voices onstage and in every venue from the early 19th century to the dawn of the Civil Rights era. Above all, it is a testament to black artistry thriving in spite of the odds and in the face of the lc)