Cultural movement · 1820–now
Black Theatre & Dance
From the African Grove Theatre to Broadway and the Alvin Ailey company, Black performers built stages of their own and transformed American performance.
Black theatre in America began in 1821 with the African Grove, was reborn on Broadway with Shuffle Along (1921) and A Raisin in the Sun (1959), and found new heights in the concert dance of Alvin Ailey. Performers like Paul Robeson and Josephine Baker became global stars while carrying the freedom struggle onto the world stage.
On the timeline
- 1821The African Grove Theatre
The first known Black theatre company opens in New York City.
- May 23, 1921"Shuffle Along" on Broadway
A landmark all-Black musical revolutionizes American theatre.
- March 11, 1959A Raisin in the Sun Opens on Broadway
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway with a Black director (Lloyd Richards) and predominantly Black cast, becoming the first play by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. Hansberry, at 29, became the youngest American and first Black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.