The Ethiopian Art Theatre — originally called the Chicago Folk Theatre, later the Colored Folk Theatre, also referred to as The Ethiopian Art Players — was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

theatre company based out of

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. The company was an influential albeit short-lived (1922/1923–1925) group founded during the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. There are differing views over the precise year that the company was founded, 1922 or 1923. The founder was

Raymond O'Neil Raymond O'Neil was a European-trained American theater director. He was the critic of drama and music at ''The Cleveland Leader'' newspaper (now ''The Plain Dealer)''. To explore more innovative theatrical ideas than what was available in Clevela ...

, a white theatre director, and its principal sponsor was Mrs.

Sherwood Anderson Sherwood Anderson (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for subjective and self-revealing works. Self-educated, he rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and ...

, also white; though all its performers were African American. The organization was unique and controversial during its era, primarily for being one of the few African American Theatre Companies to perform European theatrical works, but also, among other things, for producing theatrical works of African American playwrights for both African American and Non-African American audiences.

Aim of The Ethiopian Art Theater

According to ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'' magazine in 1923, the aims of The Ethiopian Art Theater were to create "dramatic pieces" that have "universal appeal" for both African Americans as for other races including Caucasians and Asians. Secondly, the organization sought to encourage African Americans and Whites in the construction of dramatic literature and theater. Last, the Ethiopian Art Theater sought to extend this experience to other organizations and cities where there was a large African American community in the hopes of establishing similar theaters. As a response to numerous social, legal, and artistic restrictions on African Americans in the early 20th century, the Ethiopian Art Theater became a significant means of African American

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's talents and use of African American culture became one of the greatest successes in the African American cultural production. It was one of the first African American dramatic theater companies to make its way to the Broadway stage. Some even say it paved the way for other great African Americans to showcase their talents. In addition, the theater found a way to create a middle ground between white and black cultural drama. For approximately three years after its opening,

Fredi Washington Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington (December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American stage and film actress, civil rights activist, performer, and writer. Washington was of African-American descent. She was one of the first black American ...

became the first Negro actress to play a mulatto in the play ''

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''. Such roles were normally played by white actors but Washington fought to play this role. In addition, O'Neil revised Salome for one week in May 1923 to include African American features, and created a jazzy version of

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's ''

Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

''. He also recreated the Medieval drama, ''Everyman'', to include a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

scene. Supporters of the theater group saw the organization as a way to promote cultural and economic development in the community. The theater hit some financial struggles due to the lack of donors in the Ethiopian Art Theater organization. Still,

W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up i ...

made a statement proclaiming it a success by saying how "Financially the experiment was a failure; but dramatically and spiritually it was one of the greatest successes that this country has seen."

''The Chip Woman's Fortune'' (play)

Along with The Ethiopian Art Theatre's European theatrical repertoire the group was also committed to performing works by African American playwrights. The company, "requested help from ''

'', the official publication for the National Association for the advancement of Colored People (

N.A.A.C.P The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&n ...

, its editor, recommended

Willis Richardson Willis Richardson (November 5, 1889 – November 7, 1977) was an American playwright. Biography Willis Richardson was born on November 5, 1889 in Wilmington, North Carolina, a son of Willis Wilder and Agnes Ann (Harper) Richardson. His fami ...

, who had won two of its annual literary contests, and the company chose Richardson's one-act play ''

The Chip Woman's Fortune ''The Chip Woman's Fortune'' is a 1923 one act play written by American playwright Willis Richardson. The play was produced by The Ethiopian Art Theatre and is historically important as the first serious work by an African American playwright to be ...

''. "''

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." The play centered around a critical incident in the life of a poor African American family. It was not a financial success but W.E.B DuBois lauded it:

Controversy

In its brief existence, The Ethiopian Art Theatre managed to stir-up considerable controversy — to a level that, in some instances, challenged its otherwise well-established credibility. The biggest controversy came from external conflicts " when the show opened in New York on 7 May 1923, it faced enforced segregated seating at Broadway's Frazee Theatre. The African American Press and many in the audience were given seats in the balcony, but they, "flatly refused to occupy them." Eventually the management withdrew segregated seating and the performance continued for two weeks before returning to Harlem." David Krasner writes, " ny attendees of the opening night's performance had to be forcibly removed from the theatre, while others interrupted with "laughter and loud talk" during "the climax of the play." Another point of tension between the company, the New York City Critics, and the greater New York theatre establishment was the fact that The Ethiopian Theatre Company chose to perform works such as

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's '' Salome'' and

's ''

'', that, at the time, were not thought to be plays for African American performers and that cut in on the financial gains of other theatre companies who felt that ethically they had exclusive rights to European works. Instead of playing exclusively for audiences in Harlem, The Ethiopian Art Theatre chose ambitiously to work within the mainstream

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, and Chicago theatre systems that, due to both social and financial segregation, primarily catered to white audiences. O'Neil also caused internal and external strife when he couldn't decide which pieces from the company's repertoire to perform. "O'Neil eager to capitalize on the "novelty" of African American actors in "mainstream" plays, frequently switched shows at the last minute. Audiences, purchasing tickets with the guarantee for a particular show, were infuriated at discovering that the bill had been switched at curtain time and another show was being offered. This not only angered the audience, it upset the actors, who only at the last minute learned what show they would perform. As a consequence the acting suffered and the Broadway productions received mixed reviews."

The Curtain Closes

"With only modest success, they he Ethiopian Art Theatreopened on Broadway for only two weeks and then returned to Lafayette before closing their New York engagement and disbanding entirely." The company gave rise to several noteworthy careers such as:

Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was a pioneering American stage and screen actress and jazz and blues singer of the 1910s through the early 1930s. Preer was known within the black community as "The First Lady of ...

(1896–1932) who was considered a "pioneer in the cinema world for colored women", Sidney Kirkpatrick, Marion Taylor,

Laura Bowman Laura Bowman (October 3, 1881 – March 29, 1957) was an American stage, radio, and film actress.Tanner, Jo A."Bowman, Laura" In Hine, Darlene Clark, ed. ''Black Women in America: Theater Arts and Entertainment'', Encyclopedia of Black Women in A ...

, Solomon Bruce, and Aurthur Ray. Many of these performers went on to join other notable theatre companies such and the Lafayette Players.

Productions

* ''

Everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...

'' :: Medieval drama :: By

Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. Early life Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, the son of an upper-class ...

* '' The Follies of Scapin'' :: By

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

* ''George'' :: An expressionistic play from the German of

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:: By D.B. Bowerfind * '' Salome'' :: By

:: May 1923, Dunbar Theatre, Philadelphia :: Daily performances preceded ''

'' * ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' :: By

* ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

'' ::

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

style (jazz band accompaniment) :: By

:: March 15, 1923, Frazee Theatre * ''

'' :: By

:: May 1923, Dunbar Theatre, Philadelphia :: Daily performances preceded '' Salome'' * ''The Gold Front Stores, Inc.'' :: Comedy, 3 acts (1924) :: By Caesar G. Washington :: Opened March 23, 1924, Lafayette Theatre,

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

:: Starring

Abbie Mitchell __NOTOC__ Abriea "Abbie" Mitchell Cook (25 September 1884 – 16 March 1960), also billed as Abbey Mitchell, was an American soprano opera singer. She performed the role of Clara in the premiere production of George Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bes ...

, Edna Thomas, Gus Smith :: Directed by

* ''Cooped Up'' :: Drama, 1 act (1924) :: By Eloise Bibb Thompson ''(née'' Eloise Bibb; 1878–1928) :: 1925 :: (also produced October 15, 1924, by the National Ethiopian Art Theatre, Inc.)

Selected actors

* Lewis Alexander * Coy Applewhite *

* Solomon Bruce * George Jackson * Sidney Kirkpatrick *

Lionel Monagas Lionel John Monagas (June 26, 1889 – September 3, 1945) was an American actor originally from Caracas, Venezuela. A member of the original Lafayette Players company of Harlem, he appeared in theatrical and film productions. Theatre credits M ...

Charles Olden Charles Smith Olden (February 19, 1799April 7, 1876) was an American merchant, banker, and politician who served as the 19th governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War. As Governor, Olden supported P ...

(1896–1932), a pioneer in the cinema world for African American women * Arthur Ray * Marion Taylor * Arthur Thompson * Walter White

Notes

References

External links

"Opinion of W.E.B. Du Bois: The Ethiopian Art Theatre"
''

'', Vol. 26, No. 23, Whole No. 153, July 1923, published by the NAACP
"Harlem Renaissance,"
''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'' (2011) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ethiopian Art Theatre, The Theatre companies in Chicago Harlem Renaissance African-American arts organizations African-American theatre