Black Theaters

There are many important contributors to the jazz genre that have changed the way it is performed today. Two of the most famous jazz choreographers are Bob Fosse and Katherine Dunham. They introduced unique techniques that are recognized in today’s theatrical jazz productions. Although, there are many contributors to modern jazz, Fosse and Dunham dominated the culture of the mid 1900s Broadway productions and left a lasting impact on producers and choreographers of and after their time.

appeared, and the 1870's, the minstrel show was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in America. White performers wearing burnt cork or black shoe polish on their faces assumed the roles of African American men and women. A typical minstrel show would have songs, dances, jokes and grand hoe-downs. The minstrel show tried to capture the "happy-go-lucky" slave that ate watermelon and shuffled about. However, this idea of the "happy slave" was very wrong. Since this was before the civil rights movement, African Americans were caricatured and often stereotyped as the lazy, shuffling,

The person whom invented Jazz was born in uptown New Orleans on September 6, 1877 to Alice and Westmore Bolden. Charles “Buddy” Bolden grew up in one of the most musically rich cities in all of the United States during the time, and it would have great influence in his life. As a young man, Buddy made money as a barber, however his heart was truly in his music. The cornet was his instrument, and he could play like nobody else. He was famously known as “The King” because of how well he played the cornet, as well as his public demand and popularity.

Firstly, a brief background of Early Black cinema is important to note. In 1915 The Plantation Genre (form of genre) came about with the release of Birth of a Nation an overtly anti-black film, which included three main mythic stereotypes. These included the “unlawful slave” who represented black slaves as unpredictable, cunning and violent; this representation was used as reasoning for whites sustaining control. The “subordinate slave” stereotype, which represented blacks as dependable, loving and accepting of their position; this allowed white audiences to displace any guilt about slavery. Additionally, there’s also what is known as the “clown entertainer” which included characteristics of innate humor and the

Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro Life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul—the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. Yet the Philadelphia clubwoman… turns up her nose at jazz and all its manifestations—likewise almost anything else distinctly racial…She wants the artist to flatter her, to make the white world believe that all Negroes are as smug as near white in smug as she wants to be. But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist …to change through the hidden force of his art that old whispering “I want to be white,” hidden in the aspirations of his people, to “Why should I want to be white? I am Negro—and beautiful.”

Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul-the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. Yet the Philadelphia club woman , turns up her nose at jazz and all its manifetations-likewise almost anything else distinctly racial... She wants the artist to flatter her, to make the white world believe that all Negroes are as smug and as near white in soul as she wants to be. But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist, to change through the force of his art that old whispering "I want to be white, hidden in the aspirations of his people, to "Why should I want to he white? I am Negro-and beautiful"

One of the two most important musical influences was Ragtime, a style of music of insistent syncopated “ragged” rhythm created by black piano players. Photos and video clips of people playing and dancing to ragtime are examples of Burns amazing use of art photography and photojournalism to make the story more vivid for the viewers. Ragtime was a style of music the youth enjoyed to listen and dance to while the older generation of white men considered it a product of anarchism. A quote by a Massachusetts attorney and politician of the nineteenth century, Edward Baxter Perry explains that “ victims in [his] opinion can be treated successfully only like the dog with rabies, with a dose of led,” when talking about people who listened, and danced to ragtime. As segregation took over New Orleans, formerly freed creoles, whites who were of black descendants began to play together with the African Americans, combining their musical styles and creating an entirely new one that incorporated which came to be known as jazz. Creoles were affluent in classical music and piano, which they incorporated into the making of jazz music.

Blackface performances were popular in American theaters for roughly 100 years, beginning around the 1830’s. In 1950’s blackface minstrel shows, white and black performers were not able to share the stage therefore they opted to paint their faces black with polish. These “black” characters were always portrayed as either villains or comedic. Blackface had been used to make arguments for slavery and why African Americans should not be given full human rights. These are narratives created by white men that were made to oppress and dehumanize an entire race of people. The minstrel show clip titled “Cotton and Chick Watts Blackface Minstrel Show Comedy” we are shown a very degrading performance put on by two white

People like Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and even Louis Armstrong were some of the regular customers or performers in the Club. In Harlem, you could not find a place that had more black culture. The time period of the Harlem Renaissance also brought us a lot of innovation in music. Jazz music reached popularity in the 1920’s. Artists like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Sidney Bechet. These jazz artists would lead to other music later down the road. Jazz would later turn to rap and lead to even more breakout African American artists. The breakout of African American culture was one that led to great new artistry in the United States. The Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration led to opportunities for all races and without it, America would not be the same.

AMC Theatres has been an innovator in the movie theater business for more than 50 years. The chain presents one-of-a-kind specials and film offerings in state-of-the-art theater accommodations. Over the years, the chain has acquired numerous other chains, as well as acquired themselves by a large Chinese company, in turn giving the chain more than 663 theaters across the United States and China. Here are 9 interesting facts about AMC Theatres.

In “Miles, The autobiography”, He claims that “...the greatest feeling I ever had in my life - with my clothes on - was when I first heard Diz and bird together in St. Louis… back in 1944.” (Davis 1) He just graduated from high school, having seen this show with Dizzy, Charlie Parker, Buddy Anderson, Gene Ammons, Lucky Thompson, and Art Blakey in the same band at one time, Miles caught the real jazz for the first time. “It was a mother fucker… Music all up in my body, and that what to wanted to hear.”(Davis 1) This show would serve as the building blocks of his massive career and artistic theory of music. However, Davis had started his career quite humbly, his bitterness started to take hold. Miles mentions that, during his tenure as a musician, had to fight back against the styles of Louie “Satchmo” Armstrong, because he grinned too much; Similarly, he lists Beulah Buckwheat and Rochester as combatants, due to the fact that they “influenced too many white people’s attitudes towards blacks.”(Davis 98) Davis’ social focus has always been on that of “the other”. Unfortunately, Miles used cynicism to analyze his social endeavors, beginning the long journey towards “jerk-hood”.

Eleanor W. Traylor begins by explaining the fallacy in thinking that ragtime was the first and foremost contributor to black theatre art in America. She argues that "the source of all that can be called representative American theatre is Aframerican" (47). In other words, she elaborates, there were two kinds of ceremonies and narratives pervasive to black theatre before ragtime. The minstrel show is one example. The article stresses that the minstrel show was not invented by white plantation owners, but that the minstrel show was a failed attempt at satirical imitation. The real minstrel show came from "the Afro American magic circle of creation" (Traylor 48). In the same page, she argues that their African American Minstrel show had its roots in African tradition, specifically, the Yoruba tradition. In this tradition, "the mask is wood until it becomes the mask in motion." Somehow, this mask got translated into blackface, into a tool for hiding rather than a tool for revealing. The mask used in African American minstrelsy would reveal the spirit of the mask wearer. Yoruba music would be wholly original, unusable by their white counterparts because it wasn 't wholly understood. The apparatus of using the wholly spiritual and authentic to create an art that is fully American would evolve over the centuries until black theatre became what it is during contemporary times. Traylor argues that it is the only truly American theatre because it was created in America.

“Black theatre, in the United States, dramatic movement encompassing plays written by, for, and about African Americans.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica) The first black theatre originated in the early 19th century. However, all those plays were written by white people. Although the play may consist of black characters; only white persons would play the parts. Between the ending of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century is when the black people were really allowed to act in plays. Instead of the black characters being play by white people, the black people were finally able to participate. “African American Theatre is a vibrant and unique entity enriched by ancient Egyptian rituals, West African folklore, and European theatrical

This assignment gave me the opportunity to better understand the every day life of someone who lives with a hearing loss. I was very pleased with the accuracy of the captions (when the device worked properly), but there were aspects of this experience that could use improvement. In conclusion, I believe this particular Cinemark theatre could serve their customers in a more professional, friendly manner. Also, I did not find the staff to be very enthusiastic to provide help when it was needed the most. Concerning the ADA, the theatre was able to provide me with the ALD of my choice; therefore they were in compliance with the law. Although I was using a CC device I felt the theatre fairly provided me with equal access to their services and did

In 1599 a three story building, called the Globe Theatre was bulit. The Globe was built out of The Theatre, an earlier theatre, using the building’s timber wood. “The Globe Theatre was a large octagonal open-air amphitheater capable of accommodating approximately three thousand patrons.” (Stock paragraph 7). It was owned by many shareholders of the Lord Chamberlain's Men which included Shakespeare. The theatre was famous for Shakespeare’s plays in the open air stage. Henry Vlll by William Shakespear and John Fletcher was preformed on June 29, 1613. During the play, a theatrical cannon was set off, missfired, hit the wooden ceiling beems, and set the theatre on fire. Soon after the theatre was destroyed, it was rebuilt again. The theatre continued