First Folio Theatre Facts:
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
|
|
The Lafayette Theatre was home to the resident company the Lafayette Players in Harlem, 1936.
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, and politics centered in Harlem, Manhattan, between the 1920s and 1930s.
- From 1910 to 1920, African American populations migrated in large numbers from the South to the North, with prominent figures like W.E.B. Du Bois leading what became known as the Great Migration. By 1920, nearly 300,000 African Americans from the South had moved north, and Harlem was one of the most popular destinations for these families.**
- The early 20th century saw a great upsurge in Black theater companies. One of the first important theater companies of this era was Anita Bush's Bush Players founded in 1916, later called the Lafayette Players. Other companies included the Ida Anderson Players and the Acme Players, which later became the National Ethiopian Arts Center.
- One of the most influential Black American writers of his time, W.E.B. Du Bois founded KRIGWA, an almost-acronym for the Crisis Guild of Writers and Artists. KRIGWA sponsored a playwriting contest focusing on plays that depicted true portrayals of Black American life.
- In 1925, Du Bois and playwright Regina Anderson founded the Krigwa Players, headquartered in a public library on 135th St. in New York. It is considered the most influential Black American theater troupe, as all its works were written, directed, and performed by Black artists.
|
|
- Black American musicals were finding their place on Broadway as well. The jazz musical "Shuffle Along," written by the team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, was greatly successful, and featured Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson in small roles. Due to its success, nine more Black-American musicals made it to Broadway in the following three years.
- Playwright and poet Langston Hughes had a Broadway hit with his play "Mulatto" in 1935. He established three theater companies: the Suitcase Theater in Harlem, the Negro Art Theater in Los Angeles, and the Skyloft Players in Chicago.
- Zora Neale Hurston, a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist, won the Opportunity Playwriting Contest for her play "Color Struck," published in 1926. She went on to write several theater revues, including "The Great Day," "From Sun to Sun," and "Singing Steel."
- Hughes and Hurston would begin to collaborate on a play in 1930, "Mule Bone," based on a Florida folktale. Unfortunately, their working relationship soured and the play was never finished.
|
Don't Miss Out on our FINAL Season!
Shows are already selling out!
|
Or call the Box Office at 630-986-8067
Monday - Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
|
VACCINATION AND MASKING POLICY
First Folio is a fully vaccinated workplace, and all employees will be masked, except for the actors while they are performing. To ensure our patrons’ heath and security, as well as the safety of our performers and staff, First Folio has implemented the following policy:
First Folio will require proof of full vaccination status (2 shots of Moderna/Pfizer or 1 shot of J&J) for all audience members, as well as performers and staff, for all performances.
No exceptions will be allowed to this policy.
Mask policies will be determined closer to the start of the season and will depend upon the current state of the pandemic.
|
Our 2022-23 season is sponsored by Alan and Susan Becker
and Daniel Nowaczynski & Nancy Ziegler
First Folio's programs are sponsored in part by
grants from the Illinois Arts Council (a State agency)
and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
All performances take place on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake Hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
First Folio Theatre is fully accessible with reserved ADA seating available and assisted listening devices available for all indoor performances. To request ADA seating, please contact the Box Office at 630-986-8067.
|
|
|
|
© 2022, First Folio Theatre. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
