"The black Chicago performing arts have been well documented, but Black Theater offers a glimpse into an era that has received little attention. This oral history of the contemporary arts scene provides unique scholarship to researchers of performance studies, black studies, and Chicago history." - LIbrary Journal
Black Theater Is Black Life fills a critical gap in the history of African American culture in Chicago. Through interviews with prominent producers, directors, choreographers, designers, dancers, and actors, Young and Zabriskie create a portrait of a diverse, dynamic artistic community between 1970 and 2010. They frame this history with helpful guides, including a chronology of key events, a glossary of names, and an appendix of leading performing arts institutions in Chicago.
Features interviews with...
Chuck Smith, Kemati Porter, Gloria Bond Clunie, Jackie Taylor, Jonathan Wilson, Ron O. J. Parson, Kathy A. Perkins, Derrick Sanders, Rashida Z. Shaw, Sydney Chatman, Najwa I, Darlene Blackburn, Geraldine Williams, Idella Reed-Davis, Babu Atiba, Joel Hall, Alfred (Fred) Baker, Amaniyea Payne, Idy Ciss, Kevin Iega Jeff, Tosha Alston and Daniel "Brave Monk" Haywood.
"Overall, the contribution this book makes in the scholarship of theater studies is valuable and long overdue. The oral history of Chicago Theater and Dance engages those with a theater background, those that attend theater, or those interested in Black history. This book gives Black Theater the attention it deserves." - The Journal of Pan African Studies