Theater & Spoken Word

Theater & Spoken Word

A blend of African-American oral and musical traditions.

Cultural Origin

Early 20th century, Eastern United States

Prominent Artists

Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Audra MacDonald, Gregory Hines

Advertisement for the original 1921 production of "Shuffle Along."
Advertisement for the original 1921 production of "Shuffle Along."

About The Genre

Closely related to the African-American classical and opera journey, the Black cultural contributions to the theater and spoken word genres are also a story of creativity and innovation overcoming cultural and systemic bias. Black theater music is the epitome of resilience and taking and remaking something that not only originally excluded African-Americans but was created to mimic and ridicule the Black experience.

White performers, beginning in the early 19th century, began a racist theatrical entertainment for White audiences that grotesquely mimicked African-American music and culture with the birth of blackface minstrel shows. The minstrel show quickly became the most popular form of American entertainment and even spread its influence worldwide. With limited opportunities to share their musical gifts, Black American performers adopted the minstrel form and subsequently made it their own — taking something born from pain and creating something beautiful and uniquely African-American.

Like many of the genres featured on The Black Music Project, artists in the theater and spoken word category also significantly contributed to other musical genres such as classical and opera, jazz, soul, pop, and hip hop.

Trivia/Famous Lyrics

DId you know...

African American Theatre is a vibrant and unique entity enriched by ancient Egyptian rituals, West African folklore, and European theatrical practices. A continuum of African folk traditions, this theatre combines storytelling, mythology, rituals, music, song, and dance with ancestor worship from ancient times to the present. It has afforded black artists a cultural gold mine to celebrate what it has been like to be an African American in The New World.

Anthony Duane Hill, BlackPast

Artists from this genre

Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle

Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle

The duo brought Black artistry to the American stage.

Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson

Singer, actor, athlete, lawyer, activist, Renaissance man.

Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron

Political conscience street poet and singer.

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