Found 137 collections related to African Americans in the performing arts

Gunn, Bill, 1934-1989
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 971
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
The Bill Gunn playscripts are comprised of 5 varying copies of Bill Gunn's playscript titled, The Forbidden City.
Nash, Joe, 1919-2005
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 224
0.63 linear feet (2 boxes)
Joe Nash was a dancer, black dance historian, coordinator of black dance history courses at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School in New York, and director and founder of the Multiethnic Christian Education Resources Center of the National... more
Yuen, Lily, 1908-
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 643
.4 linear feet (1 flat box)
Lily Yuen was a singer and dancer, who also considered herself a comedienne, performer of novelty songs, parodies and specialty acts, as well as an emcee, during the 1920's and 1930's. She was a principal in the Brownskin Models, an annual touring... more
Gunn, Bill, 1934-1989
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 843
7.71 linear feet (20 boxes)
The Bill Gunn Papers (1948-1994) document the extent of his career as a playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker, and contain material about his acting and directing accomplishments. Included in the collection are annotated drafts and final versions... more
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 515
0.67 linear feet (2 boxes)
This collection includes material gathered for an exhibition that would tell the story of the ANT and the achievements of its various performers. This material, sent by various alumni, includes such as updated resumes, programs, photographs, and... more
Miller, Flournoy E., 1886-1971
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 599
1.3 linear feet (4 archival boxes)
Flournoy Miller (1889-1971) was an actor, comedian, playwright, lyricist and producer. Collection contains personal papers that include biographical information and correspondence; professional papers, including contracts, memberships, writings... more
United States Committee for the First World Festival of Negro Arts
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 220
0.63 linear feet (2 boxes)
The First World Festival of Negro Arts took place April 1-24, 1966, in Dakar, Senegal; it demonstrated the cultural ties between African nations and the rest of the world, and the impact of Black culture upon world culture. The records of the... more
Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 170
0.56 linear feet (9 reels)
Correspondence, texts of speeches, articles, columns and statements written by Paul Robeson and his wife, Eslanda Goode Robeson, photographs, news clippings, and press releases documenting Robeson's artistic and political activities.... more
American Negro Theatre
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 70
The records contain ANT's constitution and by-laws; correspondence by Frederick O'Neal, Abram Hill, Maxwell Glanville, Hilda Sims, Alice Childress, and Harry Wagstaff Gribble; assorted programs; minutes of the board of directors; financial... more
American Place Theatre (Organization)
Billy Rose Theatre Division | *T-Mss 2002-025
124.55 linear feet (305 boxes)
The American Place Theatre is a not-for-profit theater founded in 1963 in New York City to aid in the advancement of learning in all aspects of the dramatic arts, including the development and advancement in writing, direction, and production of... more
Bledsoe, Jules, 1898-1943
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 255
1.17 linear feet (4 boxes)
Singer and actor Jules Bledsoe created the role of Jo and the interpretation of the song "Old Man River" in the original production of Show Boat (1927). This collection consists of correspondence, contracts, musical... more
Mercer, Mabel, 1900-1984
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 536
0.33 linear feet (2 boxes)
Mabel Mercer (1900-1984) was a singer, song stylist, and night club entertainer. Born in England in 1900 to a Black musician father, Benjamin Mercer, and a white English vaudevillian mother, Emily Wadham Stonehouse, Mercer started her show... more
Washington, Eno
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 495
5.93 linear feet (9 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Donald Eno Washington is a performing dance artist and instructor with a specialty in dance of West Africa and Mali. The Donald Eno Washington papers include personal and professional material regarding his dance career and travels.
Negro Ensemble Company
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 345
89.38 linear feet (217 boxes)
The records of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), 1967-1993 document the work of the most successful African-American theatrical company in the United States to date. In addition to information about the productions, the records also document the... more
Miller, Henry (Henry D.)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 756
4.37 linear feet (11 boxes)
A veteran theater artist of the 1960s and 1970s civil rights inspired Black theater movement, Henry Miller has directed a number of plays in the African American drama canon. Between 1962 and 1992, Miller founded three Black theater companies: the... more
Johnson, Hall, 1888-1970
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 811
0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
African-American composer, musician, and arranger, Hall Johnson is best known as a choral director and for his arrangements of spirituals. In 1925, Johnson formed the Hall Johnson Negro Choir, which performed spirituals in the traditional style.... more
Grandassa Models (Firm)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 822
0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
The Grandassa Models Collection consists of printed material regarding the formation of fashion shows that featured these models and included African dancers and theatrical performances. Included are flyers, brochures, and posters that promoted... more
Bailey, Pearl
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 824
0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) was an African American actress and singer. In films, she was known chiefly for two roles: Maria in Porgy and Bess(1959) and Frankie in Carmen Jones (1954). She was... more
Hemphill, Essex
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 832
0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)
The Essex Hemphill and Wayson Jones Collection documents the collaboration and friendship of poet (Hemphill) and musician (Jones), and their artistic endeavors to foreground the experiences of Black gay life in the United States.
Jones, Judd, 1931-2011
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 846
1.42 linear feet (2 boxes)
Judd Jones was an African American actor, singer, dancer, and director whose career was centered in New York City. The Judd Jones papers document his theatrical career.
Rahn, Muriel
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 848
0.71 linear feet (3 boxes)
Best known for her performance in the title role of the original 1943-1944 Broadway production of Carmen Jones, Muriel Rahn (1911-1961) developed a reputation as a performer who was equally talented as a singer and an... more
Primus, Pearl
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 852
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
Pearl Primus (1919-1994) was an internationally recognized dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. She is best known for presenting African dances, which she researched in Africa; studying their function and meaning; and performing before... more
Buchanan, Samuel Carroll
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 863
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
Samuel Carroll Buchanan received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1987 with a dissertation on Black quartets in the United States. He also sung with several groups, including the Charioteers, the Carr-Hill Singers, and the Gulf Coast... more
Bearden, Nanette
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 867
1.08 linear feet (3 boxes)
Nanette Bearden (née Rohan) was a fashion model, dancer, and founder of the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre. The Nanette Bearden Papers document some aspects of Bearden's personal life and her careers as a fashion model and... more
New Heritage Theatre Group (New York, N.Y.)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 912
1.67 linear feet (4 boxes)
The New Heritage Theatre Group records consists of playbills, broadsides, flyers, playscripts, correspondence and printed matter relating to the organization's productions and events from 1965-2015. Of particular note are original playscripts and... more
Blakk, Joan Jett
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 897
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
The Joan Jett Blakk/Lick Bush in '92 Archive, ca. 1991-1996, documents Terence Smith's drag persona Joan Jett Blakk as she campaigns in the 1991 Chicago mayoral election and the 1992 presidential election. The collection consists of news... more
Carter, Nell
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 904
0.75 linear feet (3 boxes)
Nell Carter was an award-winning singer and actress who appeared in many popular theater, television, and film works from 1971 until her death in 2003. Born Nell Ruth Hardy in 1948, she made her Broadway debut in the short-lived 1971 musical more
Briggs-Hall, Louise Evans, 1921-1992
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 501
0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
Louise Evans Briggs-Hall (1921-1992) was the first African-American woman to become a member of the United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, in the early 1950s. She began her career directing children's theatre. She later added stage scenic... more
Wilkerson, Frederick
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 377
5.67 linear feet (14 boxes)
Frederick Wilkerson was a singer, vocal clinician, consultant, and coach. This collection consists of correspondence, student records and applications, sheet music, and records of the Frederick Wilkerson Scholarship Foundation, which he founded.
Negro Actors Guild of America
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 259
18.83 linear feet (40 boxes)
The Negro Actors Guild (NAG) was formed in 1936 and began operation in 1937 in New York City as a welfare and benevolent organization for Black performers. The Negro Actors Guild (NAG) records document the functions and activities of this... more
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