Found 16 collections related to African Americans in the performing arts

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 Joseph Patterson Players (1962-1965), the Afro-American Repertory Theatre Company (1971-1978) and the James Baldwin Writers' Workshop Theater (1992-2002). The Henry Miller Theater collection chronicles Miller's work in theater, film, and television as an artist and scholar and spans the period 1957-2005. less

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. The Hall Johnson Choir, which he organized in 1928, performed on Broadway in Marc Connolly's play Green Pastures (1930), for which Johnson was music director. Johnson was known for his compositions as well as the articles he authored that discussed the history of spirituals and their performance practice. The Hall Johnson Collection contains a miscellaneous assortment of material including correspondence and news clippings regarding a workshop Johnson held in East St. Louis, Missouri, in 1969; and a letter to Katherine Dunham explaining his need to give more time to the inexperienced chorus. There is a music book with some holographic music; a poem he authored "Changelessness" (1956); and a few notes. This collection also includes biographical notes and personal recollections written in 2001, by Madeline Preston, a friend and member of his choir, along with a letter Johnson wrote to her in 1956. less

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 production materials for the South African musical "Sarafina!" (1988-1991) and flyers and announcements for a play reading series entitled "Voices of Griots" (1991-1996). There is also a biographical file for Roger Furman. less

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 Soon. Her breakthrough role was in the 1978 Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin', a musical revue inspired by the jazz music of Fats Waller and the Harlem Renaissance. Carter won a Tony Award for her performance as well an Emmy Award for her reprisal in the 1982 NBC television broadcast of the show. In 1979, she appeared in the film adaption and soundtrack of the musical Hair. Carter starred in the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! from 1981 until 1987, receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role as the housekeeper Nell Harper. Carter, who in some TV series also appeared as Nell Ruth Carter, was active in the theater and on television and film throughout the 1980s and 1990s; notable acting credits include roles in revivals of Hello Dolly! and Annie; the ABC sitcoms You Take the Kids and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper; and in the films Bebe's Kids and The Glass Harp. Carter was married twice and lived with her partner, Ann Kaser, after her second divorce until her death in 2003, from heart complications related to diabetes. She is survived by a daughter and two adopted sons. The Nell Carter scrapbooks collection features newspaper and magazine articles, and playbills that highlight both the professional and personal life of the award-winning singer and actress. The NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! (1981-1987), is represented in critical reviews of Carter and her show. Also featured in the collection are clippings related to the award-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin', for which Carter received a Tony Award in 1978. The scrapbook includes clippings from the televised special of Ain't Misbehavin', which aired in 1982, and the revival of the play on Broadway in 1988. In 1982, Carter received an Emmy for her performance in the televised version of the musical. less

The Frederick O'Neal Papers document the theatrical, labor, and civic activities of this actor and labor leader, mostly from the 1940s through the 1990s. The collection consists primarily of personal papers, correspondence, speeches and addresses, writing, and information about the theatrical productions in which he appeared. There are also research materials about the 19th century African-American actor, Ira Aldridge, and files pertaining to the many organizations with which O'Neal was associated. less

The Djola Branner papers, 1983-2010, document his personal life and professional career as a writer, poet, dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator. The collection reflects how his identity and experiences as a gay Black man informed much of his creative work. less

The Gilbert Price collection consists primarily of printed material. The collection contains several drafts of a biographical essay about Price written by Allen Warren Smith, a close friend and business associate, and administrative records of Variety Recording Studios, which Smith directed, relating to the Price's career. There are also programs and playbills for productions in which Price held a leading role, newspaper clippings and reviews about Price, along with a ledger of his personal finances kept by Smith. Included is material relating to the planning of the memorial service for Price, held on February 5, 1991 at the Actors Chapel, St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church and obituaries. less

Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7th, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. His papers, dating from the 1910s to 2015 (the bulk dates from the 1950s onward), document the musical, personal, and career development of one of the most important musicians and artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries. This development can be most clearly observed in his music manuscripts and practice material; personal writings; letters; and professional business records. Rollins's career is also illustrated by an extensive set of photographs and a large collection of unique sound and video recordings. less

Harry Belafonte is a Jamaican-American musician, actor, and activist best known for popularizing calypso music with international audiences, and his involvement in the American Civil Rights movement. His collection contains project files, correspondence, scrapbooks, press materials, scores, lyrics, and scripts that chronicle his career as a singer, songwriter, actor, public speaker, and advocate for political and humanitarian causes. Belafonte's papers reveal the business aspects of his performance projects, source material for his acting and singing career, and organizing efforts associated with the political causes he championed. less

The Schomburg Programs and Playbills collection consists of thousands of programs, playbills, and other ephemera, spanning the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, documenting Black theatrical, musical, and dance performances, as well as events put on by Black academic, community, religious, and political organizations. less