Found 124 collections related to African Americans in the performing arts

The Symphony of the New World was founded in 1964 by an interracial committee of professional musicians to provide opportunities for minorities, particularly black and Puerto Rican musicians, who were being discriminated against by the major symphonies. The Symphony of the New World Records reflect some of the activities of this orchestra. less

Rose McClendon was one of the most famous black dramatic actresses of the 1920s and 1930s. Although she did not become a professional actor until she was in her thirties, she consistently won critical acclaim for many of her acting roles and influenced the careers of many aspiring black actors of the period. less

Richard Ward, actor, director, author, educator, and police detective, was born on March 15, 1915. Mr. Ward started out in show business in vaudeville when he was 11 years old when he teamed up with his sisters, calling their act, Dot, Flo, and Dick. For 10 years Mr. Ward was a police detective assigned to the office of Frank S. Hogan, Manhattan district attorney. Richard Ward was born Richard Waugh. "Richard Ward" is a stage name. Mr. Ward died on June 30, 1979. The Richard Ward Papers consist of clippings, correspondence, production notes, photographs and scripts which deal with his career as a scriptwriter and actor. The collection spans the years 1949 to 1980 and include a diary of his army years. less

Collection reflects Heyward's professional life and activities, particularly his career as a performer; a significant portion of the collection consists of music manuscripts arranged and/or composed by him. Heyward's personal papers contain biographical data, sketches and programs, performance materials, contracts, family papers, and financial records, 1917-1982. Correspondence consisting of letters received from organizations concerning programs, acknowledgements and solicitations reflecting Heyward's involvement in charitable affairs, organizations, and musical events. Heyward's writings and music consisting of manuscripts of his compositions, lyrics and arrangements, as well as music and lyrics which Heyward copied, and musical arrangements for guitar. Organizational records consisting of Heyward's files from his membership in the New Amsterdam Musical Association, Duke Ellington Society, Overseas Jazz Club, and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Alumni. Also, programs of Heyward's performances, and programs of other artists, along with news clippings. less

Louis R. Sharp, African-American singer and actor graduated from the University of Kansas, where he sang with the University quartet. Moving to California in 1926, he studied voice with Theodore Ricardo, and settled in Harlem in the 1930s. A tenor, Sharp performed in concerts and recitals, singing in six languages. In 1931 Hall Johnson hired Sharp as a choral member of "The Green Pastures" in which he also played Cain. He had a major role as Toussaint L'Ouverture in the 1938 Federal Theatre Project's production of "Haiti" opposite Canada Lee's Christophe. Sharp was also in the original Broadway cast of such productions as "Conjur Man Dies," "Mamba's Daughters," "Cabin in the Sky," "South Pacific," "St. Louis Woman," "Finian's Rainbow," and "Set My People Free.". The Louis Sharp Scrapbooks are comprised of two volumes, the first, 1926-1946 contains news clippings and programs regarding Sharp's career, initially as a tenor performing in concerts, later as a singer and actor in "Finian's Rainbow" and in Broadway's "St. Louis Woman," and "Haiti," among other productions. There are several congratulatory letters and telegrams, including from Cab Calloway. The second scrapbook 1942-1947 consists of news clippings about African-American sports figures such as boxer Joe Louis and baseball player Jackie Robinson. less

Sidney Easton (1886-1971) was an actor, playwright and songwriter. Collection contains personal and professional papers including letters, writings by Easton, legal documents regarding his suit against 20th Century-Fox Corporation, and research notes. less

This collection documents part of an exhibition on African American musicians organized by the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. The papers consist of research material gathered by consultant Sidney Kaplan and his assistant, including sheet music; research notes; subject files of clippings and printed matter on various African American musicians; and correspondence with Alberta Hunter, Middleton Alexander "Spike" Harris, Caterina Jarboro, Noble Sissle, and several African American university museums and archives. less

Interracial organization devoted to the discovery and promotion of talented black artists and educating people on the contributions of black artists to the performing arts. Constitution and bylaws, financial and legal documents, financial reports, correspondence to private individuals as well as government institutions, news clippings, and other printed material relating to the Society. Also, Aldridge family papers consisting of copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, and correspondence to and from Ira Aldridge and other family members. less

Hilda Simms (1920-1994) was an actress best known for playing the title role in the American Negro Theater production of Anna Lucasta that moved successfully to Broadway in 1944. Her acting career also included film, television, and radio broadcasts. The Hilda Simms papers date from the 1930s to 1994 (bulk dates 1940s-1950s) and document her career as an actress; her work on creative arts and drug treatment programs in New York; and her personal life. less

Collection of photographs, original documents and correspondence related to the Horne family, assembled by Gail Lumet Buckley during the research and writing of her book "The Hornes: An American Family" (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.) Included are articles, programs, awards, memorabilia, business correspondence and papers, financial data, and other printed material dealing with the careers of singer Lena Horne, her uncle, Frank S. Horne, a member of the Roosevelt "black cabinet" and poet, and other members of the Hornes and their extended family. less

Alma Lillie Hubbard was an African-American soprano who introduced Marc Connelly, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning-play, "The Green Pastures" (1930), to the black churches of New Orleans. She also selected many of the spirituals that were sung in the production and performed in the chorus of the touring company in the 1930s. Hubbard studied music and voice at a number of institutions including Straight College where she also trained to be a Jubilee singer with two graduates of Fisk University who organized the first Jubilee clubs at that college, as well as Chicago's American Conservatory of Music, Columbia University in 1931 (Rosenwald scholarship), and the Juilliard School of Music where she received a master's degree. The Alma Lillie Hubbard Papers consist of letters written to Hubbard from her first husband, Berry Hubbard, her mother and godmother, and from Gladys Mike of the Apollo Theatre listing names of performers there for one week in February 1934. Other letters concern Hubbard's performances, education, and personal financial affairs. Hubbard authored one letter in the collection. Other material includes memo pads listing songs she performed, preparatory material for recitals and lessons she gave, and personal expenses. News clippings are primarily reviews of the touring performances of "The Green Pastures" in the South and Midwest in 1933-1934. less

The Ed Hall Papers consist of correspondence concerning professional and personal matters (1944-1983), and a poem authored by Owen Dodson. Several letters are from Ted Shine and George Rose, and one letter each are from director Lloyd Richards, Bobby Short, Thornton Wilder, Boston Globe drama critic Kevin Kelly, Vinnette Carroll, and a telegram from Lorraine Hansberry. There are also several contracts for the productions in which he acted, including television shows. A file for Zulu and the Zayda contains quarterly financial reports for 1965-1966, showing that Hall was a small investor in the production. The collection includes obituaries and other articles with information about Hall's career. less

This collection consists of material pertaining to Harrison's portrayal of "de Lawd" in the play The Green Pastures, written by Marc Connelly. Material primarily includes news clippings about Harrison and the play; Harrison's death in 1935; drafts of lectures given by Harrison; letters to Harrison from family members and others, including Paul Lawrence Dunbar; programs and playbills; and a biography of Harrison entitled "Even Playing 'De Lawd': Some Experiences from the Life of Richard Harrison" written by Olive L. Jeter. Jeter used the materials in this collection and her notes from discussions with Harrison for the biography. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks compiled by Jeter after Harrison's tours with Green Pastures." less

James Earl Jones is an actor whose career spans more than seven decades. He has performed in numerous films, television productions, and theater productions. Some of the theater productions in which he has been featured include The Great White Hope and Fences (for which he received Tony Awards). He received an Academy Award nomination for the film version of The Great White Hope, and Emmy Awards for his roles in Heat Wave and Gabriel's Fire. This collection consists of correspondence between James Earl Jones and Errol John regarding a proposed film based on John Fuller's book The Interrupted Journey. The film was to follow Betty and Barney Hill's encounter with an UFO and their "abduction" by its inhabitants, as described in Fuller's book. Also included are a script for the film, an article, and Jones's notes for the film. less

The Lawrence James Papers consist of personal and professional correspondence concerning his acting career, 1959-1995, contracts 1966-1994, production and rehearsal schedules, theater programs, flyers and news clippings pertaining to performances of "Fences" (1990), "Black Eagles (1991), "Driving Miss Daisy", "I'm Not Rappaport" (1990) and "Mr. Ricky Calls a Meeting" (1994) in which James appeared. Files on Buffalo's African-American Cultural Center consist of correspondence, reports, news clippings and programs relating to the Center's services, 1970-1976. less

Printed material relating to the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) including programs and playbills from NANM and other small groups; and annual breakfast, convention and conference materials, and other records of the New York and New Jersey chapters of NANM and the National Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. Other material relating to concert performances by black artists consisting primarily of programs and playbills, scrapbooks, and news clippings. Also programs, playbills, news clippings, newsletters, and financial reports pertaining to the Thomas Music Study Club, founded by Blanche K. Thomas, which was affiliated with NANM since 1946. Papers of Glover and his wife, Martha Seabrook Glover, contain personal and professional correspondence, and documents concerning the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Free-Masonry, the Oddfellows, the Republicans and Democratic parties, church groups, the A. Philip Randolph Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund, the Patriotic American Society, the Harlem Cultural Council, and news clippings about Glover. Also, personal papers of Martha Seabrook Glover relating to the Seabrook family. less

The Gilbert Price collection, 1965-1991, 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

William H. Glenn and Walter Jenkins (Glenn & Jenkins) were a popular comedy team who performed on the vaudeville circuit and toured the United States, Canada, and London during the 1920s and 1930s. They became renowned for their black face routines, "Working for the Railway" and "The Broom Dance.". The contents of the scrapbook includes reviews and advertisments of their comedy routines dating from 1922 to 1949 and 1962. The scrapbook also contains notes, flyers, photographs, telegrams, greeting cards, and copies of their pay stubs. less

The bulk of the Charles Gordone Collection pertains to the author's Pulitzer-prize winning play "No Place to Be Somebody," which includes several versions of the play script, programs, letters, playbills, flyers, posters, production and showcase materials, press, and two files for awards Gordone received from the Pulitzer Prize and the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1970 and 1971, respectively. 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

Singer, vocal clinician, consultant, coach. Wilkerson appeared professionally in Europe under the stage name of Gilbert Adams. He founded the Frederick Wilkerson Scholarship Foundation in 1967 for deserving and underprivileged artists. Personal and professional correspondence, student records and applications, records of the Frederick Wilkerson Scholarship Foundation. Also printed material regarding his students, music, programs collected by Wilkerson, and scrapbooks. less

Emmett "Babe" Wallace is a singer, composer, actor and writer. He has performed in cabarets, musical revues, films and the theater. As a composer and writer, he has produced a voluminous body of musical compositions, poetry essays and journals. Music, songs, poetry, prose, daybooks, scripts, personal papers, printed material, and other papers, relating to Wallace's career in cabarets, musical revues, films, and theater in the United States, Canada, France, and Israel. Themes in his creative work include personal life, civil rights, religion, and politics. less

Ernest Truesdale, whose stage name was Tad Truesdale, was a dancer, choreographer, actor, writer, producer, and director. This collection primarily documents the performer's professional career and includes biographical information, playscripts, news clippings, reviews, programs, correspondence, and financial records. less

Actress, singer, poet, playwright. Private secretary to actor Leigh Whipper. Davis' scrapbooks include news clippings relating to Davis' career as a performer; and plays, fables, poems, jokes and gags written by Davis. Also, musical compositions consisting of photocopies of music, 1948-1974; and a scrapbook about Leigh Whipper containing news clippings and other printed material, 1978. less

Bertha Des Verney was a pianist, composer, arranger, writer, singer, playwright, concert promoter, and music teacher. The Bertha Des Verney papers include programs and flyers for musical events that she was involved in, annotated musical texts, scripts, holograph music of her arrangements and compositions, correspondence, and news clippings. From the Washington Music School there are reports, financial records, and a history of the school (1931). Material for the National Association of Negro Musicians includes programs for conventions. The collection also includes two scrapbooks, one of which contains news clippings and programs for musical concerts, primarily featuring African-American artists (1929-1957). The second scrapbook contains news clippings about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and other noteworthy events in the Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson families, as well as obituaries of a number of black personalities, and some musical programs (1936, 1959-1974). There are also a few letters in the collection. less

Thaddeus Drayton (1893-1964) together with Rufus Greenlee (1893-1963), pioneered the "class act" tap style, which combined grace and elegance with precision soft-shoe tap dancing. Known as "Drayton and Greenlee," they wore top hats and tails, adding monocles and canes to their costume. They were among the few African Americans to play at the Palace Theater in New York on the vaudeville circuit during World War I. Their act broke up in 1930; Drayton then formed a dance act with Lucille Smith in the 1940s known as "Teddy Drayton and Lucille.". The Thaddeus Drayton collection documents portions of his career as a member of the tap dance team of Drayton and Greenlee (Rufus). Included are letters from W.C. Handy concerning a tribute honoring him and with song lyrics on the reverse (1950-1951), letters from composer/conductor Eva Jessye (1960), and letters from Germany and Russia in 1926. Programs from the Veteran's Camp in Mt. McGregor where Drayton performed in 1950, and from the Negro Actors Guild, mention his name. Of special interest is manuscript music from the Teddy Drayton and Lucille act. There are also song lyrics printed in Italian. less

Edith Spencer was an international singer and dancer who appeared in vaudeville, the theatre and in nightclubs during the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared in the Broadway productions of "Runnin' Wild," "Rarin' to Go," and succeeded Florence Mills in "Shuffle Along." Her performances included club engagements and appearances from New York to Los Angeles, London, Paris, and the Far East. After "Shuffle Along" closed, Lottie Gee and Spencer became partners and formed a sister act that was followed by the addition of Allegretti Anderson. The trio was alternately billed as the Harmony Trio, the Creole Beauties, and the Three Dark Sisters. The Edith Spencer Scrapbook documents Spencer's entertainment career and her subsequent employment as a real estate agent. The contents include newspaper clippings, flyers and a photograph of Spencer, Gee and Anderson. less