Found 140 collections related to African Americans in the performing arts

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 Council of Churches. The Black dance collection consists of correspondence, contracts, scripts, and descriptions of dances based on African themes. less

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 press clippings. less

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 United States Committee for the First World Festival of Negro Arts Press agent's filess consist of administrative materials. less

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 plays. The American Place Theatre Company records document almost five decades of theatrical work produced by the American Place Theatre and the administrative activities of the theater. The bulk of the collection consists of production files that span from 1963 until the 2008-2009 season. The records also contain administrative files that represent the day-to-day operations of the American Place Theatre, minutes of the board of trustees, extensive correspondence of Director Wynn Handman, scripts, and posters. less

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 compositions, legal documents, financial records, programs, broadsides, and news clippings documenting Bledsoe's professional career, particularly in Europe. less

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 business career at the age of fourteen. She joined a song and dance act with her mother and aunt in Europe. Later, in the 1920s, she appeared in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds in London, as part of a vocal trio. Around this time, Mercer started studying singing, with aspirations of becoming a concert singer. In the 1920s and 1930s, she was a successful night club singer in Paris, appearing at Ada "Bricktop" Smith's Bricktop's. She made her first appearance in the U.S. in 1938 and settled here in 1941, after marrying singer Kelsey Pharr, a member of the Delta Rhythm Boys. Mercer became an American citizen in 1952, where she was known as one of the most popular supper club singers for many years. The Mabel Mercer collection consists of articles, correspondence, interviews and profiles, publicity flyers, programs, and a scrapbook. less

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

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 also known for her starring role on Broadway in an all-Black cast version of Hello Dolly. During World War II, Bailey toured with the USO, performing for American troops. Beginning in 1946, she was a top attraction in nightclubs, variety houses, and television programs in the United States and Britain. At age 67, in 1985, she graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor's degree in theology. Between 1968 and 1989, she published six books on her life, cooking, and educational experiences. Bailey served as a special ambassador to the United Nations in 1975 and 1989, and in 1988, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Pearl Bailey letters (1943-1989) consist of correspondence between Bailey and her friend, Lillian Morrison, a published author, compiler, and editor of children's and young adult books as well as a librarian at the New York Public Library, 110th Street Branch. Most of the letters were written by Bailey, and refer to her various endeavors, including her USO work at Fort Huachucha in Arizona; recordings of the song "Tired", which was one of her hit songs; Disney's The Fox and the Hound, for which she provided one of the voices; and her service with the United Nations. As both women were published authors, several of the letters make reference to this fact and to their long friendship and shared birthday, March 29, 1918. The letters do not provide a great amount of detail about Bailey's show business career. less

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 actress. The Muriel Rahn papers contain materials related to her performing career. less

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 Community Choir. Buchanan taught music in the New York City school system as well as at Five Towns College in Seaford, New York. Additionally, he worked as an administrator in the Peace Corps, serving in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Buchanan died in December 2010. The Samuel Carroll Buchanan collection contains letters, sheet music, programs, and research materials related to quartet singers. There are two letters from Harry Douglass, a leader in the famous quartet the Deep River Boys, which began in 1936 at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) and a score by Douglass, "Come Rain or Shine". Additionally, there are two programs in the collection, the United in Group Harmony Association's "20th Anniversary Weekend Celebration" (1996) and the Blues and Rhythm Jubilee's "Whisky, Women, and ..." (1982). The research materials consist of photocopies of correspondence mainly from and to George F. Ketchum of Hampton Institute, detailing various opportunities involving the Hampton Quartette. less

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 dancer/choreographer. 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

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 articles, academic essays, campaign speeches, promotional material, and ephemera related to Blakk's political campaigns, as well as clippings, reviews, and promotional material for the documentaries Drag in for Votes and Lick Bush in '92 by Gabriel Gomez and Elspeth kydd. There is also a miscellaneous folder for events attended by Blakk and a file for the playscript and programs of Womandingo, a play which featured Blakk. 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

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 production and costume and lighting design to her list of accomplishments. Considered an African-American pioneer in the field of costume and set design, Briggs-Hall also directed theatrical productions. The Louise Evans Briggs-Hall Theatre Collection consists of funeral programs, playbills, flyers, and reviews for productions directed and designed by Briggs-Hall. less

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 professional organization. less

The collection documents Julian Mayfield's career as a writer, educator and actor, and his activities as a political expatriate in West Africa and Guyana. Significant correspondents include fellow African-American expatriates and friends Maya Angelou, Herman Kofi Bailey, Sylvia Boone, William Branch, Tom Feelings, David DuBois, Preston King, Jim Lacy, Calvin and Elinor Sinnette, and Alice Windom. Other correspondents are John Henrik Clarke, Jules Dassin, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, James Forman, Richard Gibson, Gloria Joseph, Woodie King, Paul Mann, William Marshall, Truman Nelson, and Conor Cruise O'Brien. less

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

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

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

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