characteristics of african theatre
Long before cultural contact with Europe, Black Africa had its very own personal forms of dramatic expression. Part of that expectation is that they always have to be writing about race, for example, or they always have to be writing about some type of Black trauma or Black mourning.. It is through such performative elements that the myths and legends on which African civilization is based are examined, scrutinized and reinterpreted. Updates? The setting was generally simple and was largely dependent upon the whims of the master of ceremonies and the events being celebrated. Two other major figures emerged in the latter part of the 20th centuryTess Onwueme and Femi Osofisan. In that same year the Federal Theatre Project was founded, providing a training ground for African Americans. These stories passed down communal histories and myths and to share important morals. Duro Ladipo was also an accomplished Yoruba opera artist, with sophisticated theatrical re-creations of Yoruba history and myth (Oba Koso, 1963, and Oba Waja, 1964) and an extraordinary version of Austrian author Hugo von Hofmannsthals Jedermann (Everyman), called Eda (1970). In such traditional ceremonies, for example, the mask is considered the material representation of a spiritual presence assuring the presence of the ancestors among the living. A tree might serve as a stand for props and costumes, as well as a backdrop. Another transcendent figure for the cultural universe of Ghana was Efua Sutherland. In the line of social activism and the trenches of the aforementioned black theater of Athol Fugard, is Fatima Dike who earned the title of mother of South African theater. Thus, the richness of theater in Africa lies very much in the interaction of all these aspects of performance. Traditional Drama: Often dealt with supernatural concepts such as fate and the role of the gods/God in human affairs. Onwuemes early plays were based on domestic incidents, but she became more adventurous with political allegories (The Desert Encroaches, 1985; Ban Empty Barn, 1986), andafter a move to teach in the U.S.her work expanded in range and ambition with strong feminist dramas, often with an evangelistic edge. First by Arabs and then by Europeans, these invasions affected all aspects of society including the theatre. Type. Experimental groups and Black theatre companies emerged in Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. In this collection of essays written from different critical perspectives, African playwrights demonstrate through their art that they are not only witnesses, but also consciences, of their societies. In addition to the troupes led by Ogunde, Ladipo, and Ogunmola, numerous other Yoruba theatre companies enjoyed great success well into the 1980s, though they were gradually overtaken by the popularity of videos for consumption at home, which diminished their audiences. Their functions within the religion or in different practices within the community represent not only a means for political expression, but also a vehicle for the survival of tradition. Nigeria stands out in the continent for the vigour and range of its theatre. However, there are some commonalities that help us distinguish them from theatre in the U.S. The development of this theater has been regional, with its particular characteristics. William Wells Browns The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom (1858), was the first Black play published, but the first real success of an African American dramatist was Angelina W. Grimks Rachel (1916). It is at the crossroads of the sacred and the profane, orality and the written word, of inner roots and external adjuncts. The companys life-span was short only two or three years but its founder, its performers and its legacy changed American drama. Still practiced today, it involves rhythmic body movements combined with music and sometimes . In East Africa, we look primarily at Kenya and Uganda. I highly recommend you use this site! Pre-colonial and post-colonial drama and theatre in Africa. These are all the appropriate channels necessary to ensure communication with the divinities and to convey to them humanitys grievances and praises. Through various rituals and dances, communities pass down social patterns and rules, recite history, and encounter their gods. In this sense, early Africa offers an example of perfect harmony between theatre and society. The fact is that early Africans never invented a generic term to designate these representations. French Scene in Plays Definition & History | What is a French Scene? African dance refers to a form of performing art found among most cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa. Copyright 2021 Ousmane Diakhat and Hansel Ndumbe EyohCritical Stages/Scnes critiques e-ISSN:2409-7411. A master drummer takes the lead and sets the rhythms, and the dancers follow their instructions but also have the freedom to improvise. Art. Let's take a closer look at early forms of African performance, as well as the post-colonial African theatre practices. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. White audiences found their stereotypes challenged when they saw Black actors perform the classics at the African Theater, according to Marvin McAllister, who wrote a history of the theater. Through gestures and actions believed to be endowed with supernatural powers, these rituals enable society to reaffirm, perpetuate and commemorate aspects of existence and beliefs deemed essential for the communitys physical, moral and spiritual health. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/art/black-theatre, World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts - Black Theatre. Osofisan said that he wished to speak to a young educated audience, as he felt that they were the people who could revolutionize society. Thats significant.. And he was played by a Black man. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Intended as a discourse with supernatural forcesin order to channel them, control them, appease them or honor themand to ensure the survival and equilibrium of the community, rituals were and still are shields defending the community against evil forces. Theatrical art demands the collaboration of the actors with one another, with a director, with the various technical workers upon whom they depend for costumes, scenery, and lighting, and with the businesspeople who finance, organize, advertise, and sell the product. His Land of a Million Magicians (1993), inspired by Bertolt Brechts The Good Woman of Setzuan (1943), is a work of considerable theatrical scale and dramatic power. As with ritual events, no admission is charged. Such rituals are numerous and varied, going back to ancient times and elaborated differently by each of the continents more than one thousand different ethnic groups. Unlike modern plays, traditional rituals and tales are not written by individual playwrights. Colonial boundaries ignored cultural and linguistic unities, and ancient movements throughout the continentsometimes motivated by trade (including the transatlantic slave trade), religion, or explorationbrought different ethnic groups into contact with each other and often influenced performance in a manner that is still evident in the 21st century. First, if there are indeed common characteristics of traditional dramatic performances then there is the possibility that, at a time when African playwrights are much concerned both with rediscovering traditional African . In certain religious ceremonies the celebrants wear, painted on their bodies, the picture of a place, or, sometimes, just a stylized design representing a detail of a place. It can symbolize animals as well as humans. Performed in the same types of spaces as the rituals, such comic performances are still primarily done as entertainment. Across the African continent, people practice very elaborate rituals that include ornate costumes and masks, music, dancing, and storytelling. That playbased on a legendary source concerning a beautiful young woman who marries a handsome strangeris a remarkable exploration of Ghanaian history, both colonial and postcolonial, with a powerful indictment of the temptations to which contemporary politicians succumb. For the price of 25 cents or, for a nicer seat, a hefty 50 cents the African Theater entertained hundreds of Black New Yorkers with both classic and original work, alongside operas and ballets. In West Africa, storytellers are often called griots. Its a moment to celebrate. He was hugely productive, with well over 20 plays to his name. Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. This article gives the broad outlines of our thesis entitled: The African theatre and its characteristics. With a mix of fury and outrageous humor, their work conveys concerns that have long challenged this nation, including persistent inequities and the legacy of slavery. When he dared to go toe-to-toe with a nearby white theater, each presenting rival Shakespeare productions, he was harassed by police and his theater was raided. The African Theatre is, as far as records report, the first known . Osofisan also reworks other texts eitherif they are Nigerianas a critique of an earlier generation (No More the Wasted Breed, 1982, in response to Soyinkas The Strong Breed, 1963; Another Raft, 1988, commenting on Clarks The Raft, 1964) or, if international, as a vehicle for his own interpretation of contemporary events (among them, Whos Afraid of Solarin?, 1978, from Russian writer Nikolay Gogols The Government Inspector, 1836; Tegonni: An African Antigone, 1999; Women of Owu, 2006, from Euripides Trojan Women, 415 bce). Information. A strong radical voiceboth in content and in formwas established by, among others, playwrights such as Bode Sowande (Farewell to Babylon, 1979; Flamingo, 1986; Tornadoes Full of Dreams, 1990); Olu Obafemi (Nights of a Mystical Beast, 1986; Suicide Syndrome, 1987; Naira Has No Gender, 1993); Tunde Fatunde (No Food, No Country, 1985; Oga Na Tief-Man, 1986); and Segun Oyekunle (Katakata for Sofahead, 1983). The Marriage of Anansewa (1975) is a witty but still politically relevant comedy in a form she described as anansegorothat is to say, the creation in dramatic form of anansesem, the stories about Ananse the spider man, trickster, and entertainer. Theatre is one of the cultural elements that best exemplifies Africa. Lofty speech, such as verse or poetry, is often incorporated in dialogue. Soyinka maintained a strong theatrical output from the late 1950s (with two plays, The Lion and the Jewel, first performed 1959, published 1963; and The Swamp Dwellers, 1958, partly developed when he was associated with George Devines young writers group at the Royal Court Theatre, London) well into the 21st century (with King Baabu, 2002, and Alpat pta, 2011). The mask, therefore, is an emblem, a sign which is not only used to erase the personality of the wearer, but which also identifies the wearer with an ancestor or a supernatural being. Such activities are performed in ritual ceremonies by recreating and representing (as Sngalese poet and philosopher Lopold Sdar Snghor has pointed out) a mythic temporal dimension through artistic techniques utilizing masks, songs, poetry and dance; in short, through theatre. The IATC journal/Revue de l'AICT June/Juin 2017: Issue No 15, Ousmane Diakhat** and Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh***. The silly decisions of humans. And yet its also a moment to recognize how difficult it has been for Black artists to make it onstage and into our history. After all, Brown created the first Black theater in the country, and it promptly failed. That is to say, if they could do these high-cultural forms, then the ways in which we are justifying slavery or Black second-class citizenship that goes out the window.. An error occurred trying to load this video. Fortunately theater is a spectator sport, so a moment on the stage, though fleeting, will survive for as long as a single audience member can recall it. Relations between African states were perverted by the rush to satisfy the demand for slaves. It was this conference which established the rules of occupation of the African territories and which divided the continent up among the European powers. There are masters of ceremonies as well as actions that take place according to an agreed scenario which itself respects certain ritual prescriptions. Every ritual act madeand continues to makereference to cosmic reality and, particularly, to the space that represents in concentrated form the infinite space of the universe. The political situation of independence was reflected in the theater, in which dramas by African authors multiplied, inserting local traditions into typical European structures. Anyone can read what you share. What is Neoclassical and Romantic Sculpture? It should be noted too that the mask does not have to be simply something covering the face, but can include garments which cover partially or even fully the wearers body. Medieval Theatre | Plays, Costumes & Staging, Production Concept in Theater: Definition, Function & Example. Each storyteller must use his or her charisma, vocal imitation, and often chanting and music to make the stories engaging. Osofisan, however, is the colossus of Nigerian theatre in terms of output and popularity over the last decades of the 20th century. Black theatre, in the United States, dramatic movement encompassing plays written by, for, and about African Americans. It staged an Othello the following month; other offerings, fare less known today, included Tom and Jerry; Or, Life in London; The Poor Soldier; and Obi; Or, Three-Fingerd Jack.. It has been revised for this special issue of Critical Stages by the General Editor of the WECT series and appears here with the permission of the General Editor and WECT Ltd. **Ousmane Diakhat was co-editor of the Africa volume of the World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. Through various rituals and dances, communities pass. For those coming into contact with African theatre and drama for the first time, we are including updated versions of four previously published essays which introduce African theatre generally by contextualizing the field globally and historically as well as tracing the colonial roots of its major Anglophone and Francophone incarnations. Yet they are specifically. Ritual spaces thus acquire the same enhanced value that is found in the platform stage in other parts of the world. African American Theatre is a vibrant and unique entity enriched by ancient Egyptian rituals, West African folklore, and European theatrical practices. This was about more than just a few lines in a script; such Black artistry suggested an intellectual depth and freedom that dangerously contradicted the ideas on which the societys laws were based. The product of an accretion of diverse forms, it is rooted in Africas traditions while, at the same time, it continues to assimilate foreign theatrical traditions, especially those of Europe. Published 2001. Likewise, her Pan-African activist narratives were first in the world of cinema, in which she opened the door for African female filmmakers with Araba: The Village Story (1967) and earned respect and prestige inside and outside Africa, being an irreplaceable institution in the history of African theater and cinema. When connected to representations of gods, masking also almost always inspires dance and music, elements of social integration and the most characteristic elements of cultural life on the African continent. Shakespeare's Richard III arrived on a New York City stage 200 years ago this month. It is the functioning of society itself which most directly dictates artistic expression in Africa, whose theatre is rooted in myths, rites and folk celebrations, which externalize the beliefs, passions and concepts that preoccupy any given group. Read more Makerere Returns to Community Theatre by Linus Mugume February 11, 2021 0 549 Features Theres another narrative, said Young, of Boston University. He wrote the play, Athol Fugard who produced interracial theatre that critiqued apartheid, including. It is also important not to divide the theatre into traditional and modern, as the contemporary literary theatrepredominantly written and performed in English, French, and Portugueseexists alongside festivals, rituals, cultural performances, and popular indigenous theatre. The power of the space itself then implies and explains the nature of the ceremony and determines the overall impact of the performance. Similarly, the often violent struggle for independence in Kenya and elsewhere produced powerful protest theater, and the process of independence was brought into drama increasingly articulated in the struggle against what was seen as neocolonial rule. The troupe performed plays by Shakespeare and plays written by Brown, several of which were anti-colonization and anti-slavery.Its leading actor was James Hewlett.. A few notable ones include: Even though these playwrights began writing plays in the Western style, they included elements of early African theatre, such as trickster characters, the performance of rituals, and call and response. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This king stood in front of a Black audience. Characteristics of Black Theater Black theater refers to plays and musicals written and performed by African Americans with the intention of portraying their experiences. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Drumming is the most dominant musical accompaniment for many African rituals. Dance is a type of physical activity involving rhythmic . Others were J.P. Clark (later known as J.P. Clark-Bekedemero), Ola Rotimi, and Zulu Sofola. The radical power of his playwriting is also evident in the pessimistic play If: A Tragedy of the Ruled (1983), though a sense of satiric fun is also seen in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (1977) and Holding Talks (1979). How can Black producers and artists get the support and resources they need to tell their stories? Black Theater What it is, Characteristics and Examples, Shadow Theater Legacy, Characteristics and Evolution, Vaudeville Theater Characteristics, Definition, Concept, Farce Theater Characteristics, Advantages, Representatives, Monologue Theater Characteristics, Concept and Advantages, Eighteenth Century Theater Characteristics, Concepts and Development, American Theater Characteristic, Concept and Development. Clarks first play, Song of a Goat (1964), was staged in the Mbari arts centre in Ibadan in a production directed by Soyinka. This website helped me pass! Wedlock of the Gods (1972) and King Emene (1974) are two of several plays that explore the strains imposed upon traditional values; other plays have drawn criticism because of a perceived social conservatism in Sofolas attitude. Performed in public squares or in courtyards, the shows are done with the audience standing in a circle around the actors. African theatre, effectively, the theatre of Africa south of the Sahara that emerged in the postcolonial erathat is to say, from the mid-20th century onward. This musical ultimately made space for Black South Africans to tell their own stories and legitimized Black South African theatre makers. A collective entertainment, these performances principal aims were to represent mores observed in daily life. It shows this kind of persistence of memory in the culture, said Heather S. Nathans, a theater professor at Tufts University. L. Losambe, Devi Sarinjeive. The actors must be constantly aware of the power of their gestures and voices. Part of the reason the moment is overlooked is that Browns theater feels so isolated from the rest of Black theater history, according to Harvey Young, a theater scholar and the dean of Boston Universitys College of Fine Arts. Playwriting in Theatre: Tools & Techniques. Indigenous African theatre was deeply rooted in day-to -ay activities. Since independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has become a thriving center of pan-African experimentation, exchange and collaboration. Aidoo, also a poet and novelist, wrote only two plays, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965) and Anowa (1970). The African Theaters history reflects many of the conversations still happening around race and the art form today. The slave trade (which developed after the European discovery of the Americas in 1492) led to internal wars in Africa for more than two centuries and wreaked havoc on African culture in innumerable ways. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Ghana produced two of Africas most-accomplished women playwrights, Efua Sutherland and Ama Ata Aidoo. Agovi(1991) defines African theatre as that form of creativity in the theatre which is rooted in the composite tenor of African experience, embodying a relationship of relevance between the African traditional theater is a group activity, often without boundaries between creators, performers, and audience. The play Anansewas marriage (1975) is a witty form of comedy being politically relevant in the way it describes the creation in dramatic form of anansesem. Uganda has an active theater culture and has developed particular initiatives in the use of theater for educational and developmental purposes in exploring theatrical possibilities in the form of traditional performance. While it is also true that ritual and theatre are not the same thing, it is evident that theatre, of all the arts, is the one most apt to use the same elements as those found in ritual. A significant element of much of the new radical work was the use of pidgina language of mass communication accessible to a much-wider audience than the educated elite. Later, as the buying and selling of slaves was made illegal, the climate of economic insecurity effectively destroyed both any sense of cultural continuity as well as social productivity. Both these religions grafted themselves onto an existing system of thought that was quite rich and most original. Slowly, Africa began to withdraw from itself. In Ghana this was called Concert Party Theatre, and in Nigeria it was called Yoruba Opera. and Tahinta (both 1968). Unlike many of the anodyne celebrations of nationhood, Soyinkas play brings ancestors to life to comment shrewdly on both the past and the present. The dance often creates a moving dcor through the costumes, or through lines made by the dancers steps. Perhaps the most significant of Clarks plays is his 1966 version of the epic Ijo saga Ozidia seven-day community festival. types of art styles|powered by the, Sierra Leonean theater in African Theater, The theater of independence in the African theater, The current development of African theater. African theatre, effectively, the theatre of Africa south of the Sahara that emerged in the postcolonial erathat is to say, from the mid-20th century onward. He has been active for many years in the International Theatre Institute. Ghanas Concert Party theatrea traveling performance troupe with a repertoire of broad comedies and social satiresflourished in the earlier part of the 20th century and continued in its popularity and ingenuity into the 21st century. Music can be described as any sounds made with human vocal cords or instruments; some examples of types of music include classical, pop, rock, hip-hop, country and folk. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. (1999). Black middle-class audiences looked for the highbrow, like Shakespeare, but white lower-class and middle-class audiences often attended for the spectacle, hoping for something crude and comical and in line with their stereotypical notions of what Black art was supposed to be. His plays have been frequently staged in Nigeria and Ghana, and in Britain and the U.S. His dramaturgy is characterized by provocative open-endings, as in Once upon Four Robbers (first performed 1978), where, at the end, the audience is asked to vote on whether the armed robbers should be punished or released. Ghanaian Ama Ata Aidoo, considered the first African playwright, wrote her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1964), when she was only twenty-two years old, making a significant career in academia. Similarly, in Nairobi there was a resident repertory theater reproducing the best of the West End. Early descriptions of African performances by foreignersfirst by Arabs from the eleventh century (a period before colonization), then by Europeans during the colonial periodinvariably missed the spiritual dimension spoken of here. African thought is steeped in animism which places humanity at the centre of its concerns. It is best known for Ailey's masterwork, Revelationsa work which has been in its repertory since its creation in 1960.More than 23 million people in 71 countries have seen Revelationsmore than any other modern dance work.. Ailey was only 29 when he created Revelations. Certainly, the Arab conquest, dating from the eleventh century, and the subsequent introduction of Islam, did much to redirectif not to stifle indigenous artistic expression. Theatre here in the 1940s to the 1980s focused on themes of independence, corruption, newly independent authorities and governments, and the history and consequences of slavery. Shakespeares Richard III arrived on a New York City stage 200 years ago this month. His atmospheric and poetic style and his attraction to family sagas distinguish Clarks playwriting. Characters are painted with white ash/clay. If one considers the genres and styles of theatre in connection with the milieu in which they originated, if one tries to ascertain the specific elements that gave rise to African theatre and if one studies these indigenous forms as such, it can be concluded that theatre in ancient Black Africa can be clearly found in such elements as ritual gesture and communal celebrations by large rural publics where these forms first emerged; artistic forms that synthesize spectacle and the spoken word, rhythm and dance, forms that integrate many modes of expression. In the late 1930s, Black community theatres began to appear, revealing talents such as those of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. The African Theater began with a ship steward William Alexander Brown, a free Black man born in the West Indies who, in 1816, bought a house at 38 Thompson Street in Manhattan that would soon become a neighborhood hub. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. They did not name their theatre; rather, they lived it. Updates? What does an exclusively Black space look like? In the mid-1960s the Kola Ogunmola company, in conjunction with the Nigerian theatre designer Demas Nwoko, had great success with an adaptation of Amos Tutuolas novel The Palm-Wine Drinkard. Thus, when you can see even a fragment of his play So Whats New? you can notice the strength of the characters and the importance of their struggle for the time in which he starred in it. Performing art found among most cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa for slaves the colossus of theatre. Definition, Function & example short only two or three years but its founder its. 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