ABSTRACT
Scholars of African American theater have characterized the period of the 1960s and 1970s as a time when black playwrights exhibited a conscious effort to turn away from white paternalism, from a white aesthetic, and from a dependence on white patronage. The plays discussed in this chapter have in common their attention to the necessity for a shift in the locus for authority and its connection with a change in the nature of desire. Playwrights such as Adrienne Kennedy, Lorraine Hansberry, Ntozake Shange, and Alice Childress demonstrate to varying degrees the quest for an acceptance, re-affirmation, or celebration of the African American subject. A recurring theme is needed to relocate authority and to build strong identities, a necessary first step toward fulfilling the desire to be active subjects in the world. Kennedy, Hansberry, Shange, and Childress have exhibited an acute awareness of the need for the development of pride rooted in African American heritage.
