ABSTRACT
W.E.B. Du Bois considered the theater to be an important vehicle for racial uplift. He created a pageant of African American history called “The Star of Ethiopia” that premiered in New York City in 1913 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. With over 300 performers, this production certainly drew on and developed community organizing skills. It also contained references to the Yoruba spirit, Shango (the script personifies Africa as Ethiopia, daughter of Shango). Thus two elements of African drama – community building and spirituality were present in the pageant. This chapter traces a lineage of plays that incorporated object performance from the Harlem Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project’s 1938 production of Shaw’s Androcles and the Lion to Margaret L. Kemp’s 2O18 production of The Bluest Eye for UC Davis’ Theater and Dance department. While it was not written, produced, designed, or directed by a person of African descent, Julie Taymor’s vision for The Lion King on Broadway boosted the careers of numerous African American performers and demonstrated the commercial viability of African-style object performance by grossing over $1 billion to date.
