ABSTRACT
The NBT answers the need established by earlier dramatists who called for a unique Black Theatre in Harlem. It answers that need because (1) it is a Black theatre, (2) its rituals, by and large, were the most successful of all the Black experimental theatres of the 1960s, (3) it has lasted longer than any other Black theatre in Harlem, (4) it has become a cultural treasure in Harlem supported by an audience, and (4) it has become a model for other Black community theatres in America.
