U. of Louisville: Fertile Ground for African American Theatre

It is program unlike any other in the country. It has piqued the interest of students nationally and internationally. It is the African American Theatre Program (AATP), part of the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Louisville. "One of our goals" says Dr. Lundeana Thomas, co-director of the AATP, "is to provide classroom instruction for all students concerning the history, theory, performance, and literature of the African Diaspora." In short, there's a lot going on at AATP.

The program, founded in 1993, was the dream of Stephen Schultz, the chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at the time. "I wanted something to differentiate our department from other theatre departments around the country," says Schultz who retired in July 2001. "I've always admired African American play-writing and felt this could be a solution. In the end, I believe forming the AATP was politically right, morally right, and artistically right. It has brought some very good faculty members to the department. Every one of the people hired into the program has been an exciting teacher and interesting colleague."

Russell Vandenbroucke, the current chair of the department, agrees: "I would like the work the department does to be more widely exposed and appreciated. Multiculturalism and diversity have become American ideals over the last decade or so, at least in theory. In the Department of Theatre Arts, these are not just buzz words; they are part of the core of our daily lives thanks to the African American Theatre Program. I'm interested in theatre that engages the world. That's different from theatre [that is] content to be passive, demur, or mildly reflective of the world. The AATP helps to broaden our knowledge of the theatre of the world and the people in it."

The AATP took a while to find its organizational legs. Through the groundwork laid by a series of co-directors and the current leadership of Dr. Thomas and Prof. Nefertiti Burton, the program is well on its way to becoming the premiere academic opportunity for African Diaspora Theatre Studies in the world.

African American Theatre is one of three areas of concentration offered towards the department's Bachelor of Science degree -- the other two being Performance, and Design. Students in the African American Theatre concentration can choose from eight undergraduate courses in Black Theatre including topics in dramatic literature, African American women in theatre, and theatrical traditions of the African world, as well as acting and directing. Pending approval of the Board of Trustees this year, the Department of Theatre Arts will offer a graduate certificate in Black Theatre in addition to its MFA program and undergraduate major and minors. The program also offers an interdisciplinary minor in Cultural Performance with Pan African Studies.

Dr. Thomas notes, "For the most part, our curriculum was put in place to focus on African American culture. We want to mirror African American life through theatre. The goal is shared respect among cultures. For instance, I respect the Shakespearean tradition because of its history. Someone else may not respect the work of August Wilson because they don't understand the traditions from which he writes."

Dr. James Brennan, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, adds, "The African American Theatre Program provides a focus in the curriculum on cultural traditions not derived from Western Europeans. It is an enriching opportunity for students and meets Liberal Arts objectives, Additionally, the availability of programs such as the AATP and Pan African Studies department has attracted bright African American students who may not have had reason to consider the University of Louisville for their undergraduate work otherwise."

Indeed, the AATP has long attracted students from around the U.S.A. to study theatre at U. of L. on both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Now, the program's student recruitment has started to reach beyond the borders of the country with the arrival of an MFA candidate from Ghana.

The program has also attracted attention internationally through invitations from theatre festivals in Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Spain. Prof. Burton is working to ensure there are long-term international opportunities for U. of L. theatre students. Speaking of her outreach in South Africa, she says, "My experience with theatre professionals of South Africa began in Boston in 1985. I worked as an associate producer on a play called Wake Up Africa with legendary South African producer Barney Simon. Barney is the producer at the Market Street Theatre in Johannesburg and is known for his work against apartheid."

Although Simon invited Burton many times, Burton resisted traveling to South Africa because of the political conditions in the country. Finally, in 2000, she made her first trip to Capetown. Burton took with her videos of the AATP productions of Flying West by Pearl Cleage, A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller, and Fortunes of the Moor by Carlton and Barbara Molette to share during her visit to the University of Capetown. She was amazed to find that students at the university had little interest in drawing on their own African theatre traditions.

"Because of the productions of African theatre that I had seen brought to the United States, I assumed they would be doing cutting edge theatre there. The fact was that theatre being taught in the universities in South Africa is very Eurocentric. The University of Capetown has no full-time Black faculty in the theatre department, Burton points out. "Academics there are baffled on how to make changes in the post-apartheid era. They have the same academic issues there as we have in this country including money, tenure and representation." Additionally, because of the many African languages and dialects, language is frequently a barrier for students as well. "Most productions are done in English. But English is rarely the first, second, or even third language many students learn."

Through her work with the University of Capetown, University of the Western Cape, and the Guga S'Thebe Cultural Center in South Africa, Burton has opened up some opportunities for graduate students from the University of Louisville, not only to take productions from the AATP over there, but also to teach workshops. In addition, they will perform in a play written especially for the U. of L. grads by the activist/artist Fatima Dike, known as "The Mother of Black Theatre" in South Africa. This will give students the opportunity to act as role models and may begin to kindle more interest in African theatre among African students. "In the summer of 2003, we plan to take ten graduate students over," says Burton, "We are working to make these sorts of international opportunities a regular part of our program."

Each June, the AATP also plays host to the "Juneteenth Festival of New Works: A Cultural Celebration of Emancipation!" For several days in mid-June, the Department of Theatre Arts is transformed into a cultural learning lab full of workshops and new plays presented to audiences for the first time as staged readings. Audiences have unprecedented opportunities to explore the plays with playwrights and scholars and even offer their own feedback, which is often incorporated into the scripts in progress. The plays are presented as part of a competition with cash awards going to playwrights.

"This is also a time for us to thank the community that supports us so generously," says Dr. Thomas. "Each night during the Juneteeth Festival, we give our thanks to individuals and organizations that have helped us during the previous academic year. I am overwhelmed by the support from our colleagues on the faculty and staff inside the university and from folks outside campus who help without even being asked."

Each year, AATP has also offered two mainstage theatre productions. Past productions include such notable works as The Wiz and A Soldier's Play. The AATP also hosted a premiere of a one-act play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson and two world premieres by playwright and U. of L. alumnus Cedric Turner.

AATP's 1999 production of Monsieur Baptiste, the Con Man by Roger Furman was invited to the National Black Theatre Festival and played to rave reviews. Larry Leon Hamlin, producer and artistic director for the festival, ex-tended the invitation after traveling to the university to see the play. "Monsieur Baptiste was representative of the type of academic theatre we wanted to present. 1999 was the first year of our collegiate theatre component and we had a number of schools vying to present their work," recalls Hamlin from his office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "U. of L.'s performance was our number one choice and we're so glad they were able to come. I was really pleased to present that production."

International initiatives, the Juneteenth celebrations and ongoing productions aren't the only things on the horizon for the African American Theatre Program. Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the AATP and a number of special programs and events are being considered as part of an overall celebration.

However, challenges lie ahead for the program, too. Dean Brennan states, "Dr. Thomas and Prof. Burton are incredibly hard working and can definitely use additional resources. At present, given the state's budgetary woes, I don't see that happening in the short term. My goal is to find the means to enhance their capability to move up in terms of a national profile."

The co-directors of the AATP already have several plans in the works to bring the program into further national prominence. These include a bid to host the Black Theatre Network's 20th annual conference in 2006; a number of guest symposia by nationally known artists and directors during the tenth anniversary celebrations; and creation of up to two out-of-town touring shows during the fall and spring semesters.

"Because of our focus, students from all over the world are considering the University of Louisville. Recently, a student in Chad in North Central Africa chose the University of Louisville because of the African American Theatre Program. Additionally, because there are no graduate theatre programs at historically Black colleges and universities, faculty at these institutions are interested in their students coming here for their graduate training.... [T]hey feel assured that students will be able to continue work in African American theatre," explains Dr. Thomas. "Right here in Louisville, one young woman who is returning to school as a non-traditional student was drawn to our program to begin her graduate study. Judi Ann Mason, renowned playwright and screenwriter, wants her daughter to come to the University of Louisville because of our graduate program and the AATP."

Music. Dance. Drama. Throughout history, Africans and African Americans have celebrated their culture through artistic expression. With support not only from its immediate community, but also the national and international communities, the University of Louisville's African American Theatre Program is working to preserve and enrich these traditions for future generations.

Photograph (Nefertiti Burton and Dr. Lundeana Thomas)