This course explores the history of African American theater and performance cultures from the nineteenth-century through the present. We will spend a lot of time outside the classroom--at local archives, at performances, and in Durham communities. The course is organized thematically (e.g., historical drama) and formally (e.g. the musical), rather than chronologically. There is also the possibility of a trip to New York City to work at the Schomberg and see shows.
