"When this landmark collection first appeared in the early 1970s, an exciting new generation of black playwrights had come of age in a startingly short time. Suddenly the boundaries between stage and life had been dissolved by writers determined to tell what it means to be black in the here and now of America as no white had ever really known it. The twenty-three plays in this collection vary enormously in mood, method, and mode of attack. There is harsh realism, high and low comedy, surreal displacement of time, place and personality, using original techniques that compare with jazz in their innovative power. All, however, have their foundations firmly rooted in the truth of the black experience. Uncompromising in their vision and power, this bold new generation of playwrights gave voice to the anger, passion and pride that shaped a movement, and continue to energize the American theatre today" --Back cover.

Despite their significant contributions to the American theater, African American dramatists have received less critical attention than novelists and poets. This reference offers thorough critical assessments of the lives and works of African American playwrights from the 19th century to the present. The book alphabetically arranges entries on more than 60 dramatists, including James Baldwin, Arna Bontemps, Ossie Davis, Zora Neale Hurston, and Richard Wright. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography, a discussion of major works and themes, a summary of the playwright's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. African American dramatists have made enormous contributions to the theater and their works are included in numerous editions and anthologies. Some of the most popular plays of the 20th century have been written by African Americans, and high school students and undergraduates study their works. But for all their popularity and influence, African American playwrights have received less critical attention than poets and novelists. This reference offers thorough critical assessments of more than 60 African American dramatists from the 19th century to the present.

Presents plays by African American playwrights, including Robert Johnson's "Trick the Devil", Marsha Jackson's "Sisters", and Nubia Kai's "Harvest the Frost"

El creixement dels moviments sociopolítics entre els anys seixanta i noranta als Estats Units i a Sud-àfrica va establir els ferms fonaments sobre els quals, amb una força i ímpetu sense precedents, es va forjar el teatre negre d'aquests anys. Forma i contingut van sorgir a l'una del compromís polític i artístic adoptat per aquests artistes contra l'imperialisme, el colonialisme i el racisme occidentals. Per primera vegada en la història, el teatre negre dels Estats Units i de Sud-àfrica analitzava i valorava les arrels negres per a poder il·luminar la recerca d'un futur de llibertat. No obstant això, el context sociopolític i les circumstàncies específiques de cada país han generat igualment els trets distintius del teatre afronord-americà i negre sud-africà (incloses les diferències de gènere) manifestos en ramificacions artístiques totalment heterogènies i úniques.