Theater Notes

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- He was a great actor and sold out all of his shows

- Goes to London

London’s reaction to Ira Aldridge

- Pro-slavery London: The press conducts a campaign against Aldridge saying Ira is disgusting and that his character should be played by a white man.

Paul Robeson (one of the most important actors in American history) – The son of a runaway slave.

- Becomes a lawyer but prefers the stage

- Becomes one of the first Black actors to take the main stage

1930 – The first time a Black actor kisses a White actress on stage in the US

Black Face is the forefront of American Culture: The first truly American form of entertainment (Burnt Cork Theater)

Burnt Cork Theater – Actors would burn the ends of corks and rubbed the char on their skin to create Black Face

Blackface plays with the collective fears of a degrading and threatening and male others while at the same time maintaining some symbolic control over them – Eric Lott

William Henry Lane (aka Master Juba) – Pre-cursor to all Tap Dancers

- One of the best tap dancers and chosen as a replacement for white tap dancers.

- He was “blacked up” so that the audience would not know that he was black

- It was illegal for black people to perform for white people

- The only black performer to perform for white people

The “Cakewalk” Dance – Couples would dance around a cake and the winner would keep the cake.

- Black people would do Cakewalks after working to mock the wealthy white people

- White people then did blackface to mock the black people mocking white people

Satire: Intention is to insult someone in a high position often used against religion