The African Grove Theatre
The African Grove was founded in New York City in 1820, by a Black immigrant from the Caribbean Islands named William Brown. Originally, it was a place where African-Americans in the city could go for drinks and ice cream and to listen to live music. There were plenty of restaurants like the Grove in the city, but none for Black New Yorkers to attend. One of Brown’s friends, James Hewlett, suggested that Brown hire Black actors to perform at the Grove as well as musicians. By 1821, Brown had created what was known as the African Company, producing plays at the African Grove Theatre.
Brown, Hewlett and their company put on many productions at the Grove, including many Shakespeare plays. The first play they chose to perform was Richard III. Some historians think Black people in America during this era liked the character of Richard because he was similar to the trickster figure found in many African myths and folktales. At the time, slavery was still legal in the State of New York, and would be for six more years. The Grove became an important place of artistic expression, education, and entertainment for the free Black community of New York during this period. It was considered shocking for Black people to be doing plays at all, let alone Shakespeare, and some historians believe that this is exactly why the African Company picked his works to perform. James Hewlett (pictured below) was known by many as a remarkable actor, possibly the first Black man to play the part of Othello (although Ira Aldridge, who we met earlier this week, is probably the best known early actor in the role). Not only did the Grove do Shakespeare, they also produced original works. There are records of a performance of a play called The Drama of King Shotaway, written by Brown, which unfortunately has been lost.
Many white New Yorkers could not believe that Black people were capable of performing Shakespeare; they would attend the shows out of curiosity and amusement and gawk at the actors on stage. Eventually they became hostile to the performers, and after many rounds of Brown and his company attempting to problem-solve by moving locations and partitioning off areas for white audience members, things escalated. Police regularly raided the theatre site, and one night the owner of the theatre next door paid a mob to start a riot at the Grove. Performances were shut down in the midst of the violence and actors were jailed; they were only released on the condition that they would never perform Shakespeare again. After these events, there is no record of the Grove, and the eventual fate of Brown and his theatre is not known.
In the years that the African Grove Theatre was in operation, they persisted in making important and revolutionary art while surrounded by constant pressure, racism, and violence. The work of these early Black American innovators deserves to be remembered and celebrated.
Places to learn more about the Grove: https://www.folger.edu/shakespeare-unlimited/african-americans-shakespeare
https://www.grunge.com/296203/the-untold-story-of-the-african-grove-theatre/
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