The African Theatre was an African-American acting troupe in New York City established by William Henry Brown in the 1820s. The troupe performed plays by Shakespeare and plays written by Brown, several of which were anti-colonization and anti-slavery. Its leading actor was James Hewlett.
The African Theatre is, as far as records report, the first known black theatre company in North America. The vast majority of documents with information pertaining to the African Theatre have been reportedly burned and destroyed. The African Theatre developed from the African Grove Theatre. The African Grove Theatre was situated at the back of William Henry Brown’s (Also known as William Alexander Brown), home at 38 Thomas Street, West of Broadway, and it opened for about three or four summers prior to 1821.
African drama as the name implies,is any drama that embodies the yearnings,experiences and the sensibility of the african people.This could be written by an african or a non african but it most picture the experience of the people and their environment.
Actually, African theatre as well as other kinds of arts appeared when the British came to the African. This nation embodied many of its ideas in this continent. … Although the traditional African drama was in the form of folklore, it also had something from the British drama too.
African drama implies one of the theatrical activities that recreates the African experience, his hopes yearnings and aspirtions. These could be expressed through the medium of western dramaturgy or a combination of that of the West and African aesthetics.