Initial Broadcast Date: December 5, 1972
30 minutes -- Color
Is black drama art, or is it politics? “Black Journal” will present two examples of black drama that reflect this ideological conflict in black theater.
The first presentation, a version of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was filmed by “Black Journal’ at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. The role of Martha is played by a young black man. David Staples, who is white and the director, considers the performances “An experiment in showing that black people can do any play.” He feels that Albee’s play, which exposes some of the foibles and illusions of the white middle class, has relevance on the A&T campus where he said, “Many students have adopted white values.”
Barbara Ann Teer, the founder and director of the National Black Theatre in Harlem advocates a more politically-oriented black theatre. She uses her productions as a vehicle to educate blacks. “The National Black Theatre does not merely entertain,” she explains, “but expands consciousness, clarifies issues, and offers solutions to existing problems.”
In a filmed segment of “Revival,” a production by the National Black Theatre, an African deity, Ochun, the Goddess of Harmony and Love, brings new hope to the struggling black community.
“Black Journal” is a production of the national programming division of WNET/13.
Executive producer: Tony Brown
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