Presentation of the Negro in the American theatre from 1920 to 1965

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to discover how the Negro has been presented in the American Theatre from 1920 to 1965. The method of procedure has been to read and analyze the plays of national importance written about Negroes or problems of race relations between white and colored people and in addition to consider the plays of Negro playwrights on this subject who have gained national recognition. The conclusion of this study is that the Negro has been presented in an honest and truthful manner in most of the plays written and produced during the period 1920 to 1965, but that in two of the most popular namely Porgy and The Green Pastures; the Negro has been presented in a most unrealistic manner. The treatment of the Negro as a person and as a member of our society in these two plays is considered today to be patronizing and offensively condescending. Since Porgy and The Green Pastures have been viewed by more people than most if not all of the other plays considered here, the most popular view of the Negro as he has been presented in the American Theatre is an erroneous one.