William Alexander Brown was an African-American producer and playwright. In 1821, he established the first African-American Theater in New York City. The theater produced Shakespearean works, as well as Brown's own writing. Brown's long-lost play, The Drama of King Shotaway, was performed here and is the first known play written and performed by an African-American. He worked as a ship's steward at the time of the transatlantic slave trade.
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Significance
William Brown established the first US theater that catered to black people in the ways that only white audiences had been catered to previously. It was one of the first spaces that gave free blacks a sense of inclusion, as well as the ability to immerse themselves in theatrical culture and see a reflection of themselves in works written by black playwrights and performed by black actors.
The African Theater, or the American Theater had its first produced play on September 17, 1821 which was Richard III. The African Theater moved to 1215 Mercer Street in New York City in the year 1822. Brown has been said to allow a white audience in the theater but were only allowed to sit in the back of the house. He said, "Whites do not know how to conduct themselves at the entertainments of ladies and gentlemen of Colour." The company then went on to produce more plays, such as William Moncrieff's Tom and Jerry. In 1824, however, the African Theater was closed.
Controversy
Brown's theater proved to be highly successful and threatening to neighboring theaters, particularly when he opened up a theater space next door to the well-established Park Theater. Shortly after, the police shut down the theater after complaints from the owner of the Park Theater -Stephen Price- and white theater goers.