Anthony Duane Hill, Author at

Academic Historian

Dr. Anthony D. Hill, writer, director, administrator, and associate professor of drama in the Department of Theatre at The Ohio State University, has also taught at Vassar College, University of California at Santa Barbara. He has concentrated on previously marginalized theatre practices, African American and American theatre history, and performance theory and criticism. He currently focuses on the life and works of August Wilson, and African American Cinema, and Black masculinity in the works of African American male playwrights. Hill is author with Douglas Q. Barnett of Historical Dictionary of African American Theater (Scarecrow Press, 2008, 642 pgs.). His book Pages from the Harlem Renaissance: A Chronicle of Performance (Peter Lang, 1996, 186 pgs.) is now in its third reprint. He is featured in Whose Who in Black Columbus (2006 ed.). His essays have appeared in such journals as Text and Presentation, Journal of the Comparative Drama Conference; Black Studies: Current Issues, Enduring Questions; and African American Review (formerly Black American Literature Forum). He contributed historical articles to Dr. Quintard Taylor’s on-line Pursuing the Past in the Twenty-first Century; a book review in The Journal of the Southern Central Modern Language Association; and was contributing editor for History of the Theatre (9th ed.), Theatre Studies, and Elimu. Hill received degrees in theatre at the University of Washington (B.A.), Queens College (M.A.), and in performance studies at New York University (Ph.D.).

The Black Presence in Theater through the Centuries in the Historical Dictionary of African American Theater

In the following account the authors Anthony D. Hill, associate professor of drama at The Ohio State University, and Douglas Q. Barnett, director, producer, and founder of Black Arts/West in Seattle, discuss why they created the Historical Dictionary of African American Theater, the first comprehensive … Read MoreThe Black Presence in Theater through the Centuries in the Historical Dictionary of African American Theater

Charlayne Woodard (1955- )

Actor and playwright Charlayne Woodard was born on December 29, 1955 in Albany, New York. She graduated from the Goodman School of Theatre of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois with an MFA in 1977, and promptly set off for New York City. Within two weeks … Read MoreCharlayne Woodard (1955- )

Woodie King, Jr. (1937- )

Theatre pioneer Woodie King Jr. is a director, actor, playwright, screen-writer, television scriptwriter, essayist, short-story writer, and consultant. Hailed as “the Renaissance Man of Black Theatre,” he was the most successful and prolific black producer in the world. For over 35 years, as founding director … Read MoreWoodie King, Jr. (1937- )

Shuffle Along (1921)

Shuffle Along, a musical comedy by composer Eubie Blake and lyricist Noble Sissle which featured an all-black cast, was the most significant achievement in black theatre of its time. Shuffle Along opened at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., in late March, 1921 for two … Read MoreShuffle Along (1921)

Frederick O’Neal (1905-1992)

A director, actor and theatre administrator of the regional and professional stage, Frederick O’Neal was one of the chief architects of the American Negro Theatre (ANT) in Harlem, New York, in the 1940s. He was involved actively in professional theatre for over 40 years, between … Read MoreFrederick O’Neal (1905-1992)

Theodore R. Browne (ca. 1910-1979)

A pioneer playwright, actor, author, and teacher, Theodore Browne was best known for his association with the Negro Unit of the Federal Theatre in Seattle, Washington in the 1930s. He was also an original member of the American Negro Theatre (ANT) and one of the … Read MoreTheodore R. Browne (ca. 1910-1979)

The Negro Ensemble Company (1967- )

The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) was founded in New York City, New York during the summer of 1967, under the direction of actor Robert Hooks, actor, playwright, director Douglas Turner Ward, and producer, director Gerald Krone. From its beginning, NEC was criticized for its integrated … Read MoreThe Negro Ensemble Company (1967- )

Ossie Davis (1917-2005)

A veteran actor, playwright and film director, Ossie Davis, grew up in Waycross, Georgia and attended Howard University for three years before leaving to pursue an acting career in New York City with the Rose McClendon Players (1941-1942). Within a year he was inducted into … Read MoreOssie Davis (1917-2005)

Federal Theatre Project (Negro Units)

In 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Administration created the Works Progress Administration Federal Theatre Project (FTP) as part of the New Deal economic recovery program. Negro units, also called The Negro Theatre Project (NTP), were set up in … Read MoreFederal Theatre Project (Negro Units)

American Negro Theatre (1940-ca. 1955)

Harlem Federal Theatre Project Production of MacBeth (FTP was the Predecessor to the American Negro Theater) Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress Formed by Abram Hill, Frederick O’Neal, and other actors in Harlem, New York in 1940, the American Negro Theatre (ANT) was an … Read MoreAmerican Negro Theatre (1940-ca. 1955)