Erma Mozelle Duffy Lewis, the founder of the first African-American community theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, was born February 7, 1926, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Haywood James Duffy and Hazel Mae Calloway Duffy. She was the oldest of eight children and graduated from Historic … Read MoreErma Mozelle Duffy Lewis (1926–1982)
The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York is the most famous performance venue associated with African American entertainers. The New York Theatre that became the Apollo was built in 1913 by Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon, two burlesque theatre operators and opened as Hurtig and … Read MoreThe Apollo Theatre (1913- )
African American audiences were generally ignored by the major motion picture studios in the first two decades of the 20th century. Nonetheless, demand for films aimed at black theaters in both the South and larger northern cities prompted the formation of several “black” motion picture … Read MoreLincoln Motion Picture Company
The Negro Repertory Company (NRC) was established in 1936 by Florence and James Burton, directors of the Seattle Repertory Playhouse (SRP), as the Negro unit of the Federal Theatre Program, a part of the WPA. In its short life it produced ambitious and controversial plays … Read MoreNegro Repertory Company (Seattle) 1936-1939
