Significance of African American Theater and Culture - Essay Example

? Significance of African American theater and culture from both a national and global perspective The African American theater in New York City was the first drama arts to relate the African American cultures sphere headed by the founders W.H.Brown and J.Hemlett who sailed throughout the Caribbean, and they were interested by the rich culture of the people. Their storytelling, dance,music and performance was a vital tool to motivate the slaves as they worked on tobacco and sugar cane plantations, mines and salt flats. Eventually as theater developed from the African ancestry of Greek tragedy of Shakespearean epics, American stages have created a broad series of plays, mostly prejudiced by the diverse population inhabiting this nation (Hill, 2004). Impacts realized through theatre performance in themes of African American plays The free southern theatre’s production of a play, by the name slave ship, reviewed the history of African American in the United States and deliberately dived audience along racial lines, (Baraka 1968) a symbolic slave ship was created in the center of the large playing area, with close seating, on all sides. The grasp of the ship, where slave bodies were piled in overcrowded quarters, was eye point with the audience portraying the merciless situation on board. During a created slave auction, female slaves were undressed topless and pushed at American men in the audience, who were inquired what they considered the women were valued. Many white audience members were so distressed by this violent argument with history that they created at early days; others hoped they had a chance to experience. At the end of the play, actors, involved black power actions, bringing on board the black audience members to join them in surrounding the white audience, while shouting for aggressive rebellion. At many performances, black audience members, felt empowered and motivated by the presentation, they joined the actors in shouting and frightening white spectators. Many white members felt endangered and irritated that they had paid to be battered, or felt powerless to express their compassion with the blacks in a mood of hostility. This play was meant to incite different reactions from different audience participants to educate the experience of history, and racism could not assist but power the audience’s experience of the play. These kinds of plays were used to polarize the audience along racial lines (Baraka 1968). Through the plays racism was discouraged in the United States through pre-active measures to prevent hostility among the citizens despite their race or origin. Once more, many white audience members were evidently shaken by the direct quarrel. This brought unity among the immigrants and the natives around the country and at a global level. The African American evolutions of theater presentations lead to the audiences have a freedom to choose to have control of their personal experience and choose where to focus during the performances. The spectators had the choice to decide what they want to focus on, either on the background themes such as light effects or to concentrate on the actor’s performance. This led the directors and stage actors develop mechanisms to compel l the performances so that the spectators does not mix up their understanding. As the earlier directors took advantage of audience concentration they reduced the confrontation that dominated the previous performances in America (Hill, 2004). The open-air daytime performances in ancient Greece took place in a celebratory atmosphere in which social relations, drinking, and eating were all part of a daylong theatre occasion. Such events created an avenue for people from different races, cultures and tribes to interact, leading to exchange of cultural practices among them. This created a strong bond and a harmonious coexistence. In olden Rome, theatre was performed at religious celebration that presented a massive collection of entertainments. Both secular and sacred, arts were meant to gratify the gods as while as the human spectators. This outlined that no human being is supernatural than the other race. Since theatre had to battle with chariot races and wild animals to fights for its audience’s concentration, it was ordinary for spectators to march out in the center of a play if they thought that something more fascinating might be happening at another location. During the middle days, theatre was very much a society matter. The Christian sequence plays began in the fourteenth century and derived stories from the New and Old Testaments were activities that involved the whole town in preparation. These plays facilitated the spread of the gospel around the American people and slowly it migrated to the other parts of the world. An open exchange among public and the actors was part of the courage of the theatre performances. These open air performances give a chance to the audience to air their views, about particular events they encouraged in the society and the ones they disliked. The 18th and 19th century theatre reflected the democratic upraise taking place in the outside globe, which was stimulated increasingly accepted entertainments and easily available play (Garfield, 2010). American audience was some of the committed of all. They exercised their democratic liberty at theatre proceedings and brought cabbages, rotten eggs, and tomatoes with them to even at the actors if they did not admire the presentation. Sometimes they tear up the seats, throwing them as well, and on circumstance they were moved to demonstration. At an excellent performance, they cheered joyfully and cried out for appreciation; an actor would have to go over a speech as many times as the audience anticipated. Development of children education over a period of Years Theater has been embraced in the subsequence education programs. Programs focusing on creativity empowerment attracted great attention especially in the United States of America. The performances of arts were encouraged in schools and colleges to foster the implementation of arts in both non formal and formal settings, it also led to the improvement of the education quality largely in United States, where the role of creativity and art in schools and colleges was used a mechanism for ethical values. The charismatic mode of the African American theater spread the entire globe, where huge reforms and reinforcements of the school systems, especially, in primary and basic education in developing countries, who gave unique attention to arts and creativity education(Garfield,2010).. African American arts lead to exchange of information on theater performance among the local specialist in the United States and other experts all over the universe. This was facilitated through regional conferences around the continents to share ideas and debated on upcoming issues on arts and creativity approaches. In additional to the regional conferences on creativity and art trainings and education, there was the introduction of pilot projects to train the teachers on the basic of art, to promote quality of music, dances, poetry and drama in schools. Arts activities also fostered the social emotional development among the Americans and the immigrates, they were able to enhance self awareness, acceptance and self confidence among themselves .this was realized through dramatic performances in American theaters where the actors were able to prevail the actual picture of the society their were living in their different roles they played upon their performances. Through the African American arts, the natives and the immigrants were able to slowly create and reduce hostility and negative altitudes they had over years created especially in the suavely periods. While the African American arts developed they supported the citizens to have positive altitudes towards each other. This stimulated the social interaction and the socializing power among them. The American dream of many came to be true mostly in the eighteenth centuries at the pick of African American dramas and plays performances (Garfield, 2010). Cultural diversity in New York has been endowed by rich customs fro a diverse range of parades and festival celebration almost experienced every day in the city where it is mandatory for political leaders to attend the occasions. The festivals are involves, street vendors, games, zeppole and religious processions which are marked after the attendance of mass at the church mostly in the Precious Blood. The cerebrations begin in the early morning up to the late nights. Other parades include Macy’s Thanksgiving Day which is characterized by inflatable balloons. African American theater has led to promotional of a culture of non-violence and peace, where exclusion, discrimination and violence was the order of the early days in the united states of America, and also it is was experienced in the other parts of the world. The championing of peace through dramas, arts and dances across America was a process of creating an enabling environment for open dialogue and discussions in a coherent manner to find long lasting solutions to the aging tensions and violence that existed among the whites and the black Americans. The African American theater sparked the light to other corners of the world and embraced the culture of expressing their feelings through plays, writings and acting. Due to the enormous diversity of cultures in United States, theater works was used as a tool to develop individuals and communities to respect and deal with their differences at a common platform peacefully without fear but on a common understanding(Hill,2004).. Theater performances around America and the globe level lead to the development of skills and skilled based tools in overcoming discrimination, where learning was based on open-mindedness to accept and respect those around us, in their differences either in color or religion. Where the do exist, to settle them peacefully without moving to violence (Hill, 2004). Media influence on African American culture Mass media exchange of cultures has is some way aimed at the ordinary people all over the united states and the world, where it mainly lack roots of the messages or information passed to the societies with a view of business mind of making a profit. This undermined the earlier day’s theater activism which was aimed at achieving certain changes in the society the actors and the audiences lived. Similarly through the use of popular culture which included mass circulation of extensive coverage of actors, newspapers and reality TV shows had facilitated the spread of African American theater work around the world .emergence of revolutions and activism movements begun in the united states where different race were able to realize the abilities and rights and were able to come to demand and advocate their rights in a democratic manner mainly to the ruling governments of their time. The media led to the globalization of African American culture undermining the national and the local cultures, with cultural attributes and ways of presenting them in different countries of the world becoming more alike. The theater production being experienced and sold across the world, empowered by media advertising and shared mass culture diversity through media generated civilization production and influencing the roles many societies. This leads to borrowing and change of cultures aspects around the world, for example the food production and consumption aspects have greatly changed around America, and globally, communities are now changing their dressing styles and foods as the see and read from the media (Hill, 2004). Conclusion African American culture has lead to the evolution of diverse movements around the world mainly involving human rights, economic and political development, as the dramas and plays acted during the earlier days tried to relate the community’s attributes and their images through the theater work. The early days of slavery and the discrimination of races was things of the past where themes to champion equality and respect of human dignity was mainly ridiculed during the plays to integrate the African American relation in their places of work, education, and the socioeconomic empowerment to realize the American dream, of one America one people. Globally the spirit of art was seen as a vital tool in uniting people through sharing and exchange cultural values nationally and internationally. The concept of identity has been realized nationally and globally through the socialization process, and the art led to the radical changes of social institutions, like through shared sporting, theater woks and social systems such the education and mass media. different individuals have unique and totally different identities in different circumstances and environment their live in, religions and ways of life of people changes as people grows and interact with other societies and one may copy what he/she thinks it is right and appropriate as long they respect the dignity, freedom and attributes of others. Reference Garfield, G. (2010). Through our eyes: African American men's experiences of race, gender, and violence. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. Hill, E. G., & Hatch, J. V. (2004). A history of African American theatre. 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