Mission – The Bard of Pittsburgh African Legacy Theatre

The Mission

The core is August Wilson; how his play cycle can have an educational as well as a cultural impact; how his plays can be brought into schools and colleges as well as commercial theatres; how they can be accompanied by historians taking seminars with the students before/after the performance(s) to make it part of modern history education; how the plays can be performed in the USA and UK and beyond in the Caribbean and Africa; how they can be translated into French for a French, French-speaking Caribbean and French-speaking African audience; and how the BLM Theatre Company can be an enduring theatrical contribution to Black Lives Matter by acknowledging and championing the genius of all the great black playwrights of yesteryear and today.

Signatories

The Letter in Support of the Mission

August Wilson’s ten play cycle which depicts the life of African Americans across ten decades of the 20^th century is a unique cultural contribution unmatched by any other playwright and of momentous historic importance. The mission of the BLM Theatre Company is to recognise and promote this extraordinary black playwright, employ black actors on a permanent basis and contribute an enduring theatrical contribution to Black Lives Matter by acknowledging and championing the genius of black theatre.

We support the creation of a BLM Theatre Company (BLM) on a par with (and exceeding!) the mission of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Like RSC’s mission to produce Shakespeare’s plays, BLM’s mission is to produce August Wilson’s extraordinary play cycle.
Like RSC’s mission to produces other formidable plays of Shakespeare’s era (e.g. Marlowe’s ‘Edward II’), BLM’s mission is to produce other formidable plays by black playwrights of yesteryear (e.g. Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in the Sun’ or Errol John’s ‘Moon on a Rainbow Shawl’).
Like RSC’s mission to produce formidable foreign plays of Shakespeare’s era in translation (e.g. Moliere’s ‘Tartuffe’), BLM’s mission is to produce formidable black foreign plays in translation (e.g. Aimé Césaire’s ‘Une saison au Congo’).
Like the RSC, BLM’s mission is to perform for a theatre-going paying public in major commercial venues and on tour.
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to perform for a student audience in schools and colleges.
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to have academics (e.g. historians) to complement performances in schools and colleges.
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to produce formidable plays by contemporary black playwrights (e.g. Adrienne Kennedy, Antoinette Nwandu, Arinzé Kene, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Bola Agbaje, Dael Orlandersmith, Debbie Tucker Green, Inua Ellams, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Marcus Gardley, Mfonsio Udofia, Roy Williams, Tarell Alvin McCraney, etc.).
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to produce formidable plays on the black experience (e.g. Lolita Chakrabarti’s ‘Red Velvet’).
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to produce in five territories (USA, UK, France, Africa, Caribbean).
Unlike the RSC, BLM’s mission is also to produce in two languages (English for USA, UK and English-speaking Africa & Caribbean. French for France and French-speaking Africa and Caribbean).