Building confidence and change through theatre

By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

Black culture is abundant with talent, but many talents would go unnoticed without a space that fosters creativity. That is where African-American theatre companies come in. Across the country, Black companies ensure that Black artists have a space where they can hone their talents and collaborate with others.

According to Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, Black people have been a fundamental part of theatre since it began in 2000 B.C. 

Today, African-American theatre companies throughout the U.S. continue to do the work including Penumbra Theatre, in Saint Paul, Minn., and the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.).

Penumbra Theatre

Penumbra Theatre was founded in 1976 by award winning director Lou Bellamy. It has since become a nationally recognized entity based in Saint Paul, Minn., having produced around 200 plays and cultivated generations of artists of color. 

Penumbra Theatre also stands as the state’s only Black professional theatre company. 

The theatre company is now led by his daughter, Sarah Bellamy, current president of Penumbra.

“We were founded out of the Black Arts Movement,” she said. “When I think about what that means for us… the formula I think about is art plus ethics equals aesthetic. We’re not making art just for art’s sake. We’re using it to comment on society. To move and provoke and hopefully incite social action.”

Bellamy said Penumbra’s art has always been intertwined with social justice, making it easy to speak out on today’s inequities–unlike some of her colleagues in theatre who feel like they must remain silent.

“As a Black woman and as a leader of a Black theatre company, it’s important to speak up and speak out when it’s vital that we do so,” said Bellamy. 

“[Despite] all of the threats to federal funding…we can’t change our mission. This is who we are. We’re just going to be bolder and more clear about it, because that’s what’s needed right now,” said Bellamy, referring to equity, diversity and inclusion funding cuts and rollbacks.

Moving forward she is looking to make Penumbra a performing arts campus and center for racial healing that nurtures Black artists, advances equity and facilitates wellness for individuals and community. 

“I think about it as theatre plus,” said Bellamy. “Art changes the atmosphere, and if we can carry that out a little further into our lives, maybe we’re living in a braver way. Practically, what that means is we’re going to continue to produce plays, but we will also have wellness programs that have both individual and collective care practices.”

She said the racial healing programs will focus on helping people attune to their bodies and training people on how to be good allies toward one another. 

“We’re not just thinking about that in terms of what White folks need to learn in interacting with people of color, but also as Black folks, how can we show up and be allies to immigrant communities or to religious minority communities,” said Bellamy.

Amid the current era of political polarization in the U.S., Bellamy emphasized the importance of African-Americans investing in Black-owned businesses.

“I hope that as we continue to see more Black artists working in lots of different spaces, that we never forget that our institutions really matter,” said Bellamy. “Artists need to invest, philanthropies need to invest, audiences need to invest so that we can keep them thriving.”

Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.)

In Tacoma, Wash., Klair Ethridge, co-founder and executive director of Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.), leads an African-American theatre company that aims to empower Black and (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) BIPOC youth of the historic Hilltop Community.

“We concentrate on teaching marginalized and BIPOC children classical arts,” said Klair Ethridge, co-founder and executive director of Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.). “Studies have shown that children who have classical arts education excel academically. There’s no outlet for children to get high quality arts education here in Tacoma run by another BIPOC person.”

Ethridge said college recruiters look for children that study ballet because they know that they have a high tolerance for concentration on something that may be slow on seeing results. It helps build dedication.

Her company provides culturally relevant pre-professional dance training, hosts various community events and performing arts classes. They also provide opportunities for students to be mentored by national and international artists fostering whole person development and giving back to the community.

“Working with music, movement…it eases the soul. It elevates the soul,” she said. “That’s why it is important for a person to have a chance to really express themselves in a non-judgemental way.”