Black Theatre and Performance - (Bibliographies & Indexes in Afro-American & African Studies) by John Gray (Hardcover)

About the Book

This volume represents the first major bibliography on Black theatre and performance in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Canada. Unlike previous bibliographies on the topic, this work gives equal weight to Africa and the African Diaspora, and to biographical/critical material and play texts themselves. John Gray has collected more than 4,000 entries from a broad range of media, books, dissertations and theses, unpublished papers, periodical and newspaper articles, films, and videotapes. More than 650 playwrights and theatre groups from 45 countries are featured, as are performance genres that range from masquerades and carnival celebrations to the most recent works of noted playwrights such as Wole Soyinka and Derek Walcott.

The work is organized into two categories: studies of specific geographic areas and countries, and materials on individual playwrights. Within these categories, works cited are further divided according to the type of material, such as book, journal, or dissertation. Also included are a listing of major bibliographies on African-American theatre, and two appendices that cite reference works and provide a regional listing of African and African Diaspora playwrights and theatre companies. A set of four indexes, covering artists, play titles, subjects, and authors of cited works, conclude the book and provide easy access to its comprehensive listings. This unique work will be an important resource for courses in African studies, theatre arts, and minority and ethnic studies. It will also be a useful addition to the reference collections of college, university, and public libraries.

Book Synopsis

This volume represents the first major bibliography on Black theatre and performance in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Canada. Unlike previous bibliographies on the topic, this work gives equal weight to Africa and the African Diaspora, and to biographical/critical material and play texts themselves. John Gray has collected more than 4,000 entries from a broad range of media, books, dissertations and theses, unpublished papers, periodical and newspaper articles, films, and videotapes. More than 650 playwrights and theatre groups from 45 countries are featured, as are performance genres that range from masquerades and carnival celebrations to the most recent works of noted playwrights such as Wole Soyinka and Derek Walcott.

The work is organized into two categories: studies of specific geographic areas and countries, and materials on individual playwrights. Within these categories, works cited are further divided according to the type of material, such as book, journal, or dissertation. Also included are a listing of major bibliographies on African-American theatre, and two appendices that cite reference works and provide a regional listing of African and African Diaspora playwrights and theatre companies. A set of four indexes, covering artists, play titles, subjects, and authors of cited works, conclude the book and provide easy access to its comprehensive listings. This unique work will be an important resource for courses in African studies, theatre arts, and minority and ethnic studies. It will also be a useful addition to the reference collections of college, university, and public libraries.

Review Quotes

?An exhaustive Pan-African bibliography complied by John Gray, Black Theatre and Performance numbers over 4000 entries of works by 650 playwrights and theatre collectives in 45 countries. Its two categories cover studies of theatre/performers in distinct geographical areas, and studies of theatre/performers in distinct geographical areas, and studies of works by individual playwrights. This is a first major bibliography of this type and scope, providing invaluable data on ethnic and dramatic material.?-Back Stage

?Author John Gray lists more than 4,000 entries from books, dissertations, theses, unpublished papers, media, and other sources in Black Theatre and Performance: A Pan-African Bibliography. Gray features more than 650 playwrights and theater groups from 45 countries excluding the U.S. in the 414-page, indexed work. Performance genres cited range from South African protest plays to African masquerades and New World carnivals. Citations are arranged both by individual playwright and by geographic area. No. 25 in the Bibliographies and Indexes in Afro-American Studies series.?-American Libraries

?Black culture historian specialist John Gray had compiled the first major bibliography on Black theatre and performance in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Canada. Equal treatment is given to Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as to biographical/critical material and play texts. The work is organized into two categories: (1) Studies of specific geographic areas and countries, and, (2) Materials on individual playwrights. Within these divisions, works cited are divided according to type, such as book, journal, or dissertation. Also included is a listing of major bibliographies on African-American theatre and two appendices citing reference sources and regional listings of African and African Diaspora playwrights and theatre groups. Four additional indexes cover artists, play titles, subjects, and authors. John Gray is currently director of the Black Arts Research Center described elsewhere in this issue of the Newsletter.?-International Theatre Institute Newsletter

?Over 4,000 citations of primary and secondary (critical and biographical) works on the writing and performance of theater in Africa and the African diaspora in Canada, Europe (including the UK), the Caribbean, and Latin America. Arranged both by geography and by playwright. A useful supplement to the bibliographies in many collections.?-Reference & Research Book News

?This comprehensive reference attemps to give scholars and students a means to expand the theatrical canon. Listings are divided into three sections: Cultural History and the Arts; African Theatre; and Black Theatre and Performance in the Diaspora: Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America (the U.S. is noticeably absent). Sections are divided in turn into general works, regional studies and individual playwrights.?-American Theatre

?This first major bibliographic collection includes both Africa and the African Diaspora in its references, charting the evolution black theatre and its performers throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. Over four thousand entries are offered from media which includes unpublished papers, dissertations and videotapes, making this one of the most extensive references available on the subject.?-The Bookwatch

?This important work contains just short of 4,000 citations to monographs, chapters in monographs, journal articles, dissertations, audio tapes, video tapes, and reviews. Drawn from a wide range of sources, the citations are to North American and Western European as well as African imprints. The main body of the work is divided into three sections: Cultural History and the Arts, ' African Theatre, ' and Black Theatre and Performance in the Diaspora.' Further subdivisions within these sections focus on geographical areas and individual playwrights. There are two appendixes, the first containing an additional 200 citations to general reference works in the area of African and black theater, the second consisting of extensive regional lists of individual playwrights and theater companies. Because of its arrangement, it is an easy bibliography to browse. Four separate indexes (artist, title, subject, and author) simplify its use even further. No other bibliographic compilation in African and black theater is as recent or as comprehensive. Highly recommended for all academic libraries.?-Choice

"An exhaustive Pan-African bibliography complied by John Gray, Black Theatre and Performance numbers over 4000 entries of works by 650 playwrights and theatre collectives in 45 countries. Its two categories cover studies of theatre/performers in distinct geographical areas, and studies of theatre/performers in distinct geographical areas, and studies of works by individual playwrights. This is a first major bibliography of this type and scope, providing invaluable data on ethnic and dramatic material."-Back Stage

"Author John Gray lists more than 4,000 entries from books, dissertations, theses, unpublished papers, media, and other sources in Black Theatre and Performance: A Pan-African Bibliography. Gray features more than 650 playwrights and theater groups from 45 countries excluding the U.S. in the 414-page, indexed work. Performance genres cited range from South African protest plays to African masquerades and New World carnivals. Citations are arranged both by individual playwright and by geographic area. No. 25 in the Bibliographies and Indexes in Afro-American Studies series."-American Libraries

"Black culture historian specialist John Gray had compiled the first major bibliography on Black theatre and performance in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Canada. Equal treatment is given to Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as to biographical/critical material and play texts. The work is organized into two categories: (1) Studies of specific geographic areas and countries, and, (2) Materials on individual playwrights. Within these divisions, works cited are divided according to type, such as book, journal, or dissertation. Also included is a listing of major bibliographies on African-American theatre and two appendices citing reference sources and regional listings of African and African Diaspora playwrights and theatre groups. Four additional indexes cover artists, play titles, subjects, and authors. John Gray is currently director of the Black Arts Research Center described elsewhere in this issue of the Newsletter."-International Theatre Institute Newsletter

"Over 4,000 citations of primary and secondary (critical and biographical) works on the writing and performance of theater in Africa and the African diaspora in Canada, Europe (including the UK), the Caribbean, and Latin America. Arranged both by geography and by playwright. A useful supplement to the bibliographies in many collections."-Reference & Research Book News

"This comprehensive reference attemps to give scholars and students a means to expand the theatrical canon. Listings are divided into three sections: Cultural History and the Arts; African Theatre; and Black Theatre and Performance in the Diaspora: Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America (the U.S. is noticeably absent). Sections are divided in turn into general works, regional studies and individual playwrights."-American Theatre

"This first major bibliographic collection includes both Africa and the African Diaspora in its references, charting the evolution black theatre and its performers throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. Over four thousand entries are offered from media which includes unpublished papers, dissertations and videotapes, making this one of the most extensive references available on the subject."-The Bookwatch

"This important work contains just short of 4,000 citations to monographs, chapters in monographs, journal articles, dissertations, audio tapes, video tapes, and reviews. Drawn from a wide range of sources, the citations are to North American and Western European as well as African imprints. The main body of the work is divided into three sections: Cultural History and the Arts, ' African Theatre, ' and Black Theatre and Performance in the Diaspora.' Further subdivisions within these sections focus on geographical areas and individual playwrights. There are two appendixes, the first containing an additional 200 citations to general reference works in the area of African and black theater, the second consisting of extensive regional lists of individual playwrights and theater companies. Because of its arrangement, it is an easy bibliography to browse. Four separate indexes (artist, title, subject, and author) simplify its use even further. No other bibliographic compilation in African and black theater is as recent or as comprehensive. Highly recommended for all academic libraries."-Choice

About the Author

JOHN GRAY is a cultural historian specializing in Black culture. He is currently Director of the Black Arts Research Center, an archival resource center dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of the African cultural legacy. His previous publications include Blacks in Classical Music: A Bibliographical Guide to Composers, Performers, and Ensembles (Greenwood Press, 1988) and Ashe, Traditional Religion and Healing in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Diaspora: A Classified International Bibliography (Greenwood Press, 1989).