Musical Theatre

Black musical theatre originated in New York city during the late 1800s. Black people were represented in plays by using blackface. Blackface was a way to degrade blacks people and exclude them from theatre. Musical theatre involves both singing and acting in front of an audience. Dahomey was the first negro musical written and produced by African Americans. Black people were able to change their own narrative in 1903 when this play came out. Now black people are represented in major broadway productions and are getting roles based on their talent.