Between Representation and Agency: Black Artists in the UK, 1900-1950

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Morosetti, Tiziana. 2024. Between Representation and Agency: Black Artists in the UK, 1900-1950. In: Claire Cochraine; Lynette Goddard; Catherine Hindson and Trish Reid, eds. The Routledge Companion to Twentieth Century British Theatre and Performance - Volume One: 1900–1950. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 159-169. ISBN 9780367487898 [Book Section]

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Abstract or Description

The British-performing scene in the first half of the twentieth century was complex and varied, providing multiple but contradictory stages for Black and Asian performers. The established tradition of the ethnological exhibition displayed the body of ‘exotic’ individuals and groups in racialised and objectifying performances. Theatrical productions, mostly acted by blacked-up white performers, circulated derogative portraits of Black people and cultures. The cinema, on its part, while seemingly seeking ‘authenticity’, enhanced and amplified stereotypes of Blackness and ‘Africanness’. On the other side, with productions like In Dahomey (1903), Buddha (1912), Show Boat (1928), At What A Price (1933), Stevedore (1935), Toussaint Louverture (1936), India Speaks (1943), All God’s Chillun Got Wings (1944), and Deep Are the Roots (1947), key figures such as Paul Robeson, Robert Adams, Orlando Martins, Gordon Heath, Una Marson, Das Gupta, Ida Shepley, and Mulk Raj Anand challenged casting practices and diversified the repertoire.

This chapter highlights ways in which artists navigated this transitional moment, providing an overview of genres and works with reference in particular to Black performers and theatre makers, discussing their careers as they flexibly moved between media and roles. The chapter also examines the work of Paul Robeson and Una Marson as it aligned with discussions of ‘Africa’ and ‘Africanness’ that aimed to reappropriating the history and culture of the continent in the fight for Black equality.

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Book Section

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003042853