The Contributions of Floyd Leslie Sandle to Black Educational Theatre in Louisiana
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2004 The contributions of Floyd Leslie Sandle to black educational theatre in Louisiana Ava Marie Brewster-Turner Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Brewster-Turner, Ava Marie, "The onc tributions of Floyd Leslie Sandle to black educational theatre in Louisiana" (2004). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1112. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1112 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FLOYD LESLIE SANDLE TO BLACK EDUCATIONAL THEATRE IN LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Theatre by Ava Marie Brewster-Turner B.S., Grambling State University, 1976 M.Ed. Southern University, 1992 May 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been completed without the hand of the almighty God, and it is to him first, that I give thanks. Thank you God for giving me the strength to finish this race. I want to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to my husband Lloyd, who supported me the first day I entered graduate school. His patience and words of wisdom kept me going. To my wonderful son Terrance who encouraged me with moments of humor, and missed a lot of hot meals, “thank you.” To my siblings, Peggy, Eddie, Tony, Alma, Pamela and my deceased brother, Clarence thanks for believing in me. To my mother Berlin Brewster Conner and my grandmother Mary Paige thank you for teaching me perseverance. To my friends Stanley Coleman and Sherlynn Byrd, your words of encouragement will forever be cherished. Thank you to Veronica McEachin for providing technical assistance and praying for me and with me every day. The compilation of Dr. Sandle’s history would have been impossible to obtain without the assistance of his children Wanda and Floyd, Jr. Thank you for making your father’s personal history available to me. To my mentor Dr. Allen Williams, thank you for teaching me the importance of Dr. Sandle’s work and maintaining his legacy through the F.L. Sandle Theatre and NADSA. To Mrs. Thelma Smith Williams the Grambling historian behind the camera, thanks for being available each time I called for oral and written history. I am deeply grateful to Dr. H.D. Flowers, II for providing NADSA information. To my dissertation chair, Dr. Jennifer Jones Cavenaugh, thank you for your assistance and encouraging words, you are a star! ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………..ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………iv Introduction……………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter One: Setting the Stage: The Development of Grambling StateUniversity………..……………………………………………12 Chapter Two: Randolph Edmonds and the Training of Floyd Leslie Sandle……………………………………………..……………………………34 Chapter Three: The Dusty Road to Culture..…………………………………...53 Chapter Four: Center Stage: In Pursuit of Excellence………….………………71 Chapter Five: Shifting Scenes..........................................................................…96 Conclusion……………………………………….……………….……………125 Works Cited………………………………………………….……..………….128 Appendix A: Honors and Achievements………………………………….……135 Appendix B: Stage Works..……………………………………………….……138 Appendix C: Reflections in Photos…….………………………………….…...142 Vita………………………………………..……………………………………191 iii ABSTRACT Floyd Leslie Sandle appeared on the theatrical scene in 1938 on the campus of Grambling State University. From his humble beginnings in the segregated town of Magnolia, Mississippi, to Dillard University where his passion for theatre was nurtured by Dr. Sheppard Randolph Edmonds, Sandle made significant strides in the development of Black Educational Theatre in Louisiana. Through his unique approach of presenting plays to the residents of the rural community of Grambling, Louisiana, Sandle was able to establish a state certified Speech and Drama Department at Grambling State University. He trained students in educational theatre through his lectures, laboratory experiences, and his leadership roles in the Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic and Literary Organization (LALIO) and the National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts (NADSA). As beneficiaries of Sandle’s pioneering work in educational theatre, his students have excelled as teachers, directors, actors, writers, and administrators. Sandle became the first Black student to receive a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 1959. This study examines the life and career of Floyd Leslie Sandle as a pioneer of Black Educational Theatre in Louisiana. It has three major objectives: 1) to document Sandle’s contributions to the development of a state certified collegiate theatre program by recognizing his diligence in using theatre to promote social change; 2) to retrieve yet another chapter of lost theatre history that is needed for an accurate record of the development of Black collegiate theatre and its organizations and 3) to explore Sandle’s influence on Black theatre artists working today. This study will provide a broader perspective of Black Educational Theatre programs, affiliate organizations and Floyd Sandle’s direct contributions to their historical development. iv INTRODUCTION Having been invited to teach General Science at Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute (Grambling State University) for the summer session, Floyd Leslie Sandle arrived in the rural town of Grambling, Louisiana in June of 1938. Those six weeks of summer school eventually expanded to forty years of exemplary service at the small north Louisiana school; a school which has since become nationally and internationally known. As educator, director, administrator, and author, Sandle’s pioneering leadership role in Black Educational Theatre helped build a strong coalition between collegiate theatre programs and professional organizations. Sandle fostered the careers of students whose lives were impacted by his enduring dedication to theatre. This study is a historical/critical examination of Sandle’s professional career, forty years (1938-1978) at Grambling State University, and as Chairman of the Division of Humanities at Dillard University (1978-1986). As the architect of a state certified Speech and Drama Department at Grambling College (1951), Dr. Sandle assisted in enhancing the conference structure of NADSA founded in 1936 by Dr. Sheppard Randolph Edmonds. NADSA is now recognized as the oldest surviving theatre organization in the country. Traveling the path paved by Edmonds, Sandle was elected as NADSA’s fifth president, and Drama Director of the Interscholastic Athletic and Literary Organization (LIALO). Prior to 1935 Louisiana did not have a state program of interscholastic activities for Black high school students (Young 4). It was the vision of Dr. William H. Gray, a professor at Southern University to implement a statewide program of interscholastic and athletic activities culminating in a state rally similar to the one held annually for White students at Louisiana State University (Young 6). Upon assuming the position of state drama director of the LIALO, one of 1 Sandle’s first objectives was to encourage high school drama groups to participate in NADSA. When Grambling hosted the thirteenth annual NADSA conference, Ross High School (Minden) and Washington High School (Shreveport) were invited to present their play since they were the state division drama winners. In his memoir, Dr. Sandle recalls that the LIALO was a high point at Grambling from 1951 until the organization’s demise in 1968 brought about by the implementation of integration. He states: There was something fallible in that decision. Grambling and Louisiana’s Black high schools lost one strong asset for educating …for academic achievements and upward mobility …Louisiana’s Black schools lost more than they gained from integration. Without the LIALO, Louisiana’s Black high schools were like fallow land. (14) Louisiana like other states, established separate educational facilities for Blacks to meet the educational and emotional needs of their students. The mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), unlike other colleges is united in that mission. White colleges offer White ambiance and White values without the opportunity to achieve White identity (Robebuck & Murty, 10). However, HBCUs offer students the chance to develop a healthy Black identity with the following attributes: 1. A firm and strong sense of tradition and heritage which these institutions gained through their struggle; 2. A special mission and social obligation, which are hallmarks of the Black College; 3. The experience of being in majority status which aids the comprehension of majority/minority status in the larger world; 4. The provision of leadership experience; and 5. Academic support programs which are not offered at other institutions. (Sutton 13) Public Black colleges were created by the southern state government for 3 reasons: 1) to get millions of dollars in federal