A History of the Development of the Educational Theatre in Negro Collegesand Universities from 1911 to 1959
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1959 A History of the Development of the Educational Theatre in Negro Collegesand Universities From 1911 to 1959. Floyd Leslie Sandle Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Sandle, Floyd Leslie, "A History of the Development of the Educational Theatre in Negro Collegesand Universities From 1911 to 1959." (1959). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 569. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/569 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 Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL THEATRE IN NEGRO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FROM 1911 TO 1959 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 Speech by Floyd Leslie Sandle A.EL* Dillard University* 1937 M.A.* University of Chicago* 19U7 August* 1959 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Ackno wle dg ement The writer wishes to acknowledge gratefully the counselling and guidance of Dr. Claude L. Shaver throughout the preparation of this manuscript. He wishes also to acknowledge the careful reading and editing of the manuscript by Dr. Waldo W. Braden and Dr. Giles W. Grayj and to express his deepest appreciation to Dr. Francine Merritt, Dr. John A. Hunter, and Dr. George H. Deer for their helpful guidance and encouragement. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Marie, my wife3 and my children, Gail, Ava, Wanda, Floyd, and Anthony. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OP THE EDUCATIONAL THEATRE IN NEGRO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FROM 1911 TO 1959 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACICI OWLEDGENENT ii ABSTRACT vi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEGRO COLLEGES AliD UNIVERSITIES 5 II PIONEERS IN THE MOVEMENT TOWARD A NEGRO THEATRE 39 Playwrights and Actors Negro Dramatic Organizations III THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF DRAHATIC AND SPEECH ARTS '3 Founding: The First Two Years The Association: 1938-19^2 The Association: 19U2-1951 IV THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION BECOMES THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 171 The Association: 1951-195 V ENCORE: THE ASSOCIATION'S JOURNAL I2h Editors and Editing the Journal Articles Published in the Journal Financing the Journal VI DEVELOPING THE CURRICULUM IN THEATRE AMI SPEECH 250 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE Oj? CONTENTS (Continued) Speech Training in the Negro College Curricular and Co-Curricular Programs Extra-Curricular Activities: With a View to Significant Community delations VII A SU1-2LAHY ANALYSIS AYE C0NCLL3I0L 28 U SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 298 VITA 30? v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT For an understanding of the development of the educational theatre in Negro colleges and universities during the period 1911- 1959, it is first necessary to describe the general growth of Negro educational institutions of higher learning which gave rise to the widespread development of the educational theatre in these institutions. This study has concerned itself with the rise of the Negro college and university; the pioneers in the movement toward a Negro theatre; and with the Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts, which organization has, for the most part, served as the pioneer dramatic organization among Negro educational institutions in the movement to develop a functional educational theatre. In 1911, the first organization in dramatics in a Negro college was founded at Howard University in Washington, D. C. But it was not until 1930 that the first Negro educational theatre organization, The Intercollegiate Dramatic Association, was founded by Randolph Edmonds. Five years later, in 1935, the second dramatic organization, The Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts, was organized by the same man. Both were based on the theory that the hope of the genuine Negro theatre is to be found in the organi zational approach in Negro colleges. This study analyzes the influence of pioneer playwrights and actors on the development of the Negro theatre; surveys the work of the Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts as a factor in vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the development of the educational theatre in Negro colleges by- summarizing philosophies, procedures and problems as indicated in the association's publicationsj and traces the growth of the curriculum in speech and drama in Negro colleges and universities. vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION Statement of The Problem: The purpose of the present study is to survey and record in some detail the h: story of toe educational theatre movement in Negro colleges and universities from 1911 to 1939* The study is divided into four main parts: (1 ) The development of Negro colleges and universities; (2) Pioneers in the movement toward a Negro theatre, with emphasis on the c:ntrioutions of playwrights, Negro and white, and the pioneer Negro actors; (3) Negro dramatic organisations, with emphasis on The Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts; and (I,) Development of the curriculum in theatre and speech, with emphasis on speech training in the Negro colleges, curricular and extra-curricular. Definition of Terms: In this study the term "Educational Theatre" is used to designate non-professional dramatic activity, curricular and extra-curricular in the Negro college. It includes: (1) little Theatres, (2) Players Guilds, (3) Experimental Theatres, Q.i) Community Theatres, under the supervision of college drama departments. The term as used in this study includes the io.ea that because theatre art in all its forms needs artists, it needs educational theatre. It im plies a situation which prepares (1 ) teachers who are discriminating judges of aesthetic values; and (2 ) theatre artists who push their creative capacities to the utmost because they have learned the true worth of their art. 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The terms "College11 and "University" are freely used to de scribe a very considerable variety of educational institutions. Their popular use includes almost every Negro institution of learn ing higher than, and based on, the training of the high school. The term includes the teachers college, the normal school, the private college, and tse Land-grant college. Significance of the Problem; The educational theatre in the Negro college and university has has its share of problems in a struggle to survive. Its aim has been to make itself an integral part of the college's scheme of education. The spread of the activity program of the educational theatre and the subsequent emphasis on the curricular program in drama and theatre in the member colleges of the Southern Association of Dra matic and Speech Arts, with the concomitant emphasis upon more and better trained faculty and staff members has made this study sig nificant. Each college that will be mentioned in the study of the drama association has availed itself of some kind of drama program, In some instances the program falls under the heading of the English Department; the Speech and English Department; the English and Speech Department; the Drama Department; the Drama and Speech De partment; the English, Speech and Drama Department; and the Speech and Drama Depart*-jnt. No significant study has yet been made of the history and Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 development of the educational theatre in Negro colleges and universities which covers the subject completely. This study proposes to investigate, analyze and evaluate the educational theatre program in the Negro college, and show its significant movements in community relations. Method of Treating the Subject: The subject will be dealt with chronologically, filling into two periods, (l) 1911-1936, (2) 1936-1959. First, in tracing the development of the educa tional theatre, it will be necessary to show the general develop ment of the Negro college and university: societies, agencies and foundations that helped in the development of these schools; and something of their purposes and trends. Then an attempt will be made to show the pioneering period with its movements toward a significant place for the Negro in the theatre: a period of form ulating a point of departure, with pla^rwriphts developing plays to express Negro life and talent. Here the historical holdings of the Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts will be used to show developments in that organization's activities leading toward a Negro Theatrg.