James Baldwin's Theatre

This book presents, for the first time, the entirety of Baldwin's theatrical practice - his work and his legacy - under one cover. This examination of his theatre gives us new insight into James Baldwin, a singular figure and prophetic voice in our continued national conversation about politics, culture, and race. Finding common ground where he can and arguing passionately where he does not, Baldwin engages with past traditions - Emersonian thought, reimaging Shakespeare as a figure of the street rather than the pantheon - to formulate a new, more diverse vision of the American stage. Thus, this investigation also deepens our understanding of an American theatre, an institution that he believed could be transformative if it could open to the vast and diverse tapestry of American life, more focused on serving the needs of community rather than of capital. And it reminds us that he left behind a body of work waiting to be performed for a whole new generation of audiences hungry to hear his words.