It has been said by artists and historians alike that art serves as a time-capsule for history. The Jubilee Theatre in downtown Fort Worth, TX proved just that with their production of “The African Company Presents Richard III,” a play that chronicles the beginning of African American theatre.
The play is set in 1821 and tells the story of the first black theatre company in America as they battle against the forces of class, race and tradition in order to stage a production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” Throughout the play, the audience learns of the hardships that each character has been through because of their race and how they dealt with it in a predominately white society. They discover that those hardships are what drive the characters forward in their lives every day.
In the play, the manager of a wealthy theatre that is in the process of producing their own production of “Richard III” learns that the African Company of New York is producing the same show. To solve this so-called “problem” he has the theatre shut down through underhanded social connections. Instead of bowing at defeat, Billy, the manager of the black theatre, strikes back hard by staging the “black” production of “Richard III” in a hotel ballroom next door to the wealthy theatre. Although the show has a tragic end, where the members of the black theatre are thrown into jail, the show leaves audience members with a feeling of hope and inspiration due to the incredible message this play exudes.
The artistic director of the Jubilee Theater’s production of this show stated it best when he said that the overall message of this story is the message of people lifting themselves up through art so that they too can feel like kings and queens.
The overall production of this show was impressive. The Jubilee Theatre created a piece of moving art that pushes the audience through an emotional catharsis and allows them to actually feel the struggle it took for the African Company of New York to find solace in art.
Although successful in getting the message across and drawing emotion from the depths of the audience’s souls, this show was lacking in a very important area of theatre. The year this play is set in is 1821 but a combination of accents, costumes and set design make the show feel as if it is set several decades later. Despite the lack of attention to the time period, which could be critical in other shows, the mix up did not affect the overall effectiveness of this particular show.
Through the hard work of the Jubilee Theatre, audience members will leave “The African Company Presents Richard III” feeling not so lost in the shadows, but will, instead, feel like they’ve been lifted into the light. Remember, we can all feel like royalty through true art.