The Black Rep opens its season with the story of America’s first Black playwright

The Black Rep is shining a light on William Henry Brown, a Black thespian who 200 years ago founded the African Company theater in New York City. Brown, a free Black man from the West Indies who produced Shakespearean plays, hired James Hewlett, Ira Aldridge and other Black actors. The theater became a mainstay for Black audiences and eventually some white audiences too, though a white theater owner conspired to shut it down.

Brown’s history and accomplishments are the focus of “The African Company Presents Richard III” by playwright Carlyle Brown. The production documents Brown’s journey as founder of the African Company and documents the racism and prejudices he faced among white theater owners in New York City.

The show opens the Rep’s 46th season today. St. Louis Public Radio’s Chad Davis spoke with director and Black Rep founder Ron Himes about the play, Brown’s history and how Brown’s experiences resonated to the founding of the Black Rep.