CLICK HERE TO BUY OUR BOOK!

#AfricanAmericanTheater Episodes

114
Dec. 21, 2025

114. Brian Anthony Wilson

The Philadelphia actor Brian Wilson talks with us about his life and career.
102
June 27, 2025

102. Memories of the Freedom Theatre

Johnnie Hobbs and Patricia Scott Hobbs talk about their experiences at the North Philadelphia institution which both served and shaped the city's African American community.
81
July 26, 2024

81. Vinnette Carroll's Legacy: A Conversation

Vinnette Carroll brought her gospel-themed musicals about African American culture through Philadelphia In the 1970s. We discuss this much-neglected important Black theater artist, in a conversation with Jerrell Henderson.
72
April 14, 2024

72. Encore Episode: Philadelphia's "Negro Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project

A reissue of our conversation with scholar Jonathan Shandell and director Jerrell Henderson, about a little-known chapter of Philadelphia's theater history.
32
June 3, 2022

32. Philadelphia's 'Negro Unit' of the Federal Theatre Project: A Conversation

The history of the Philadelphia "Negro Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s - specifically the history of three plays produced by the FTP at the Walnut Street Theatre.
29
March 25, 2022

29. The Black Booth: Part Two

John A. Arneaux plays "Richard III" at the Academy of Music, then mysteriously exits the American stage. His co-star, the actor Henri Strange, remains - and strives to create a Shakespeare theater for Philadelphia's Black audiences.
28
March 4, 2022

28. The Black Booth: Part One

John A. Arneaux starred in a one-night all-Black production of Shakespeare's "Richard III' at the Academy of Music in January 1887. Who was he, where had he come from, and why had he chosen Philadelphia for this audacious feat?