An interesting look at the under representation of Asian Americans on Broadway. Bookmarked on April 10, 2012 at 02:18AM.

Annie Oakley, who was known for being an amazing shot. Her adventuress included touring the vaudeville circuit with husband Frank E. Bulter and attracting the attention of Native American warrior Sitting Bull. (via Adventures in Feministory: Annie “Little Sure Shot” Oakley | Bitch Media)

Article about Circus Amok! in the Village Voice, July 14 1998.

Circus Amok is a New York City based circus-theater company whose mission is to provide free public art addressing contemporary issues of social justice to the people of New York City.

Sounds like my kind of circus.

Help me out, Tumblr: I’m interested  in learning more about African-Americans in theatre. Who or what do you absolutely think I should know about? Why?

 In October 1925, when Josephine Baker made her Paris debut in La Revue Nègre, it was reported that news of her performance had “spread like wildfire” through the city’s cafes and bars within half an hour of the curtain coming down. Back in Manhattan, Baker had been an end-of-the-chorus-line girl – too skinny, too dark, too comical to be a star. In Paris, however, she was hailed as a black Venus, an ebony pearl and an embodiment of the authentic soul of Africa. Picasso, Léger and Hemmingway admired her then, and such is the power of the Baker legend that, even today, a performer like Beyonce wants to claim her as an inspiration.

The T.O.B.A. (Theatre Owners’ Booking Assn.) was the black vaudeville circuit. It didn’t extend to the West; there’s no evidence that the original El Portal ever hosted a T.O.B.A. show. However, the black and white circuits certainly shared some of the same traditions—and some of the same old jokes.

Josephine Baker’s Banana Dance (by dsmrtgrl)

With a career spanning five decades, Josephine Baker was a star of stage and screen. However, she was also a spy for the French resistance during World War II. Tune in and learn more about Josephine Baker in this podcast.

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