Shakespeare in the Harlem Renaissance

When you think about the Harlem Renaissance, theater might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But, says Dr. Freda Scott Giles, Associate Professor Emerita of Theatre and Film Studies and African American Studies at the University of Georgia, theater played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance. Of course, because there’s little in the English-language theater untouched by Shakespeare, he was present in the Harlem Renaissance too. But were banner Shakespeare productions like Orson Welles’s hit “Voodoo 'Macbeth'” or the Broadway flop "Swingin’ the Dream" showcases for Black expression? Or did they co-opt Black art while reinforcing ugly stereotypes? We talk to Giles about how the artists and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance regarded the Bard. Plus, we visit the African Company of the 1820s and the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s to learn about more than a century of Black responses to Shakespeare. Freda Scott Giles is Associate Professor Emerita of Theater at the University of Georgia. She was a contributor to three books: "Tarell Alvin McCraney: Theater, Performance, and Collaboration," published in 2020; "Constructions of Race in Southern Theatre: From Federalism to the Federal Theatre Project," published in 2003; and "American Mixed Race: The Culture of Microdiversity," which was published in 1995. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published February 16, 2021. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “I Here Engage My Words,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer, with help from Leonor Fernandez. We had technical help from Andrew Feliciano and Paul Luke at Voice Trax West in Studio City, California.