Amiri Baraka is one of the most important figures within the Black Power Movement. His plays touched the nation, especially within his own community. At Knox in particular, his plays have been performed. The above image is from a production of Amiri Baraka’s play, The Slave.
It’s honestly fascinating to see old photos throughout the archives, but the interesting thing about this photo is that there’s an article describing the performance alongside it. It’s so fascinating to see how Knox’s Theatre Department has put on several shows, especially during this era. The play was put on in 1973, from April 13th, to April 15th. The archive also held onto the playbooks from this production!
Knox’s theatre archives are extremely well maintained, and putting on a play by such an important figure within the Black Arts Movement shows just how important these kind of works are.
Excellent find, Fletcher. Between Leroi Jones and Ntozake Shange (see Guy’s last post), we can really see the impact Black Arts Movement writers had on Knox both during and after the heyday of the movement.