We the People of the United States have our First African American President.
But who was our First African American Playwright?
William Wells Brown! His contribution to our Amer
ican Theatre --
The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom, published in 1858. Although Brown, born into slavery, wrote that "this play was written for my own amusement, and not with the remotest thought that it would ever be seen by the public eye," and "never aspired to be a dramatist" -- and his play was never produced during his lifetime (1816?-1884) --
The Escape presents its abolitionist message in the remarkably theatrical structure popular on the late 19th century stage. We have this play, and many more books available for sale!
Click here to see them all!
The works of Langston Hughes, "The Poet Laureate of the Harlem Renaissance," with
The Langston Hughes Readerautographed and presented to a faculty member at the University of Kansas during Hughes' lecture-visit in 1958 to Lawrence, where he once lived).