Enacting Texts: African American Drama, Politics, and Presentation in the African American Literature Classroom

Abstract

In African American literature, political connection with the audience is intensified by the radical nature of black drama as it both expresses protest and embodies acts of communal resistance and reaffirmation. The purpose of this article is to impart to students of African American literature distinguishing qualities of African American drama, with the hope that this often understudied, if not ignored, segment of African American literature can enhance students' appreciation of African American literary accomplishment. With this goal in mind, Part I of this article explores teaching African American drama from within a theoretical framework of the African concept of Nommo and from within African American historical experience. Part II demonstrates how this framing can be effectively conveyed to students through classroom experiences that develop and reaffirm students' understanding of black drama through presentation experiences uniquely available in working with texts written-to-be-performed.