Script Sources & Resources
SCRIPTS FOR STAGE & SCREEN ARE ON THE WAY!
Final copyright permissions for printing plays and scripts are still in progress as of the hour of publication of K1 – the debut issue of KIZA BlackLit. To hold you over, we’re providing some wonderful resources for playwrights, screenwriters and the people who love them.
The first is a wonderful book, beautifully presented and dropping historical knowledge all crazy! Black Theatre USA: Plays by African Americans, edited by James V. Hatch and Ted Shine, was published in two volumes: The Early Period, 1847-1938 (published 1974) and The Recent Period, 1935-Today (published 1996).
The Foreword to The Early Period, by Margaret B. Wilkerson, provides a beautifully written overview of the structure of the book and the period it covers. In just a few pages, Dr. Wilkerson conveys the social atmosphere within which the playwrights developed and honed their craft, as well as the venues and institutions that supported their work. Her writing centers us in the present, grateful and admiring of the determined genius of the past and joyfully looking forward to possibilities unfolding for our collective future.
The plays are grouped into sections such as “Yes We Can,” “Folk Plays of the 1920s” and “Legend and History.” Each section is prefaced with valuable insights, such as why the title of that section was selected, the playwrights included, some of those who were not included and historical notes on the period. Further, each play is prefaced with a biographical sketch of the writer and other works in their repertoire.
This valuable resource is a must for theatre enthusiasts.
NPX – New Play Exchange
The second resource is an online portal to contemporary playscripts that can be downloaded and enjoyed for personal use. The user interface in this searchable database is attractive and comfortable, eliminating the sensation that you’re crawling around inside your computer, as it feels with many (most) databases. Search criteria begin with the broad categories of Plays, People and Organizations, and within each category there are several filters, such as demographic data and various play info data points. If you know the name of the play or author, you can search by name. Organizations are searchable by name only. This is a highly recommended resource.
The Internet Archive
Described on their website as “a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and more,” the Internet Archive does, indeed, provide access to a massive amount of media. Reminiscent of a local public library, users can ‘check out’ resources by the hour or up to two weeks, and some media can be downloaded. The interface is not as pleasant as NPX; however, it gets the job done.
FOR ASPIRING SCREENWRITERS
Screencraft
https://screencraft.org/blog/99-drama-scripts-that-screenwriters-can-download-and-study/
Studiobinder
Several sites provide access to top-notch screenplays that can be downloaded for study. Available Black-authored or Black subject matter filmscripts include “12 Years a Slave,” “BlacKKKlansman,” “Moonlight” and more. Other major films include “Braveheart,” “Cast Away” and “Dances with Wolves.” Screencraft offers a total of 99 scripts for download, along with eBooks, eCourses, writing software and contests. Studiobinder includes an overlapping list scripts, though the lists from the two sites are not identical. Studiobinder does not indicate the total number of screenplays in their library. The site also offers courses, screenwriting software and other resources.
We are combing these and other resources to find our favorites to bring to future issues of KIZA BlackLit. Meanwhile, enjoy a play by a local theatre group, or travel to one of the many Black theatrical companies across the country for a most pleasant learning adventure.
A BLACK THEATRE SHORT LIST
SOURCE: BLACK THEATRE MATTERS
https://blacktheatrematters.org/Black-theatre-companies/
Alabama
Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Company
Arizona
California
African-American Shakespeare Company
Ebony Repertory Theatre (Equity)
Colorado
Florida
African American Performing Arts Community Theatre
Stage Aurora Theatrical Company (Equity)
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Equity)
Georgia
New African Grove Theatre Company
True Colors Theatre Company (Equity)
Illinois
Congo Square Theatre Company (Equity)
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Company
Indiana
Naptown African American Theatre Company (Equity)
Iowa
Louisiana
Anthony Bean Community Theater & Acting School
Massachusetts
The Front Porch Arts Collective
Maryland
Michigan
Plowshares Theatre Company (Equity)
Minnesota
Penumbra Theatre (Equity)
Missouri
Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City (Equity)
St. Louis Black Repertory (Equity)
New Jersey
Crossroads Theatre Company (Equity)
New York
Billie Holiday Theatre (Equity)
Black Revolutionary Theatre Workshop
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY
The Classical Theatre of Harlem (Equity)
National Black Theatre (Equity)
Negro Ensemble Company (Equity)
New Federal Theatre (Equity)
New Heritage Theatre Group (Equity)
Paul Robeson Theatre at the African American Cultural Center
Ujima Company, Inc. aka Ujima Theatre Company
North Carolina
North Carolina Black Repertory (Equity)
Ohio
Cincinnati Black Theatre Company
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Bill Nunn Theatre Outreach Project
Bushfire Theatre (Equity)
New Freedom Theatre (Equity)
Rhode Island
Rites and Reason Theatre (Academic)
South Carolina
Art Forms and Theatre Concepts
Tennessee
Texas
African American Repertory Theater
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
The Ensemble Theatre (Equity)
Jubilee Theatre (Equity)
U. S. Virgin Islands
Vermont
Virginia
African American Repertory Theatre of Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Washington
The Hansberry Project (Equity)