Breaking Barriers
In 2024, Audra McDonald became the first Black actress to portray this iconic character in a Broadway production of Gypsy.
Who is Rose?
Sammy Davis Jr. refused to perform at clubs that barred Black audiences, helping integrate venues in Miami Beach and this Nevada city.
What is Las Vegas?
Earning him 5 Emmy nominations, this character is perhaps Tituss Burgess’s most well-known role.
Who is Titus Andromedon?
As a child, Sammy Davis Jr. learned to tap dance from this legendary dancer.
Who is Bill “Bojangles” Robinson?
Audra McDonald studied classical voice at this school before beginning her Broadway career.
What is the Juilliard School?
In 2022, a Broadway theatre was renamed in honor of this actor.
Who is James Earl Jones?
Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award in 1994 for this production, which challenged traditional racial casting practices.
What is Carousel?
After overcoming his stutter, James Earl Jones became famous as the voice of Mufasa and this Star Wars villain.
Who is Darth Vader?
This Black theatre star headlined the cast with Denzel Washington in his Broadway debut.
Who is Ruby Dee?
Sammy Davis Jr. joined Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as a member of this famous group.
What is the Rat Pack?
In 1946 this actor wore whiteface in The Duchess of Malfi, becoming the first Black actor to play a white role on Broadway.
Who is Canada Lee?
Tituss Burgess’s role as this First Lady in Oh, Mary! is described as reminiscent of the cakewalk and a reversal of minstrelsy.
Who is Mary Todd Lincoln?
In 1946 Canada Lee co-produced On Whitman Avenue, a play about this type of discrimination, making him one of Broadway’s first Black producers.
What is housing discrimination?
In 2016 Audra McDonald played Lottie Gee in this musical, honoring the contributions of early Black Broadway performers.
What is Shuffle Along?
This Broadway musical starring Tituss Burgess originated near our classroom.
What is Jersey Boys?
Sammy Davis Jr. earned a Tony nomination for this 1964 musical, which was rewritten to make the lead a Black boxer in an interracial romance.
What is Golden Boy?
James Earl Jones’s breakout in The Great White Hope, written by a white playwright, cast him as a boxer based on this real champion.
Who is Jack Johnson?
This American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate played a major part in Tituss Burgess’s career.
What is Disney?
This was the first Shakespearean role played by Denzel Washington, the same role James Earl Jones played in Central Park in 1964.
Who is Othello?
In 1941 Canada Lee starred as Bigger Thomas in this play, directed by Orson Welles.
What is Native Son?
James Earl Jones stayed nearly silent until high school because of this condition, until a teacher had him recite his own poetry out loud.
What is a stutter?
The second part of this historical event, taking place between 1940 and 1970, is part of the reason Denzel Washington was born in a suburb of New York.
What is the Great Migration?
Denzel’s son calls him “uncle.” This director worked with Denzel Washington on 5 movies spanning over 35 years.
Who is Spike Lee?
Canada Lee worked with and mentored a young Sidney Poitier in this 1951 film.
What is Cry, the Beloved Country?
These two plays that we’re reading in class played an important part in Denzel Washington’s career.
What are Fences and A Raisin in the Sun?