The Frogs (club)

The Frogs (club)

=The Frogs, African American Theatrical Organization=

At the beginning of the twentieth century theatrical clubs were formed to provide a sense of fraternity for members of the entertainment community in New York. This brotherhood was not inclusive. While there were black Broadway and vaudeville entertainers, no blacks were allowed in the membership of these theatrical clubs. In response to the need for such a fraternal organization for blacks, on July 5, 1908, a group of Black vaudevillian entertainers formed what may be the first African American organization for theater professionals.

Eleven men, including such famous names as the show business team of Bert Williams and George Walker, J. Rosamond Johnson (composer of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"), and famed band leader/composer Lt. James Reese Europe created an organization they called, The Frogs. The founding members of The Frogs were very respected by the citizens of Harlem. They were described as, “… very aristocratic looking gentlemen, all very distinguished…a bunch of doers.”1 According to Eric Ledell Smith in his book, "Bert Williams, A Biography of the Pioneer Black Comedian", the organization chose to call themselves "The Frogs" in honor of a play by Aristophanes during which, “…the character Charon makes reference to ‘our minstrel frogs’.” 2

Although formed by actors, singers, dancers and musicians; membership was not limited to theater professionals. African American physicians and attorneys participated in the organization which raised money for charity by sponsoring an annual ball and vaudeville review called "The Frolic of the Frogs". Members of the Frogs also donated enough funds to build a clubhouse in which they housed archived materials related to the African American Theater Community. 3

ources

1 Ann Charters, "Nobody: The Story of Bert Williams" (New York: Macmillan Company, 1970), p. 94

2 Eric Ledell Smith, "Bert Williams: A Biography of the Pioneer Black Comedian" (North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1992) pg. 106 ISBN 0-89950-695-X

3 Ibid.

ee also

*African American musical theater


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Frogs (band) — Infobox Musical artist Name = The Frogs Img capt = Img size = Landscape = yes Background = group or band Origin = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. Genre = Alternative rock, lo fi, folk pop, comedy rock Years active = 1980 present Label = Homestead… …   Wikipedia

  • The Frogs — Infobox Play | name = The Frogs caption = Sketch of Aristophanes writer = Aristophanes chorus = Frogs, Initiates, citizens of Hades characters = Dionysus Xanthias, Dionysus slave Heracles corpse Charon Aeacus, janitor of Hades maid hostess… …   Wikipedia

  • The Yardbirds — Infobox musical artist Name = The Yardbirds Landscape = Yes Background = group or band Associated acts = Box of Frogs, Cream, The Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Renaissance Origin = London, England Years active = 1963–1968 1992–present Genre =… …   Wikipedia

  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in popular culture — This entry lists mentions of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in popular culture.Literature* In James M. Cain s crime novel Double Indemnity , Phyllis is described as the creature who came on board ship to shoot dice in The Rime of the Ancient… …   Wikipedia

  • The Boldons — infobox UK place country = England official name= The Boldons map type= Tyne and Wear latitude= 54.9447 longitude= 1.4409 population = 191,151 [ [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3 b=276795 c=gateshead d=13… …   Wikipedia

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary to Quintessential Phases — The Tertiary Phase , Quandary Phase and Quintessential Phase are radio adaptations of the books Life, the Universe and Everything , So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish and Mostly Harmless recorded in 2003 and 2004 by Above the Title Productions… …   Wikipedia

  • The Complete Studio Recordings (Naked City) — The Complete Studio Recordings Album par John Zorn, Naked City Sortie 2005 Durée 322:23 Compositeur John Zorn Producteur John Zorn Label …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Yardbirds — The Yardbirds, 2006. Слева направо: Джон Идэн, Джим Маккарти и Крис Дрейя …   Википедия

  • Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching Cricket Club — The Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching Cricket Club is a cricket club in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England.The earliest record of cricket in Littlehampton was of a game on 2 July 1802 on the Littlehampton Green when a match between the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Alvin and the Chipmunks episodes — The Chipmunks Go to the Movies redirects here. For the album of the same name that was recorded by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., see The Chipmunks Go to the Movies (album). This is a complete listing of episodes from the 1983 animated television series… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”