SEATTLE BLACK THEATER LEGACY ILLUMINATED AT KING STREET
Updated: 15 hours ago
By Dedra D. Woods
Legacy, a word weighted on a different scale for those whose melanin has long dictated access and
proximity. For generations, Black communities have wrestled with how to preserve our rich history, not only to honor the ancestors, but to provide fruit for those still walking the walk, to enjoy.
The current exhibit at King Street Station, Legacy Illuminated: Black Theater in the Pacific Northwest, offers a glimpse into the beautiful minds and work of the artists of Black Arts/West, and those they inspired.
Douglass Q. Barnett founded the company in 1960 and recruited talent bold enough to tell the stories of the Black community, right in the heart of the Central District.
Black Theatre legacy in Seattle began in 1936 with the Negro Repertory Company, a part of The Federal Theatre Project. The exhibit reveals the seeds laid by those artists who had been granted access to the creative space, but only under white leadership and direction, and where Black stereotypes were regularly pushed.
The journey of gaining ownership and carving pathways for Black Arts/West to live boldly with productions like “Five on the Black Hand Side” is beautifully woven into the curation of this experience.
I took each step with care on my visit, not wanting to miss a beat of the history laid out by some of the company's remaining members.
A Legacy Illuminated on view at ARTS at King Street Station. Photo credit Marcus Donner.
The small space holds a history of a group of artists who took pride in their work, many of whom went on to make great contributions to the city of Seattle beyond the stage.
I was awed by the evocative production posters created by Al Doggett. The imagery and color saturation from the visuals created for productions of The Great Macdaddy and Dream on Monkey Mountain created a visceral response. I walked through and encountered names and faces of Black theatre artists, some of whom I have had the pleasure of working with in my career here in Seattle.
As I made my way out, a woman approached me, asked my name, and asked how I became interested in the exhibit. She asked if I had time and then walked me through it once more. She shared personal stories from her time as an actor with Black Arts/West. Hearing those stories told from her perspective was priceless. It reaffirmed the importance of the work. Not just for me to come by and experience this capsule of creative force, but also for her to tell it.
The air in the room shifted as I listened to her share a menagerie of vibrant stories while emphasizing the importance of their work for the community. I asked how the audiences of the time responded to their productions. Her response: “They loved them.”
The work reflected and expressed the many dimensions of Black life. For many, it was another place to call home.
I’m so grateful to her for sharing her insight.
Legacy Illuminated was a call to action for me. As a Black Theatre artist, I long for more spaces where the stories told from the lens of the Black Community are created with care. Where the prospects of joy and liberation can be met without the threat of harm from organizations that have the right intentions but remain caught up in a post-We See You White American Theatre downturn. Where the faces looking back at you aren’t subconsciously resurrecting the trope of the Black performer as the Magical Negro, happy to entertain the masses no matter what it costs their soul.
The room is filled with photos, videos, and artifacts. When I see the faces in those photos, I can also hear the laughter in the rehearsal rooms, the soundtrack of voices and music at cast parties in someone's Central District home basement. I see the audiences who walk away holding their stomachs from laughing too hard or wiping their eyes from crying.
It reminds us that Black artists making Black art is beautiful and essential.
Get yourself down to King Street Station and visit A Legacy Illuminated: Black Theatre in the Pacific Northwest, on view until October 3, and get inspired by the genius of Black artists who took the
seeds of what they were given and bloomed fully.
MORE INFO
303 S. Jackson St., Top Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
A Legacy Illuminated: Black Theater in the Pacific Northwest was created in collaboration with a generation of actors whose work helped shape Seattle’s theater scene in the 1970s. Emerging in the wake of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Black Arts West created a vital space for artistic expression, cultural affirmation, and community dialogue in Seattle’s Central District. Between 1968 and 1980, the company staged more than 75 plays, reflecting both the urgency of the moment and a deep commitment to craft.
Through archival images, video excerpts, and original lighting elements, A Legacy Illuminated revisits a period of experimentation, collaboration, and artistic risk. Live readings will reenact scenes from these productions, inviting audiences to be immersed in not only what was created, but the spirit, resilience, and vision that made it possible.
A Legacy Illuminated features 2D historical documentation of Black theater in the Pacific Northwest, including imagery of the historical figures involved, archival video with racial struggle and violence, and vaudeville acts that include racial stereotypes and blackface.
ABOUT DEDRA D. WOODS
Dedra D. Woods is an Actor/Creator/Storyteller and Change Agent. She has been working in the Seattle Arts scene since 2012. She has had the privilege to perform with several companies around Seattle including: Seattle Rep (Fat Ham), ACT (History of Theater: About, By, For and Near), The 5th Avenue Theater (And So That Happened, Spring Awakening), The Feast (A Bright Room Called Day, Small Craft Warnings, The Time of Your Life), Seattle Public Theater, (Pipeline, Fire Season), Intiman (Wild Horses, Wedding Band), Seattle Shakespeare Company (Medea), Upstart Crow (Bring Down the House, Richard III),Book-It Repertory Theater (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), Arts West (An Octoroon, The Revolutionists). Dedra has also worked in television, film and as a voice over artist. Her interests span beyond the stage. She served as a book writer and lyricist for the world premiere of And So that Happened at The 5th Avenue Theater and was a member of the inaugural cohort of Theater Producers of Color. Dedra has also worked in casting. Her work with The Hansberry Project has allowed her to work on projects supporting Black Playwrights like, The Drinking Gourd. She is the creator and curator of Artist's of Color in Seattle, AOC(S), a social media platform that celebrates Black, Indigenous and POC artists in Seattle and their work, while inviting everyone to bear witness to their humanity and artistry. AOC(S) strives to lift the voices of marginalized folx and support local Artists in the Seattle Area as well as engaging with Artists on the national scene.
Comments