425:. The play features the character Junebug Jabbo Jones, "created by the SNCC members to represent and symbolize the wit and wisdom of common folk". This performance marked the final production of the FST, but also signified the creation of O'Neal's new theater company, Junebug Productions. John O'Neal currently serves as the Founding Director and Artistic Director Emeritus for Junebug Productions.
400:. Her documentary photographs are known to "depict the life of struggling Americans who defied the post-emancipation status quo brought about by political, economic, social and cultural domination and exploitation". In 2012, Derby retired from Georgia State University following a successful 22 years of service.
443:. These productions toured through the poor areas of the south, especially in Mississippi, where the company was founded. As part of their mission, the shows never charged an entry fee and performed in public places like churches and community halls. As mentioned in the History section, their production of
479:
The Free
Southern Theater had to end its operations in 1980. Their mission did not entirely end, however, as Junebug Productions was formed in the shadow of the Free Southern Theater. This company is still working in several communities in the south in order to bring arts to areas that need it most.
382:
observes that the SNCC "organized voter registration drives, self help economic and educational initiatives and carried out protests at such places as segregated local, statewide and national governmental facilities, public movie theaters, parks, medical facilities and churches". Derby's work within
180:
From the first, the company was plagued by artistic and managerial disagreements; and, with free admission as a primary objective, money was always in short supply. Following their
January 1965 tour, the company did fundraising performances in New York. Under financial duress and hoping to draw on a
93:
Our fundamental objective is to stimulate creative and reflective thought among
Negroes in Mississippi and other Southern states by the establishment of a legitimate theater, thereby providing the opportunity in the theater and the associated art forms. We theorize that within the Southern situation
130:
With these goals in mind, they solidified a mission statement: "Our objective is to stimulate creative and reflective thought among
Negroes in Mississippi and other Southern states by the establishment of a legitimate theater, thereby providing the opportunity for involvement in the theater and
94:
a theatrical form and style can be developed that is as unique to the Negro people as the origin of blues and jazz. A combination of art and social awareness can evolve into plays written for a Negro audience, which relate to the problems within the Negro himself, and within the Negro community.
471:
In addition to free performances throughout its existence, the Free
Southern Theatre remained rooted in its Civil Rights roots. They had workshops for the community and college students at various stops on their tours, an acting apprenticeship, and a sponsorship program for local artists in
408:
Like fellow FST founder, Doris Derby, John O'Neal worked for the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi as a field director. O'Neal also served as national field program director of the Committee for Racial Justice. The recipient of the Award of Merit from the
103:
In 1963, John O'Neal, Doris Derby, Gilbert Moses, and
William Hutchinson drafted "A General Prospectus for the Establishment of a Free Southern Theater, Jackson, Mississippi." This document outlined the goals of the theater company and how they would accomplish them. They included:
155:. Gilbert Moses recalls: "The Holmes County people came in from the farms to see us. We had to play in the afternoon because they wanted to get back home by dark." For professional help in theater management the Free Southern Theater began working with professor
862:
185:
in 1965 where they purchased an office space and gathered a board of directors. The company went from eight members to twenty-three. In 1966 Moses, Schechner, and O’Neal left, and the company was taken over by
African-American poet and writer
345:
interview with Moses, Gussow observes how he "called for a deeper investigation of the lives of black people in the United States". He quotes Moses, "We as blacks are starved for images of ourselves all over this country". Moses died of
391:
and served as the founding
Director of the Office of African American Student Services and Programs, as well as, Adjunct Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology. A noted photographer, as well, Derby's work has been exhibited at the
274:, honored the company "featuring a jazz funeral and a three-day conference of art for social change". John O'Neal's theater company Junebug Productions strives to carry on the legacy of the Free Southern Theater.
366:’s long career has spread across a wide array of disciplines, ranging from theater to education. From an early age, Derby expressed strong interest in community activism and civil rights and joined a
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led Moses to pursue more "socially relevant theater". Following his involvement with The Free
Southern Theater, Moses directed stage productions both on and off-Broadway. In 1969 Moses won an
952:
The Free Southern Theater by The Free Southern Theater: A Documentary of the South's Radical Black Theater with Journals, Letters, Poetry, and Essays, and a Play Written By Those Who Built It
367:
173:. Initially consisting of both black and white actors, the company gradually became exclusively African-American and presented only plays by black playwrights such as the controversial
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270:, The Free Southern Theater gradually lost its creative momentum and financial support. In 1980, The Free Southern Theater closed, however the 1985 production
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To bring in artists from outside the state as well as to provide the opportunity for local people with creative ability to have experience with the theater
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the SNCC was centered, primarily, in New York, Georgia, and Mississippi. In Mississippi Derby taught adult literacy through the SNCC and helped found
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63:
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Gilbert Moses, John O'Neil, Denise Nicholas, Murray Levy, Richard Schecner, "Dialog: The Free Southern Theater (1965)", in Bean, Annemarie,
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To develop an appreciation of the theater and related art forms- an understanding of the technical problems as well as ideas and concepts
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in Paris before leaving school to join the civil rights movement. During his time in Mississippi, Moses served as a journalist for the
927:
85:
The founders sought to introduce free theater to the South, both as a voice for social protest, and to emphasize positive aspects of
301:, a founding member of The Free Southern Theater and noted theater director, was born in Cleveland in August 1942. As a student at
139:
The Free Southern Theater was formed in September 1963 when Gilbert Moses and John O’Neal met in Mississippi while working with the
163:, who joined the theatre as one of its producing directors. They toured rural Louisiana and Mississippi presenting plays such as
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Papatola, Dominic P. (May 8, 1998). "Echoes of activism: Junebug Productions makes a festival of socially conscious message".
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Their biggest project is the National Color Line Project in which the company travels and collects stories surrounding the
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article, a company member only referred to as "James" (James Cromwell, who played Pozzo) describes the enthusiasm that
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To liberate and to explore the creative talent and potential that is here as well as to promote the production of art
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was performed in whiteface since most of the cast was African American at the time. The theater also performed
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The Free Southern Theater was a part of the emerging Black Theatre Movement and also closely allied with the
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In addition to John O'Neal and Gilbert Moses, well known actors who appeared in FST productions included
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and uses them to archive history as well as bring new light to the current racial situation in the USA.
481:
140:
59:
766:
Doris Adelaide Derby oral history interview conducted by Joseph Mosnier in Atlanta, Georgia, 2011-04-26
187:
793:"Freedom Summer Conference :: African American Studies :: College of Arts & Sciences"
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Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University: The Free Southern Theater.
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To acquaint Southern peoples with a breadth of experience with the theater and related art forms
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959:"A General Prospectus for the Establishment of a Free Southern Theater, Jackson, Mississippi"
561:"A General Prospectus for the Establishment of a Free Southern Theater, Jackson, Mississippi"
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The company launched workshops for actors and introduced plays written by their own members.
417:, O’Neal has written eighteen plays, a musical comedy, poetry, and several essays. In 1980,
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89:. O’Neal, Derby, and Moses outlined the philosophy of the troupe in a founding document:
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Dent, Tom, and Jerry W. Ward Jr, "After the Free Southern Theater: A Dialog". Article in
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was essential for them to gain funding and support in order to continue their mission.
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produced their final performance, a solo piece written and performed by O’Neal titled
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768:. Atlanta, Georgia, None , 4, 2011. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
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To assert that self-knowledge and creativity are the foundations of Human Dignity
844:"The Ground at 20: John O'Neal, Free Southern Theater & Junebug Productions"
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Civil Rights History Project, US, Joseph Mosnier, and Doris Adelaide Derby.
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as well as providing a space for their members to write their own plays.
1000:, Autumn, 1987, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 120–125, OCLC Number: 479350536
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544:
272:
A Funeral for the Free Southern Theater: A Valediction Without Mourning
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A Sourcebook of African-American Performance Plays, People, Movements
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Civil Rights Movement Archive Website: Free Southern Theater Founded
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To emphasize the universality of the problems of the Negro people
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produced at least one of these workshops. They adapted the play
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The first productions put on by the Free Southern Theatre were
147:, toured 16 towns and cities ranging in size from Mileston in
699:"From Script to Screen Documenting the Free Southern Theater"
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The University of Southern Mississippi: Digital Collections.
734:"Gilbert Moses Is Dead at 52; Award-Winning Stage Director"
977:
Restaging the sixties: Radical Theaters and their Legacies
368:
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
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larger middle class black population, the troupe moved to
16:
Former community theater group at Tougaloo College, MS, US
888:"The Free Southern Theater - Google Arts & Culture"
423:
Don't Start Me to Talking or I’ll Tell Everything I Know
510:
The Legacy of the Free Southern Theater in New Orleans
378:(SNCC). The department of African American studies at
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To strengthen communication between Southern Negroes
950:Dent, Thomas C.; Richard Schechner; Gilbert Moses;
27:) was a community theater group founded in 1963 at
370:(NAACP) youth group in the Bronx. As a student at
979:; Ann Arbor; University of Michigan Press, 2007;
954:; New York; Bobbs-Merrill; 1969; ASIN B000H546Q2
863:"They Are Waiting for Godot In Mississippi, Too"
697:Jason Foster, Kiyoko McCrae (February 2, 2016).
647:"Obituaries - AMBUSH Mag 2000 - Gay New Orleans"
600:. London: Routledge, 1999, pp. 102–113. Print.
926:Yuen, Cheryl; O'Neal, John; Holden, Theresa.
62:—O’Neal and Derby were also directors of the
8:
463:received from the audiences in Mississippi.
649:. Volume 20, Issue 6. Ambush Magazine. 2002
47:, and John O’Neal. The company manager was
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243:. and Ossie Davis's "Purlie Victorious".
928:"Junebug Productions. Color Line Project"
411:Association of Performing Arts Presenters
376:Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
321:observes that an interest in the work of
254:, and support from celebrities including
64:Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
975:Harding, James Martin; Cindy Rosenthal;
472:Mississippi. Their partnership with the
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387:. In 1990, Derby joined the faculty of
374:in New York, Derby was a member of the
51:, later Chair of the Art Department at
1014:Arts organizations established in 1963
820:"Board Members | Junebug Productions"
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1029:Organizations disestablished in 1980
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358:Born in either 1939 or 1940 in the
194:(later known as Kalamu ya Salaam).
1024:African-American theatre companies
305:, Moses studied for a year at the
14:
970:Tulane University Online Exhibits
565:Tulane University Online Exhibits
55:. The company disbanded in 1980.
1019:Theatre companies in Mississippi
512:, Interviews by Rachel Breunlin.
246:But in spite of grants from the
66:(SNCC). They presented plays by
915:. New Orleans, La. pp. E1.
861:Minor, W.F. (31 January 1965).
177:(later known as Amiri Baraka).
559:Free Southern Theater (1963).
1:
972:, accessed November 21, 2016.
848:Theatre Communications Group
380:Mississippi State University
211:Congress of Racial Equality
33:Madison County, Mississippi
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732:Gussow, Mel (1995-04-18).
327:Theatre National Populaire
149:Holmes County, Mississippi
143:. Their first production,
892:Google Cultural Institute
419:The Free Southern Theater
385:The Free Southern Theater
227:Philadelphia, Mississippi
209:to depict the murders of
389:Georgia State University
87:African-American culture
957:Free Southern Theater,
684:Dent, Schechner, Moses.
394:Smithsonian Institution
341:. Reflecting on a 1972
233:. They also performed
131:associated art forms."
824:junebugproductions.org
311:Mississippi Free Press
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998:The Drama Review: TDR
935:American for the Arts
482:Civil Rights Movement
415:Ford Foundation Award
213:(CORE) field workers
141:civil rights movement
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60:civil rights movement
21:Free Southern Theater
797:www.aas.msstate.edu
571:on 21 November 2016
429:Notable productions
398:Bronx Museum of Art
964:2016-11-21 at the
867:The New York Times
738:The New York Times
703:Alternative Roots
452:Purlie Victorious
446:Waiting for Godot
440:Waiting for Godot
236:Waiting for Godot
219:Michael Schwerner
170:Waiting for Godot
161:Tulane University
157:Richard Schechner
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435:In White America
348:multiple myeloma
289:Founding members
252:Ford Foundations
203:In White America
145:In White America
29:Tougaloo College
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256:Harry Belafonte
207:Martin Duberman
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609:Dent, p. 23.
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569:the original
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335:Amiri Baraka
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231:Ku Klux Klan
225:, killed in
215:James Chaney
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190:assisted by
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872:18 November
575:15 November
404:John O’Neal
364:Doris Derby
354:Doris Derby
268:Julian Bond
260:Arthur Ashe
248:Rockefeller
188:Thomas Dent
183:New Orleans
175:LeRoi Jones
153:New Orleans
80:Ossie Davis
45:Doris Derby
1008:Categories
985:0472069543
897:2016-11-21
829:2016-11-21
802:2016-11-21
751:2016-11-21
653:2024-06-15
488:References
339:Slave Ship
331:Obie Award
323:Jean Vilar
319:Mel Gussow
264:Bill Cosby
159:, then at
746:0362-4331
241:whiteface
229:, by the
962:Archived
467:Outreach
396:and the
325:and the
307:Sorbonne
945:Sources
455:. In a
135:History
99:Mission
983:
744:
413:and a
281:, and
266:, and
221:, and
78:, and
931:(PDF)
493:Notes
461:Godot
151:, to
35:, by
981:ISBN
874:2016
742:ISSN
577:2016
474:SNCC
437:and
333:for
250:and
19:The
239:in
205:by
167:’s
31:in
25:FST
1010::
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