As actor and director Terrence Mann famously said, “Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good.” While the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle, his point was well made. Theater performance, with its visceral and immediate nature, requires a very specific breed of actor. And with so many spectacular Black artists gracing the stage today, it’s important to remember that constant inclusion in this very old artform is relatively new and long overdue.
Theater has a complicated history with performers of color, and many of its historic practices have not aged well at all. However, the post-Civil War era saw Black performers and stories truly taking center stage for the first time, steadily building a presence in the arts that led to many 20th century musicals and plays written, produced, and performed entirely by African Americans. By the time of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 30s, Black theater in America was flourishing, eventually leading to a critically acclaimed Broadway hit in Langston Hughes’ Mulatto: A Tragedy of the Deep South in 1935.
If an actor’s job is to speak truthfully in a scripted character’s voice, then a more diverse cast is necessary to tell a more truthful story. Today’s theaters are flush with some of the best talent the medium has ever seen. We’d like to point out three of the many outstanding Black stage actors who are helping open doors to more diverse performers and audiences. These three stage actors can be seen in the limelight, delivering riveting performances and breaking down the barriers that once kept earlier generations out.
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Most famously, Renée Elise Goldsberry originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in the now-iconic Broadway musical Hamilton as part of its freshman class. In fact, her performance won her a 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. But Goldsberry has a very impressive résumé beyond her work in that seminal play, including as Mimi Marquez in Rent and Nettie Harris in the original Broadway cast of The Color Purple. She’s done considerable work on television as well, earning two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, but Goldsberry can’t escape her theater successes. In fact, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in 2020’s Disney+ stage recording of Hamilton.
Leslie Odom Jr.
While he’s been on Broadway since 1998, Leslie Odom Jr. truly rose to prominence with his portrayal of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, a role that earned him both a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Taking his undeniable stage presence to the screen, Odom has earned praises in shows like Smash and Person of Interest as well as on the big screen with films like Murder on the Orient Express and Harriet. He also lends his voice to the animated series Central Park, a gig that got him an Emmy Award nomination in 2020. Most recently, the actor received a good deal of critical acclaim for his role in The Many Saints of Newark.
James Monroe Iglehart
Walk down the streets of New York City, and the chances are high that you’ll see James Monroe Iglehart’s face on a poster or playbill. The actor has been absolutely crushing since originating the role of “Bobby” in the hit Memphis, making a name for himself in the homes of casual theatergoers and diehards alike. While he is best known as the Genie in the original Broadway production of Aladdin (a role that earned him a Tony Award), Iglehart has also made a splash with roles in Freestyle Love Supreme and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. And in a new twist on the classic theater experience, Iglehart plays producer Steve Jones in As the Curtain Rises, an original podcast soap opera.