Black theater troupe to perform minstrel show

A minstrel show is usually thought of as an all-white cast dressed in blackface performing as black characters. But this weekend, an all-black, all-male cast will take the stage at the Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church at 237 N. East St. in Indianapolis for a new take on the traditional minstrel show.\n“The Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Minstrel Show” will run three nights, starting at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. The cast features six main characters and one supporting character.\n“I think it helps to show a side of history that people don’t usually see,” said Kendra Mitchell, artistic director of The Etheridge Knight Theatre. “People think of white actors in black costumes. What people don’t realize is there was a lot of black minstrel shows.”\nEven then, Mitchell said black people represented black people but still had to put on blackface makeup.\nThe play is set in a railroad car in the 1800s with six men waiting to perform their minstrel show. There’s a snow storm, and one of the men leaves the car and gets into an altercation with some of the residents of a small town in Missouri. The play soon changes directions when the men ask themselves how they are going to out of the town without getting killed. The blackface will only be used in the last few scenes of the play.\n“They used to actually burn cork, and the ashes were used to create the blackface,” said Ron Rose, an actor in the play. “For some reason, audiences weren’t as accepting of black actors unless they did blackface.”\nThe play takes place through The Etheridge Knight Theatre in Indianapolis. Etheridge Knight Inc. has been around for about 17 years, but the theatre only started a year ago.\n“We’re actually an African American troupe,” said Eunice Knight-Bowens, funding director of The Etheridge Knight Theatre. “We strive to provide an arena for African American artists to develop skills in the arts. We started in April 2007 with a play called ‘Dinah Lost Daughter of Israel’ that I wrote.”\nWhen the theater first started last year, Knight-Bowens and Mitchell searched for a location to hold their performances. They came upon the Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church and have had two other performances there since. \n“When I first saw the place, I thought there was no way to perform there,” Mitchell said. “We’ve basically built a train car in the church. People could sit at the end of the first pew and almost be on stage. It’s a very interactive setting, which I love.”\nThe cast has been preparing for this production since the beginning of February, but the actors have had their scripts since January. \n“I hope the audience first are drawn to research and go back and read and think about life in the late 19th century for African Americans,” Rose said. “We’re not just taking about African Americans, but life in the late 1890s for the Jewish faith and women was all very different.”\nThe theater tries to run a show every two months during their season from October through June. \nThe theater will present “Cannibal Monster,” which is a children’s play, in April, and “Cryin’ Holly” in June. The Etheridge Knight Festival will also be held in April with performances at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis and Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church.\nMitchell encourages attendees to buy tickets in advance for $15. Tickets will be $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.ekfestival.org/events.html.\n“First and foremost, we want to entertain people and educate people,” Mitchell said. “I hope they learn a lot of history. I just want good, quality shows. I don’t want any junk on my stage.”