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ABOUT THE NEGRO ENSEMBLE COMPANY....

In August of 1966, while Douglas Turner Ward's plays (Happy Ending and Day of Absence) were running, The New York Times asked him to write an article giving his opinions about the American theatre in general, and the Negro's place within it. In that article, he called for a theatre where Black artists could decide and promote and oversee their own destiny in the theatre.

What he suggested was an extensive training program interlocking with a professional theatre designed for the production of plays relevant to Black life. That plan was based on practical experience that Robert Hooks, Gerald S. Krone, and Ward had shared together. The presentation of Happy Endings and Day of Absence, which had a successful run of fourteen months, brought them together as team.

So in 1967, the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) went into business: a Black-controlled, Black-oriented company aimed toward the utilization of existing Black Talent, and the development of new Black talent. It has become one of the foremost theatre companies of the world.

NEC plays are picked on the basis of their relevance to Black people as primary audience. Artistic Director Ward explains, "I'm not interested in segregated theatre either. And that's no contradiction. I happen to be interested in a theatre of Negro composition, and of Negro orientation. This is not a limited thing- it's a broad, rich thing. Of course, Whites who come to our performances are very welcome. It's just that we make a special effort to develop new Black audiences."

An NEC tuition-free training program is set up for your Black personnel in all phases of the theatre from acting to backstage crafts, design, management, press, relations, etc.- the whole works. Much of the training is "on-the-job".

The group has an ongoing playwrights' workshop under the supervision of Steve Carter- a playwright himself. A very important part of that program in what is called "A-Season-Within-a-Season". Six weeks are set aside during each year for the public presentation of several new works on an "in-progress" basis.

Touring also has its place in the Company's operational concept; and it has done four national tours. The most recent lasted a year: the NEC's award winning production of The River Niger.

European cities, too, have been on the agenda, with appearances at London's World Theatre Season, Italy's Premio Roma Festival, and a visit to Munich where two plays were presented as part of the official cultural festivities of the recent Olympic Games. A new trip overseas is planned for 1976.

As an organization, the NEC has no special political orientation. Mr. Ward's view is that, "The only condition required is respect for each other's beliefs, opinions and differences, and also the willingness to work in concert toward common goals. Here we devote ourselves to professional theatre and professional training. However, artistically we don't shrink from presenting works of controversy and ideological commitment; artists of any relevancy always reflect on their times."

In looking ahead, NEC's Administrative Director, Frederick Garrett, feels that the future "depends on our being able to secure an existence financially and institutionally be the acquisition of a permanent home."

The NEC last played Broadway with The River Niger during the season of '73-'74. While this return to Broadway is another notable event in the NEC's history, it does not mean that the Company is departing from its well established existence as a non-profit producing and training institution.

In other words, things are still humming downtown at the St. Marks Playhouse!

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24

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Transcription Notes:
[[image: illustration of Burnett's gin bottle]] [[image: photo of woman at desk with fashion design supplies, holding a cigarette]] [[image: illustration of True Cigarette pack]]