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The first in our series of Early Plays by Black Women, The Church Fight is a short One Act Play from the Harlem Renaissance that abounds in humor. Using allegorical technique, Ruth Ada Gaines-Shelton uses comedy to poke fun at one of the most highly visible institutions of the Black community and satirizes the most common activity among church members...gossip! As the parishioners set out to get rid of the minister, they end up giving him a solid vote of confidence instead.
Born on April 8th 1872 in Glasgow Missouri, Ruth Ada Gaines-Shelton, like many of the progressive women of her day, wrote plays for her church and club groups. But what made The Church Fight a unique piece among other African American plays of its genre (James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, Hall Johnson's Run Little Chillun, and Andrew Burris's You Must Be Bo'n Again) was that its playwright chose to make it a comedy. Comedies were not commonly done during the Harlem Renaissance as many of the works produced at this time focused on the ongoing racial struggles, World War I, economic challenges as the depression approached and the relationship between different racial communities. But The Church Fight is wholly centered around the Black experience and it deeply resonated with Harlem audiences.
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LocationThe Studio Theatre at Lehman College (View)
250 Bedford Park Boulevard West
Bronx, NY 10468
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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