Eulalie Spence
Encyclopedia
Eulalie Spence was a African American female writer, teacher, actress and playwright
from the British West Indies
. She was an influential member of the the Harlem Renaissance
.
W. E. B. Du Bois, founder and editor of The Crisis
, the monthly journal of the N.A.A.C.P., surmised that Black Drama must be built from scratch, by Blacks for a Black theatre. Through The Crisis, he founded Krigwa (Crisis Guild of Writers and Artists), originally Crigwa. Krigwa sponsored a yearly literary contest which included a playwrighting competition and fostered a theatre company, the Krigwa Players which rehearsed and performed at the 135th St. branch of the New York Public Library
. (Scott, 1985 p.433) Frequent contest winners in the drama area included Eulalie Spence…
In 1927, Fool’s Errand competed in the Fifth Annual International Little Theatre Tournament, a first for Blacks since the finalists competed in a Broadway theatre
… The Krigwa Players won one of four $200.00 prizes and the play was published by Samuel French
.
However, Spence and Du Bois didn’t see eye to eye, artistically or politically. Du Bois took the $200.00 prize money and used it to reimburse production expenses and paid neither the actors nor Spence. The Krigwa Players disbanded as a result. Politically, Du Bois felt that theatre should be used as a vehicle for propaganda
to advance the cause of the American Negro
. Spence, on the other hand, always very aware of the fact that she was not African American but rather from the West Indies, had a different outlook regarding theatre. Spence felt that theatre was a place for people to be entertained and not antagonized by the problems of society.
"The white man is cold and unresponsive to this subject and the Negro, himself, is hurt and humiliated by it. We go to the theatre for entertainment, not to have old fires and hates rekindled."
The plays of Eulalie Spence helped to make a name for the Krigwa Players amongst both Black and white critics. Eulalie’s Her opened Krigwa Player’s second season. Eulalie’s sister, Olga Spence was an actress with the Krigwa Players.
Critic William E. Clarke wrote in the New York Age, “Her…was by far the best of the bill. It was a ghost story and was written with such skill that it rose to the heights of a three-act tragedy that might have been written by a Eugene [O’Neill].
"
Although Eulalie Spence’s work has been overshadowed by the male counterparts of her day such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Richard Wright, in recent years scholars have been resurrecting Spence’s work along with other lesser known African American female writers. Other African American female playwrights whose works are being rediscovered are May Miller and Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins.
Eulalie Spence died in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
, on March 7, 1981.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
from the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
. She was an influential member of the the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
.
W. E. B. Du Bois, founder and editor of The Crisis
The Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
, the monthly journal of the N.A.A.C.P., surmised that Black Drama must be built from scratch, by Blacks for a Black theatre. Through The Crisis, he founded Krigwa (Crisis Guild of Writers and Artists), originally Crigwa. Krigwa sponsored a yearly literary contest which included a playwrighting competition and fostered a theatre company, the Krigwa Players which rehearsed and performed at the 135th St. branch of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. (Scott, 1985 p.433) Frequent contest winners in the drama area included Eulalie Spence…
In 1927, Fool’s Errand competed in the Fifth Annual International Little Theatre Tournament, a first for Blacks since the finalists competed in a Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
… The Krigwa Players won one of four $200.00 prizes and the play was published by Samuel French
Samuel French
Samuel French was a U.S. entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays....
.
However, Spence and Du Bois didn’t see eye to eye, artistically or politically. Du Bois took the $200.00 prize money and used it to reimburse production expenses and paid neither the actors nor Spence. The Krigwa Players disbanded as a result. Politically, Du Bois felt that theatre should be used as a vehicle for propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
to advance the cause of the American Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
. Spence, on the other hand, always very aware of the fact that she was not African American but rather from the West Indies, had a different outlook regarding theatre. Spence felt that theatre was a place for people to be entertained and not antagonized by the problems of society.
"The white man is cold and unresponsive to this subject and the Negro, himself, is hurt and humiliated by it. We go to the theatre for entertainment, not to have old fires and hates rekindled."
The plays of Eulalie Spence helped to make a name for the Krigwa Players amongst both Black and white critics. Eulalie’s Her opened Krigwa Player’s second season. Eulalie’s sister, Olga Spence was an actress with the Krigwa Players.
Critic William E. Clarke wrote in the New York Age, “Her…was by far the best of the bill. It was a ghost story and was written with such skill that it rose to the heights of a three-act tragedy that might have been written by a Eugene [O’Neill].
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
"
Although Eulalie Spence’s work has been overshadowed by the male counterparts of her day such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Richard Wright, in recent years scholars have been resurrecting Spence’s work along with other lesser known African American female writers. Other African American female playwrights whose works are being rediscovered are May Miller and Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins.
Eulalie Spence died in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
, on March 7, 1981.
Plays
- The Starter (1923)
- Fool’s Errand (1927)
- Her (1927)
- Hot Stuff (1927)
- The Hunch (1927)
- Undertow (1927)
- Episode (1928)
- The Whipping (1934)