How the American Negro Theatre Shaped the Career of the Iconic Harry Belafonte

By Candice Frederick
June 26, 2015
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Farrah Lopez, our Communications Pre-professional, shares how our 75-year-old American Negro Theatre helped shape the career of the iconic Harry Belafonte:

The American Negro Theatre (ANT), a home for many prominent black actors in the 1940s, opened the doors to the performing arts for a young Harry Belafonte. After serving in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during the end of World War II, Belafonte worked many odd jobs in New York City. But the Belafonte the world knows today would soon sprout in the heart of Harlem. In an interview with Cornel West in 1996, Belafonte revealed that it was his experience at the American Negro Theatre that made him fall in love with the performance arts. In December 1945, while working as a janitor’s assistant, he was given two tickets to see his first show, Home is the Hunter, written by Samuel M. Kootz. Inspired by theater and acting, Belafonte became a volunteer stagehand. At first, Belafonte simply loved to be around the theater. But the ANT’s director at the time, Osceola Archer, asked Belafonte to play a role in On Striver’s Row in 1946. After that, Belafonte was given bigger roles.

Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte

Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte

At the ANT, Belafonte and Sidney Poitier developed a strong friendship. The theatre brought the two financially struggling actors together and shaped them for the stage. Eager to feed their love for the performing arts, Belafonte and Poitier would go to the theatre at least once a week, dividing the cost of a single ticket. Belafonte once said, “One of us would go in for the first half, come out at intermission and pass the stub, along with a plot summary, to the other. We saw some theater that way, and agreed that seeing half of each taught us more than not seeing a play at all.” However, despite his talent, the theater business would prove itself to continuously be an uphill battle for Belafonte due to the limited roles for black actors. Eventually, Belafonte caught the eye of Monte Kay, the music agent and artistic director of the Royal Roost, a jazz venue on 52nd street where Miles Davis played. Kay offered Belafonte the opportunity to perform at the Royal Roost in the late 1940s and Belafonte’s increased popularity paralleled musicians like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Today, Belafonte is one of the most prominent Caribbean-American stars, often referred to as “the king of Calypso,” with signature tunes such as “The Banana Boat Song.”

Learn more about our newest exhibition, The 75th Anniversary of the American Negro Theatre.