Series: Say Brother
Program: Black Repertory Company
Episode: 418
Date: 1975-03-20
Subject: African Americans - Attitudes; African American musicians; African American singers; Human services - Boston - Massachusetts; African American theater; African American theater - Boston - Massachusetts

Clip Description
"Blast from the Past" with vocalist Miriam Makeba Program is divided into two halves: the first consisting of three segments related to African American theater in Boston, the second of newsmagazine-style segments. Harold Stuart, Director of the Boston Black Repertory Company and company actors Mattye "Mama" Long and Frederick Tyson discuss the differences between "theater" and "Black theater," how Black theater affects members of the community, how talented individuals find the time to act, problems financially supporting Black theater, and why there is so little Black theater in Boston. Following the discussion is an eleven minute excerpt from the Company's latest production, A Raisin in the Sun, and a short interview with two Emerson students who helped film the production (Stephen Farrier and Jacquie Gales, both members of the Emerson student group EBONI Productions). Additional program segments include "Access" (about the Sav-Mor government-funded security program), "Blast from the Past" (with an excerpt from a 1971 interview with vocalist Miriam Makeba on how her marriage to Stokely Carmichael affected her singing career and her opinion on Guinea's response to a recent invasion attempt by the Portuguese), "Information" (on minority recruitment for the Peace Corps' Vista program), the "Community Calendar," "Commentary" by Marita Rivero (who reads a reworked version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"), and three "Philosophy of Life" segments with musician Herbie Hancock. Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Program Description
"Blast from the Past" with vocalist Miriam Makeba Program is divided into two halves: the first consisting of three segments related to African American theater in Boston, the second of newsmagazine-style segments. Harold Stuart, Director of the Boston Black Repertory Company and company actors Mattye "Mama" Long and Frederick Tyson discuss the differences between "theater" and "Black theater," how Black theater affects members of the community, how talented individuals find the time to act, problems financially supporting Black theater, and why there is so little Black theater in Boston. Following the discussion is an eleven minute excerpt from the Company's latest production, A Raisin in the Sun, and a short interview with two Emerson students who helped film the production (Stephen Farrier and Jacquie Gales, both members of the Emerson student group EBONI Productions). Additional program segments include "Access" (about the Sav-Mor government-funded security program), "Blast from the Past" (with an excerpt from a 1971 interview with vocalist Miriam Makeba on how her marriage to Stokely Carmichael affected her singing career and her opinion on Guinea's response to a recent invasion attempt by the Portuguese), "Information" (on minority recruitment for the Peace Corps' Vista program), the "Community Calendar," "Commentary" by Marita Rivero (who reads a reworked version of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff"), and three "Philosophy of Life" segments with musician Herbie Hancock. Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.

Series Description
Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/saybrother/programs/sb_0418