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Influential Women in the Performing Arts: Ntozake Shange

The theater is a pillar of the performing arts. For generations, creative thinkers have expressed themselves on stage through spoken word, drama, and dance. While the space has been an opportunity for women to showcase their art, men have typically been the benefactors of fame and success. 

Women earn 70% of bachelor of fine arts degrees and an estimated 70% of Master of fine arts degrees in the U.S. However, only 46% of working artists are women, and they account for only 27% of solo exhibitions. Yet, women have been able to make their mark in the theater world despite the enormous odds. Ntozake Shange overcame gender and racial inequality to create one of the most enduring works of the 20th and 21st centuries.

A Young Creative

Shange was born Paulette L. Williams on October 18, 1948, in Trenton, New Jersey. Williams’ work in race relations and societal equality started in her early years. At eight years old, she was one of the first black students to be bused to a segregated white school after the Brown v. Board of Education court decision. In school, she experienced racism and severe harassment. 

Her father was a surgeon, and her mother was a social worker. As eminent members of the local black community, they were friendly with prestigious and influential black Americans of the time. They were especially interested in black art. It has been reported that Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Dizzy Gillespie were frequent guests at their home. 

Ntozake Shange
Shange early in her career

Williams adopted their interest and was intrigued by poetry. She began writing as a teenager and studied writing and American Studies at Barnard College. During her freshman year, she married saxophonist, David Murray. Unfortunately, the marriage ended quickly, and Williams fell into a deep depression. Years later — after undergoing intensive therapy — she pulled from her experience to create her most profound work.

Broadway Debut

In 1971, Williams decided to change her name for a fresh start. After being inspired by the South African Xhosa language, she chose Ntozake Shange. Ntozake translates to “she who comes with her own things,” and Shange means “she who walks with the lions.” She completed her Master’s degree studies in 1973 at the University of California. In 1975, she was one of the founding poets of the Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe in the Alphabet City neighborhood in Manhattan. 

Ntozake Shange
A poster for For Colored Girls

During this time, Shange began writing the 20-part choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (often shortened to for colored girls). The play premiered off-Broadway in 1976 before moving to Broadway at the Booth Theater. The play won an Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the AUDELCO Award and was nominated for a Tony Award.

For Colored Girls

Although Shange became a prolific writer — completing 15 plays, 19 poetry collections, six novels, five children’s books, and three essay collections — for colored girls was her most well-known work. The play has been performed in colleges and universities, art spaces, and theaters worldwide for nearly five decades. After turning down overtures for many years, Shange optioned the film rights of for colored girls to Nzingha Stewart, a black director, in 2009. Stewart completed a draft of the screenplay adaptation for Lionsgate Entertainment. The production company asked Tyler Perry to come on as a producer. Still, he gave them an ultimatum to make him the project’s sole writer and director. Lionsgate agreed, and the film was released in 2010. The film features an all-star cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, and Loretta Devine.

For Colored Girls
A 2019 performance of For Colored Girls

Shange passed away in Maryland in 2018, but her work lives on. A year after her death, The Public Theater revived the play to rave reviews. On July 29, 2021, it was announced that the Public Theater’s staging of the play would be produced on Broadway in 2022. The production will be directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown. Previews begin on April 1, 2022, at Booth Theatre, with the official opening night on April 20.

If you’d like to learn about a career as a Playwright or other opportunities in the theater, download Yellowbricks’ Ultimate Performing Arts Career Guide. If you want to hear from women who have broken through in the performing arts industry, check out our NYU x Backstage online course.

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