5 Reasons Why African American Stage Plays Are Not Respected in Hollywood

Newest Hollywood inductee, Tyler Perry is reaping massive critical acclaim for his recent collection of films. His latest, "Why Did I Get Married?" was the top-grossing film on its opening weekend (October 12^th, 2007). But Perry did not start behind the camera. His original work was at first found on the many small stages dotting America: the stage play. Tyler Perry is notorious for creating the character "Madea", who often pops up in his various plays with lots of wisdom and tons of wit. His adept portrayal of such a memorable character is what has led him to cinematic success with such films as "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (starring Kimberly Elise) and "Madea's Family Reunion." Perry himself has been quoted, saying that he wished for his plays to be a "bridge" between traditional urban theatre, and mainstream cinema.

But Perry is not the only African American stage play director on the scene. In fact, the genre which made Perry so famous has actually been quite popular with black audiences for several years. But unlike companies who stage top-notch Broadway plays (those with Tony Award nods), the organizations staging black plays get little to no publicity. And when they do, it is often negative. There are reasons why traditional black "church" plays seem to get a bum rap. And those reasons often have nothing to do with skin color...

The Acting is Poor

In 2004, E. Lynn Harris, a popular gay African American author brought one of his best-sellers "Not a Day Goes By" to the stage as a play. Starring actors such as Jackee Harry and American Idol alum, Trenyce, theatres from Atlanta to Little Rock, Arkansas were packed with Harris fans. The show did fairly well in the black community. But ultimately, the stiff acting took away from the book's authentic quality.

This is often the case in many African American stage plays. It isn't so much that quality actors cannot be found. It's that acting from a theatrical perspective is something that many up-and-coming thespians have not yet mastered. As a result, the playwrighting skills are largely eclipsed by acting that is more intrusive than natural.

The Subject Matter is Hackneyed