Penumbra

A song is a precious thing. It can soothe children, call up old ghosts, steel the spirit, and even heal wounds. Music has been integral to the preservation of African American culture, but it is the notion that one's song is akin to the soul that demonstrates the vital importance of music to survival and freedom.

In the 1930s President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA) began funneling a wealth of cultural material into the Library of Congress. Part of this project was to preserve the stories and songs of former slaves in first-person narrative. Many white researchers and journalists built their careers on these stories, winning prized tenure-track posts at the nation's premier colleges and universities. Meanwhile, the subjects of their interviews were often given only a few dollars in exchange for what playwright August Wilson called their "song." Today the Library of Congress houses hundreds of songs and stories from this era. It is a bittersweet treasure.

Legendary folk singer Odetta, known as the voice of the Civil Rights Movement, described black folk music eloquently: "...you're walking down life's road; society's foot is on your throat. Every which way you turn, you can't get from under that foot, and you reach a fork in the road...You can either lay down and die, or insist upon your life - your own individual life."¹ The music featured in Black Pearl Sings! was borne out of an insistence upon life. These are survival songs. They are worth more than money can buy.

Sarah Bellamy,
Education Director

Visit penumbratheatre.org for more information on Black Pearl Sings! in our free study guide.

¹Odetta interviewed in 2009 for The Last Word, New York Times online.

Search: