[African-American Playwright] Original Typescript Copy for "Star of the Morning"

Item Details

[African-American Playwright] Original Typescript Copy for "Star of the Morning"

Original typescript for Loften Mitchell's "Star of the Morning" Bound in maroon brad folder. Leaves lightly toned. Light soiling to title page. Some soiling to fore edge. Several leaves marked as 'copy'. Unpaginated. Very good condition. Also includes a 'pre-production budget' for "Star of the Morning" prepared by Joseph R. Burstin who produced "Star of the Morning".

Typescript for "Star of the Morning" by Loften Mitchell. Mitchell (1919 – 2001) was an American playwright and theatre historian who was instrumental in the black American theater movement of the 1950's and 60's. His best-known work was the 1976 revue "Bubbling Brown Sugar", for which he received a Tony nomination for best musical.

"Star of the Morning" was written in 1958-59, the result of a Guggenheim Foundation grant. Mitchell includes a two-page preface to the play which gives a nice summation of the struggles negro theater companies faced in the early 20th century. In addition to writing plays and musicals, Mitchell was a historian, professor and lecturer and edited " Voices of the Black Theatre" in 1975. Mitchell's professional goal was to preserve the work of Black artists who proceeded him.

"Star of the Morning" was subtitled "Scenes in the Life of Bert Williams". Williams was an early Black theater producer and musician, all but forgotten until "Star of the Morning" was released.  The musical was produced in 1965; a
revised version was produced 1985. 

SUNY Binghamton holds the Loften Mitchell archies.