THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III by Carlyle Brown
It’s 1821 in New York, and two productions of Shakespeare’s Richard III are vying for audiences. One is presented by the African Company of New York, a downtown theater known for its growing popularity with both Black and white audiences. A white theater owner is threatened by the success of his competition and will stop at nothing to shut them down. Learn what happens in this true story straight from American theater history.
Forty years before Lincoln ended slavery, and 50 years before Black Americans earned the right to vote, the first Black theatrical group in the country, the African Company of New York, presented plays in a downtown Manhattan theatre – to which both Black and white audiences flocked. The drama of this progressive group reached further than the stage. Shakespeare is the chosen cultural battleground in this inventive retelling of a little known, yet pivotal event in the African Company’s history.
Earning their bread with political satires of white high society, the African Company came to be known for debunking the sacred status of the English classics (which many politically and racially motivated critics said were beyond the scope of Black actors). Inside the Company’s ranks, similar debates raged about whether to mimic the English tongue, or to provide a more lively interpretation of white theatre by acknowledging the vibrancy of the Black experience. Knowing they are always under prejudicial pressures from white society, and facing their own internal shakeups, the African Company battles for time, space, audiences and togetherness in this compelling ensemble drama.
MAY 27 - JUNE 6, 2026
Thursday & Friday @ 7:30 PM
Saturday & Sunday @ 4:00 PM
LAUREN & HAROLD ISELIN STUDIO @ Capital Repertory Theatre
251 N Pearl Street
Albany, NY 12207
Tickets: $27.50 General, $12 Students and $19.50 Military/Veterans and Seniors
Group ticket sales available: Groups of 10-49 people receive a 10% discount, groups of 50+ receive a 20% discount. This discount may not be combined with any other discount of offer. You can find The Rep’s group reservation order form here.