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[CHAPTER 23]
[Page 1]
THE NEGRO AND THE THEATER
The association of the New Orleans Negro with the theater has been a long and varied one. As a theater-goer, this interest began in the last decade of the eighteenth century with the establishment of the Théâtre St. Pierre on St. Peter Street by a company of French comedians who had fled from the uprising of the slaves in the West Indies.
The refugees who came from St. Domingo brought a richer culture to New Orleans. This was also true of the free colored refugees, as well as the slaves which the whites and free colored people brought over with them. The love of amusement of the white and free colored groups found expression in their regular attendance at the public balls and theaters of the city.1
The slaves usually attended the theaters along with their owners and found much in the productions which they could understand. For instance, one theater carried in its year’s repertoire such offerings as Commerce de Nuit, a Creole comedy with songs and patois, and L’Habitant de la Guadaloupe.2
There were two theaters in New Orleans in 1802. One of these--usually closed during the fall season--was used by “some Rope Dancers & not much frequented,” according to Dr. John Sibley, who came to the city at this period. His descriptions of the other theater is interesting. It was “…a Long Pitt, but very little elevated, lower side Boxes & Galleries, the upper one for People of Colour who are never permitted to mix
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