| The creative world of Hattiloo |
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By Dr.
Sybil C. Mitchell | Tri-State Defender
Black stage performers continue to blaze their own
trails to stardom and fame, celebrating the uniquely defined Black experience.
And Memphis, like many major cities across the nation, is enjoying the thriving
flourish of “Black repertory.” Here at the heart of this creative movement is
the Hattiloo Theatre…
"Hattiloo”…the very sound of it depicts the Southern flavor of the Black experience. And just as distinctive as its name is the concept behind the Hattiloo Theatre, a trendy and progressively styled theatre recreating the drama of classic stage favorites with contemporary original works of new American playwrights. The name was purposely designed by executive director, Ekundayo Bandele to make “Black people feel welcome during their theatre experience.” “'Hattiloo’ is a combination of my two daughters’ names,” explains Bandele. “Hatshepsut -- we call her ‘Hatti’ and Oluremi, we call her “Loo.” Nestled in a single story column of structures at 656 Marshall Ave. near the famous Sun Studios, Hattiloo’s small and unassuming appearance has captured the attention and respect of the city’s most avid theatre lovers. The enterprise itself is a pipe dream-come-true of the proprietor, in his mid-30s, who is as comfortable and accomplished in the producer’s chair as he is on stage. The charismatic Bandele is a New York native who attended college in Nashville at Tennessee State University. Under his direction and with his unique style of stage pageantry and dramatization, Hattiloo has been changing the way Memphis views theater since its debut last fall. Bandele is a prolific writer and gifted director who has enjoyed seeing eight memorable stage productions he authored presented in such high-market stage venues as Nashville, Tenn., New York, NY, Atlanta, Ga., and Cleveland, Ohio. The 70-seat theatrical space offers the limitless possibilities of colorful backdrops and artistic lighting. Resourceful use of music and sound effects can readily transport onlookers to a 1940’s cabaret on a Saturday night or the living room of a man in the turbulent throes of the 1970s sexual revolution. The lobby of Hattiloo, Zora’s Lounge, has the alluring savor of chic and fashionable pieces of furnishings, a perfect setting for the relaxing “listening party” events staged for intimate gatherings. The lounge is named for the famous Harlem Renaissance novelist, Zora Neale Hurston, author of such works as: Mules and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Seraph on the Sewanee, and one stage production co-authored by Langston Hughes, Mule Bone. “We offer listening parties in Zora’s to expose people to music they would otherwise never hear,” explained Bandele. “We’re having a listening party featuring the music of Jimi Hendrix. The music he created during his relatively short career was phenomenal. And we want people to appreciate his music all over again.” Prior listening parties have celebrated the music of other great performers, such as Josephine Baker and Charlie Parker. “Josephine Baker was a legendary dancer, singer and actress, but she also left behind an amazing body of music,” said Bandele. “And Charlie Parker was a great jazz saxophonist, but we presented his complete works. Some people, even jazz lovers, have never heard his entire catalog of music.” Bandele’s innovative approach has been rewarded with a faithful and growing following that fills the small theatre to capacity at most scheduled performances. Although the non-profit entity is largely directed toward African-American audiences, Bandele has wooed followers of other races with his universal appeal to love of theatre, shared by people of all cultures. “The eight other theatres in town play largely to white audiences with mainstream classics,” said Bandele. “But very few seats are filled with African-Americans. This means that the majority population does not attend theatrical productions. And that’s the audience we want to draw into the world of theatre.” Hattiloo is not Bandele’s first entrepreneurial effort to combine an artistic career with a prosperous business venture. In 2002, Bandele’s Curtain Theatre proved a bold and adventurous project, using a method of stage presentation termed “in the round.” He acted, directed, and produced works in a small arena format. In theater in the round, audience members sit on every side of the performance space, and the stage is either on the same level as the audience or situated slightly lower than the spectators. The live-theater company, though relatively small, played to sold-out audiences at each performance. Bandele kept the doors open with profits from “Threads,” a vintage second-hand clothing store on Madison Avenue. But after an initial, three-play production closed, it was curtain for both the store and the theater. Working the store kept him busy, but it prevented him from putting time into writing, his first love. But operating the store paid the bills. At least for a while. When profits from store sales dwindled to nothing and the obligations for maintaining both places became too weighty, the distraught businessman fought valiantly to save his vision. But the closing was inevitable. And although the resourceful Bandele had to watch two enterprises he passionately loved shut down, the drive to pursue his craft and create from nothing kept him busy with writing a novel. It kept his creative juices flowing while he regrouped his efforts and prepared to open Hattiloo. The novel is now finished, but Bandele has decided against self-publishing and is searching for a prominent and reputable publisher. The highly anticipated opening of Hattiloo last year marked an incredible comeback for the indomitable Bandele, who single-handedly raised nearly $100,000 to open the theater. “Theatre is my way of dealing with the issues of racial prejudice and segregation that still exist in one form or another,” said Bandele. “We see them and experience them every day. This cause motivates me to work so that we might have a forum by which these things might be addressed.” Bandele’s vast knowledge of the historical place of Blacks in American theater makes Hattiloo all the more significant on the continuum of the still-evolving issue of race. “Last of the Red Ht Lovers” is now playing. For a schedule of performances and ticket reservations, call 502-3486 or visit Hattilootheatre.org. The history of Blacks on stage Blacks first emerged onto the American stage during the 1840s and ‘50s, working with white evangelistic-type medicine shows and minstrels. Men and women with singing and dancing talents hit the stage after witnessing the extraordinary success of white performers who appeared in “black face,” mimicking Black behavior in the pre-vaudeville days. But their presentation was largely derogatory and proved to be mocking displays of buffoonery. Blacks took up minstrelsy and by far surpassed the success of white minstrels. Said one theatrical scholar, they “took what had been stolen and stereotyped, and reversed it to reflect their own culture.” By the turn of the century, minstrelsy had become a “Black form.” The white-controlled vaudeville circuit promoted white entertainers almost exclusively. Only a few of the top Black entertainers were even allowed on the circuit. But white promoters did see the benefit of tapping into the Black market and providing Black entertainers for the Black population. Smaller chains such as the Theater Owners and Bookers Association (TOBA) were located all over the Deep South and only managed Black entertainers. But they were white-owned and operated. TOBA houses were also eventually established in the North. The best-known of these TOBA houses was New York’s world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. These popular nightclubs and other public venues were collectively called “The Chitlin’ Circuit,” because food considered indigenous to African-American culture were served. Chitterlings, neck bones, greens, pig feet, and other cultural culinary favorites were served during these live stage shows. These dishes are today called “soul” food. And although these venues afforded Black entertainers some access to national venues, albeit segregated and substandard, the color barrier was broken when legendary tap dancer Bill Robinson became the first to perform in vaudeville shows. Others soon followed, and by the 1930s and ‘40s, vaudeville was finally integrated. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that the level of opportunity noticeably improved. http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/714/1/The-creative-world-of-Hattiloo/Page1.html |
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