Harrison Stewart
Harrison Stewart (1882 - 1918) was a comedic actor and lyricist in the United States.[1][2] He performed at the Pekin Theater in Chicago where he became a star and received top billing.[3][4][5]
He was reported to have been a "plow-hand from a Virginia plantation" who studied at Booker T. Washington Industrial School.[6]
After leaving the Pekin Theater in 1908 he took over for the ill Ernest Hogan as the lead in Oyster Man.[3]
Before leaving the Pekin Theater in 1908, he played comedic roles in 36 uncertain shows and wrote lyrics for several shows.
After he went to New York, he was appointed head of Oyster Man company. He worked at OM company until his health started to deteriorate, causing the show to be suspended.[3]
A photograph of him in blackface appears on the cover of a songsheet for "Give Me Shelter, Grub, and Spending Change Then I'll Be Satisfied" held in the Denver Public Library archives.[7]
Theater
[edit]- Two African Princes
- Captain Rufus (1907)
References
[edit]- ^ NYA, article Pekin Theatre 1908 (July 9, 1908). "Harrison Stewart - photo". The New York Age. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Theatre". Meyer Bros. & Company. February 23, 1908 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Hill, Errol; Hatch, James V. (July 17, 2003). A History of African American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521624435 – via Google Books.
- ^ Buck, Daniel Dana (February 23, 1907). "The Progression of the Race in the United States and Canada: Treating of the Great Advancement of the Colored Race". Atwell Printing and Binding Company – via Google Books.
- ^ Sampson, Henry T. (February 23, 1988). The Ghost Walks: A Chronological History of Blacks in Show Business, 1865-1910. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810820708 – via Google Books.
- ^ Sampson, Henry T. (2013-10-30). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-8351-2.
- ^ "Give me shelter, grub and spending change : then I'll be satisfied | DPL DAMS". digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org.
- ^ "Harrison Stewart – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".
- ^ Sampson, Henry T. (30 October 2013). Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. ISBN 9780810883512.