HYBRID: In the classroom and online. A Zoom link will be sent to all one day before class.
“When in the calm after day of thought and struggle to racial peace we look back to pay tribute to those who helped the most, we shall single out for highest praise those who made the world laugh: Bob Cole, Ernest Hogan, George Walker, and above all, Bert Williams. For this was not mere laughing – it was the light mask that hid the breaking hearts and bitter souls. This is the top of bravery; the finest thing in service.” W.E.B. Du Bois. Du Bois understood the humanizing capacity of the performing arts, and the genius and courage of the many black artists who laid the foundation of the American musical, from minstrelsy to vaudeville to musical comedy. Come join us to learn about some of the most significant performers in American history. Ken Stevens came to Michigan from the University of Cincinnati. He is Professor Emeritus at Eastern Michigan University, where he created both the musical theater program and the graduate and undergraduate programs in arts management.
