NOTICE: This program is being rescheduled to a later date. A new date for will be announced at a later date. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to our Visitors Services desk at 443-263-1800.

Black Theater Book Conversations with Michelle R. Scott & Caseen Gaines

Saturday, February 10 | 1 pm – 3 pm | Purchasing a ticket to Black Theater Book Conversations grants visitors access to all current Museum exhibitions.

Black vaudevillians and entertainers joked that T.O.B.A. stood for “tough on black artists.” But the Theater Owner’s Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) played a foundational role in the African American entertainment industry and provided a training ground for icons like Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Sammy Davis Jr., the Nicholas Brothers, Count Basie, and Butterbeans and Susie.

With the curtain rising against the backdrop of widespread racial discrimination and a theater industry struggling to rebound after a global pandemic, Shuffle Along challenged social norms and defied the odds to become the first Broadway musical with an all-Black cast and creative team to become a phenomenon. No one was sure if America was ready for thoughtful portrayals of Black characters.

Celebrate African Americans in the Arts with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for this year’s Black History Theme recognized by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The museum will examine the contributions in Black Theater with a joint book talk with authors Michelle R. Scott (T.O.B.A. Time: Black Vaudeville and the Theater Owners’ Booking Association in Jazz-Age America) and Caseen Gaines (When Broadway Was Black – The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical That Changed the World). A book signing will follow afterwards

NOTICE: This program is rescheduled to a later date. A new date for will be announced at a later date. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to our Visitors Services desk at 443-263-1800.