Can you produce art for the sake of art? This is a tough question to deal with in regard to \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d. The play\u2019s original intention was asserted by its creators as a performance \u201cwritten without any other object than to amuse.\u201d \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d is meant to be a lively, silly play put on by an all-black cast entering the minstrelsy scene. But, meaning and take-aways can be seen all throughout the play in the treatment of Me Sing, the back to Africa plot, depictions of the obstacles for African Americans in the north and south, and the theme of ownership (and the list continues!). Purpose, theme, and intentionality can be seen all throughout the plot of \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d, but the importance of its art form is implicit. Being the first performance by an all-black cast meant the play could not just be for the sake of putting on a play. \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d had immense importance, marking the entrance of black performers into the art scene.<\/p>\n
How should we read \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d if the intention of the creators is for entertainment, rather than reading into issues and arguments that the play presents? I believe that intentionality of the writer is important in the reading of plays, but the impact that their writings will have is unknown to them. It is the audience\u2019s response that shapes the meaning of the play \u2013 isn\u2019t that who and what performances are intended for?<\/p>\n
The inability for \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d to be any other wacky performance exhibits the burden of representation that was placed on the shoulders of this first all-black cast. This performance would reflect on the respectability of all black actors to follow, which is a great responsibility and pressure. Despite the controversial contents of its plot, \u201cIn Dahomey’s\u201d importance cannot be forgotten, as it created the first step for black actors in the performance scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Can you produce art for the sake of art? This is a tough question to deal with in regard to \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d. The play\u2019s original intention was asserted by its creators as a performance \u201cwritten without any other object than to amuse.\u201d \u201cIn Dahomey\u201d is meant to be a lively, silly play put on by … <\/p>\n