The Amen Corner

The Amen Corner is a three-act play by James Baldwin. It was Baldwin’s first work for the stage following the success of his novel Go Tell It on the Mountain. The drama was first published in 1954, and inspired a short-lived 1983 Broadway musical adaptation with the slightly truncated title, Amen Corner.^[1] Anton Philips‘ production of The Amen Corner at The Tricycle Theatre in 1987 was the first black-produced and directed play to transfer to the West End of London. Phillips directed a revival of the play, again at The Tricycle, in 1999. The play was revived at the National Theatre in London in the summer of 2013.

About the playwright 

James Baldwin was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various mediums, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, was published in 1953; decades later, Time magazine included the novel on its list of the 100 best English-language novels released from 1923 to 2005. His first essay collection, Notes of a Native Son, was published in 1955.

Baldwin’s work fictionalizes fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures. Themes of masculinity, sexuality, race, and class intertwine to create intricate narratives that run parallel with some of the major political movements toward social change in mid-twentieth century America, such as the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement. Baldwin’s protagonists are often but not exclusively African American, and gay and bisexual men frequently feature prominently in his literature. These characters often face internal and external obstacles in their search for social and self-acceptance. Such dynamics are prominent in Baldwin’s second novel, Giovanni’s Room, which was written in 1956, well before the gay liberation movement.

About the moderator

Niambi D. Webster is a touring music dance theatre artist. She founded, produced and directed for ten years, The Langston Hughes Company of Players. The ensemble toured all of the country performing such plays as: “Jonnas,” “For Colored Girls,” “Ma Raineys Black Bottom,” and performed African American History programs throughout the State of Iowa. She received Artist of the year from The State of Iowa Arts Council. Niambi taught multicultural/ethnic education for 28 years on the collegiate level and 23 years teaching theatre,  English, speech and dance in high schools.

She has been  on the stages of Hattiloo, Playhouse on the Square, Theatre Memphis, Evergreen, Bluff City, and The Civic Center (where she directed The Junteenth Story” for three years).