Showbill for "American Dreams": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white paper showbill printed by Playbill for “American Dreams”.

On the front of the playbill in large black type is [SHOWBILL ® / THEATRE FOUR] printed inside a blue block. Below it is the very large round Negro Ensemble Company logo inside a black print block.

On the inside of the playbill, a left page features a color photographic Player’s Cigarettes ad which depicts men and women drinking and smoking at a party. Below the group an orange banner with a blue slogan reads [PLAYERS GO PLACES].

The right page announces the play “American Dreams”. From the top in black type is: [THEATRE FOUR / 424 West 55th Street / (Near Ninth Avenue) / 246-8545] and the Negro Ensemble Company circular logo. The page continues: [DOUGLASS TURNER WARD / Artistic Director / LEON B. DENMARK / Managing Director / presents / AMERICAN DREAMS / by / VELINA HOUSTON / with / RON AUGUST / REUBEN GREEN / JANET LEAGUE / COUNT STOVALL / CHING VALDES / WALTER ALLEN BANNETT, JR. / NANCY HAMADA / SANDRA REAVES-PHILLIPS / KIM YANCEY / Directed by / SAMUEL P. BARTON / Set Design by / DANIEL PROETT / Lighting Design by / SHIRLEY PRENDERGAST / Costume Design by / JUDY DEARING / Sound Design by / BERNARD HALL / Production Stage Manager / JERRY CLEVELAND]. At the bottom of the page is a grayscale ad for Imported Stock Cordials Liqueur.

On the back of the showbill is a black, red and green ad featuring Carlton cigarettes and a [U.S.Gov’t Report] on the Carlton Box 100s toxicity levels.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1981
• Published by: Playbill, American, founded 1884
• Subject of: Negro Ensemble Company, American, founded 1967
• Subject of: Velina Hasu Houston, American, born 1957
• Subject of: Sandra Reaves-Phillips, American
• Subject of: Janet League, American
• Subject of: Count Stovall, American, born 1946
• Subject of: Walter Allen Bennett Jr., American
• Directed by: Leon B. Denmark, American
• Type: theater programs
• Medium: ink on paper, metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 8 1/2 × 5 5/8 × 1/8 in. (21.6 × 14.3 × 0.3 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Drama (Theatre)
• Topic: Theatre
• Topic: Theatre companies
• Object number: 2014.196.6
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Sandra Austin
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Playbill Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.