Mission Statement:
ART has the
power to change the world.
The
mission of Afro-American Players, Inc. (AAP) is to eradicate
artistic illiteracy and promote multi-cultural understanding in the
human community.
Through education and entertainment we will address the social and
cultural inadequacies existing within our community.
We will provide a culturally diverse environment where all
forms of art can flourish.
Our
tools of empowerment are: visual
art, music, theatre, poetry, dance, digital mediums, athletics and
the culinary arts.
These tools combine to ensure a harmonious artistic and socially
enriched environment for education in the arts and humanities.
This exceptional venture will serve as an instrument to
facilitate cross–cultural communication.
As
a cultural mecca and meeting place for local and global communities,
the AAP will reflect the rich ethnic diversity of our nation and the
world.
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The Afro-American Players, Inc. on the campus of the
University of Texas at Austin amidst the rushing waters of
change
(circa 1972)
Glo Dean Baker, Charles Pace, Dan Bailey, Fred Gardner,
Marie Moore, Melvin Lampley, Paula Poindexter
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The Afro-American Players, Inc.
a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization,
established in 1974
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Street theatre performance on 11th and 12th Streets in
Austin, Texas. “If the people can’t come to the theatre,
then theatre must come to the people” Center facing to
right: Fred Gardner, Doug Sivad, GloDean Baker, Sherry
Stowers, Leland Whiterspoon
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THE AFRO-AMERICAN PLAYERS, INC.
was founded during the dawn of the Civil
Rights Era by six undergraduate
students at
the University of Texas at Austin in 1973.
The Company is celebrated as the oldest existing
Black Theatre Company in the Southwest and has toured all
over the world. The Company
is operated by
Founding Directors Glo Dean Baker -Gardner and Fred
Gardner. This outstanding Company conducts several
exceptional programs.
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Visual
and Performing Art Classes
Training in
various disciplines for all ages
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The Stage:
As a part
of AAP, EMAC (Eclectic
Multi-Cultural Arts Community) is a unique cultural arts venue which
houses a mixture of performing, visual and culinary arts. The
Company is located in a 100,000 square foot, three-story building
with numerous amenities. This very impressive facility will boast a
sizable art gallery, theatre/performance hall, a spoken word grotto
with restaurant and kitchen incubator, practice rooms, recording
studios, classrooms, conference rooms, meeting rooms and offices.
Our goal
is to create a
successful collaboration of arts and humanities that will provide
quality productions, multi-arts programs, music concerts, workshops,
and superior social events, in a manner that is totally unique to
the DFW Metropolis.
EMAC
provides life skills and employment training to youth and adults.
Programs are structured to be interactive and responsive to the
artistic, educational, and cultural needs of our diverse global
populace.