White People Do Not Know How to Behave at Entertainments Designed for Ladies and Gentlemen of Colour...

<jats:p>An unruly audience, comprising mostly working-class whites, attended a performance of William Shakespeare's <jats:italic>Othello</jats:italic> by the African Theatre on 10 August 1822. Instead of enjoying a thoughtful interpretation of Shakespeare, the crowd attacked the performers, stripping them of their clothing and dignity. The causes of riots included a growing presence of free blacks in public spaces, political debates surrounding franchise rights of propertied blacks, and the increasing social interactions between black and poor European Americans. The production of <jats:italic>Othello</jats:italic> was evidence of the African American contribution to evolving notions of national identities, while the Anglo-American's collective mob thinking reflected a consciousness that would become institutionalized by century's end. The riot marked another incident in the slow, painful demise of a theatre company, but the birth of theatre by African Americans.</jats:p>