Contact Information
Teddy Haddow
The Project
As a college senior at the end of my Fall 2018 school semester, I realized I needed a credit that would count towards my American Studies major. After some brainstorming, I realized the best choice would be to pursue an independent study. It just so happened I had the perfect subject to work with. During the summer of 2018, I worked as an intern at Brown University’s Library Collections Annex where my sole duty was to do the introductory cataloging of a large collection of items that were gathered from the abandoned office space of The Providence Black Repertory Theatre Company. As I worked my way through the collection, I began to see a story unfold before me of a successful, well-respected, and hard-working group of artists make an impact and tragically see their collaborative efforts cut short. Even after my internship was done the story left an impression on me, and as such Black Rep was my choice of subject for my independent study.
Over the course of the project, I met incredible people and learned many important lessons. I learned to always be prepared since there are a million factors that can go wrong during an interview. The people I interviewed were incredibly intelligent, wise, and driven, exactly the sort of people who could run a struggling non-profit responsible for some of the best art in its area. Important life lessons were imparted to me by the people I interviewed as they told their stories. I also feel that cultivating these interviews was important because, as someone who has studied history extensively, primary sources are incredibly important. I feel these first-person testimonials are the strongest aspect of my project and I am so proud that I had the privilege to be involved in telling such an important story.
I feel that this is an incredibly important story to tell, and not only because it took place in one of my favorite cities. I had never even heard of the Black Rep before I heard about the collection that Brown had acquired. As I learned more and more about the company, it became apparent to me how important it was to tell the story of the Black Rep. An untraditional non-profit theater beat all the odds to provide a huge platform to underprivileged artists and change their community in the process. Even though the building that once held the Black Rep is being torn down, the rest of downtown Providence thrives with creative energy. The ripples of Black Rep’s impact can be felt not just in this one small corner of New England, but around the country.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Donald King, Michaelle Saintil, Micah Salkind, Megan Sandberg-Zakian, Jackie Davis, and Daryl Jett for setting aside time in their very busy lives to tell their story and help me with my project. I’d also like to thank Jason Tranchida for providing me with a treasure trove of pictures from throughout Black Rep’s lifetime, which make up the bulk of the gallery section. I’d also like to thank my project advisor, Sam Coale, whose patience and advice were invaluable to my work. Finally, I’d like to thank my supervisors from my Summer 2018 internship, Heather Cole and Karen Eberhart, for allowing me handle such wonderful and valuable items and supporting my research.