Founded in 1963, the FST filled a vast cultural and activist void in the deepest Southern states. Dr. Derby, John O’Neal, and Gilbert Moses, organizers with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), theorized that civic organizing necessitated an authentic cultural undergirding. Their vision brought forth a theatre that was as unique to the Southern African-American experience as blues or jazz—a theatre for free thought, aesthetic beauty, and protest.
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As a man from the deep south, I have always been kind of upset with our lack of theatre and art in general. But reading this article has really given me a different perspective on that. I have often felt jaded at my home state and region for its awful racism and intrinsic issues that still persist today, but there is some light that can shine from down there too. There are good people who live in and love the American South. It is not just all hicks and rednecks. Those people do exist, and the ideas that they propagate can be incredibly awful. But just the same, there are some incredibly kind, forward thinking people in the South who deserve to be recognized for what they are doing. I think the work at this theatre is incredibly brave and should be noted for how difficult it must be to keep up.
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