August 1st Kicked Off Harlem Week 2026
What is Harlem Week? Since 1974, August 1-16th has been celebrated as Harlem Week - a celebration of the arts and culture of Harlem.
If you are in NYC, head up to Harlem for performances, talks, film screenings and more! Check out the full event calendar
Many of our Expand the Canon writers lived in Harlem at one time in their lives and had a significant impact on the culture of the neighborhood.
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Johnson was a prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance. Though she was not based in New York, her work established intercity connections that helped expand the reach of the cultural movement of the Harlem Renaissance. Her S Street salons were attended by some of the major figures of the era including Langston Hughes and fellow ETC writers Angelina Weld Grimké.
Her play Plumes (2024 ETC List) was produced with the Harlem Experimental Theatre in 1928. A review of the play’s premiere (at the very same library theatre on 135th that Alice Childress would go on to perform at) noted that the audience gave “a long and enthusiastic applause.”
Alice Childress
In her youth Alice Childress moved to Harlem to live with her grandmother after her parents separated. Later on, her and her husband joined American Negro Theatre (ANT), a Harlem-based company whose early performances were performed at the Little Library Theatre on 135th. She remained a member of the company for 11 years!
In 1952, her play Gold Through the Trees was produced at the Club Baron Theatre in Harlem and was the first play by an African American woman to be professionally produced. This play was also the first to bring Off-Broadway union contracts to Harlem.
Childress’ paper archive is held in Harlem at the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture.
Two other major voices tied to the Harlem Renaissance were Angelina Weld Grimké and Zora Neale Hurston who you can read about on our list or featured in previous newsletters.
Want to hear more about Johnson’s and Childress’ ETC List Plays, Plumes and Florence?
A podcast episode talking about both JUST DROPPED TODAY!
Be one of the first to listen and hear why those plays are CLASSICS 😍
Listen on…
Got a favorite ETC Play? There is a probably podcast episode for it!
ETC List Members gain access to the full script of Georgia Douglas Johnson’s Plumes and information on all 52 of our featured plays.
