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The African Grove Theatre Company was founded in 1821 by William Brown, a former ship’s steward who traveled to London where he first saw theatre. Wanting to bring the theatrical experience to black audiences, Brown created his company in which all-black casts presented Shakespeare’s plays (predominantly Richard III) to mostly black audiences. White patrons were allowed in the theatre, but had to sit in the back behind a partition. At the African Grove Theatre, the first professional African-American actor, James Hewlett, got his start, where he played the lead roles. He is also considered