Kuntu Repertory Theatre Records, c. 1947-2013 1973-2013

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Kuntu Repertory Theatre Records
Creator
Kuntu Repertory Theatre
Collection Number
CTC.2015.01
Extent
61 Linear Feet (61 boxes, 41 oversized folders)
Date
1973-2013
Date
c.1947-2013
Abstract
The Kuntu Repertory Theatre was founded in 1974 by Dr. Vernell Lillie and Robert Lee "Rob" Penny. For over 35 years, Kuntu was the predominant African-American performing arts group in Pittsburgh. The group produced over 100 mainstage plays, touring productions, workshops, classes, and special events before it ceased operations in 2013. These records contain materials related to the administration of the Theatre, theatrical productions, photographs, and audio and video recordings. NOTE: ONLY THE PRODUCTION RECORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE COLLECTION ARE FULLY PROCESSED AND AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH AT THE PRESENT; ADDITIONAL TIME IS NEEDED TO INCORPORATE SUBJECT FILES, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, WORKSHOP MATERIALS, ART AND MEMORABILIA, AND AUDIO/VIDEO MATERIALS.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
Megan Massanelli.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Accruals

Additional material forthcoming.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Kuntu Repertory Theatre Board of Directors and the Lillie Family in 2015.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into the following series:

Series I. Production Records, c.1947-2013

Series II. Subject Files (forthcoming)

Series III. Workshops, Classes, Events (forthcoming)

Series IV. Audio/Visual Recordings (forthcoming)

Series V. Photographs, 1975-2011

Series VI. Administrative Records

Series VII. Memorabilia and Artwork (forthcoming)

Series VIII. Electronic Records (forthcoming)

Biographical / Historical

The Kuntu Repertory Theatre (Kuntu) was founded in 1974 by Dr. Vernell Lillie and Robert Lee "Rob" Penny. For over 35 years, Kuntu was an African-American performing arts group in Pittsburgh. With roots in the Black Arts Movement, Kuntu provided a platform for Black artists and technicians to examine African-American experiences with the goal of creating personal growth and social change. The group produced over 100 mainstage plays, in addition to touring productions, workshops, classes, and special events before it ceased operations in 2013.

The Theatre's philosophy was rooted in the concept of Kuntu drama. "Kuntu" is a Bantu word meaning mode or way. It follows the cultural traditions of the African continuum in which the art experience, rather than the art object, are vital. Kuntu and Dr. Lillie were influenced by and were contemporaries of scholars of Kuntu Drama and African philosophy such as Paul Carter Harrison, Oliver Jackson, and Janheinz Jahn. Kuntu selected plays that stressed elements such as a coexistence of humor and seriousness, a sense of community without a single protagonist and antagonist, preacher rhythms that elicit call-and-response from the audience, ancestral worship, the indivdual development to the extent of their capacity for the benefit of the group, and rituals and traditions that flow from the African consciousness.

The founding artists of Kuntu Repertory Theatre were Dr. Vernell Lillie (1931-2020), Professor Emeritus in the University of Pittsburgh Africana Studies Department, as Artistic Director; playwright August Wilson (1945-2005) as acting coach on some early productions; and Rob Penny (1941-2003) as Playwright-in-Residence. Wilson and Penny, also known as Oba Kilonfe, began Kuntu Writers Workshop with poet Maisha Baton (1938-2009), who led the workshops in children's literature. Other contributors to Kuntu include Eileen Morris, Bob Gore, Ken Ellis, and Marta Effinger-Crichlow. Kuntu became nationally recognized for its development of celebrated playwrights and produced plays by Dr. Lillie, James Baldwin, Kathleen Collins, Lorraine Hansberry, writer/actor Chadwick Boseman, Valerie Lawrence, and William Mayfield, among others.

In 1975, Kuntu debuted with a production of Little Willie Armstrong Jones by Rob Penny at Pitt's Stephen Foster Memorial Building. Lillie directed Homecoming in 1976, the first August Wilson play to be produced by a resident theater company. In addition to producing thirty-seven annual mainstage seasons, Kuntu performed a collage touring production of scenes and monologues from the Black Arts canon, created by Dr. Lillie. They also toured internationally, conducted psychodrama classes in schools, jails, and senior citizens' centers, and sponsored local community events.

Stephen Foster Memorial theater, located on the University of Pittsburgh Oakland campus, was the primary performance space for Kuntu's mainstage performances. Later, regular venues included the Masonic Temple, later Alumni Hall, and the Homewood branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system.

While Kuntu Repertory Theatre was a community-based theatre, it was also a departmental activity and special project of the Black Studies Department, later the Africana Studies Department. In addition to students, faculty, and staff, membership included other dedicated individuals living in the greater Pittsburgh area. However, around 2010, Kuntu became a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization separate from the University of Pittsburgh.

Sponsorship Note

The processing of the audio/visual media in this collection was supported by a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. The grant program is made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Preferred Citation

Kuntu Repertory Theatre Records, 1974-2013, CTC.2015.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

These records were processed by Megan Massanelli with Adia Agustin, Maya Boyd, Brianna Facciani, Genevieve Girven, Sean Hale, Abigail Hutzel, Veronica Trimmino Marroquin, Deanna Webb, and Paige Wasserman, from 2017-2022.

Related Materials

Alliance for Progressive Action Records, 1990-2003, AIS.2004.15, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

August Wilson Archive, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Black Action Society Files, 1968-1992, UA.55.13.3, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Community Media, Inc. Records, 1989-2003, AIS.2004.01

Ford E. and Harriet R. Curtis Theatre Collection of Pittsburgh Theatre Programs, 1840-present, CTC.1966.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Kuntu magazine. Archives Service Center - University Archives RG 90/8/44-B FF 4 Library has v.2: no.1 (1980:Nov.) and v.3 (1981:Nov.)

Lillie, Vernell, University of Pittsburgh Personal Files, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System 

Penny, Rob, University of Pittsburgh Personal Files, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System 

Tim Stevens Papers, 1945-2006, AIS.2006.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System (Kuntu Theatre spots for B-PEP, 1991 (tape 6))

Schools- Arts and Sciences- Black Studies Department, University of Pittsburgh Archives Information Files, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System 

Scope and Contents

The Kuntu Repertory Theatre Records contain artistic and administrative materials created by members of the Kuntu Repertory Theatre from its founding in 1974 through 2013. Records were created as part of the operations of the Theatre first as a project of the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pittsburgh and later as a 501(c)3 organization to produce performances and conduct workshops. Some materials document the activities of other local arts organizations and community groups. These materials were pulled from a donation from the Board of the Kuntu Repertory Theatre and a donation of materials from the family of Dr. Vernell Lillie. Dr. Lillie's faculty papers have been separated into its own collection.

Types of materials include scripts, newspaper clippings, production programs, rehearsal schedules, set designs, lighting designs, costume designs, posters, photographs, constitutions and by-laws, newsletters, grant proposals, reports, marketing materials, meeting minutes, correspondence, sheet music, audio and video recordings, and digital records.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Kuntu Repertory Theatre
    • University of Pittsburgh. Department of Black Studies
    • University of Pittsburgh. Department of Africana Studies
    • Kuntu Writers Workshop

    Personal Names

    • Lillie, Vernell A. (Vernell Audrey), 1931-
    • Penny, Rob

    Genres

    • Scripts (Documents)
    • Theater programs
    • Administrative records
    • Clippings (Information artifacts)
    • Sheet music
    • Photographs
    • Sound recordings
    • Videotapes

    Other Subjects

    • African American theater -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Repertory theater -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • College theater -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • American drama -- African American authors -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List

Series II. Subject Files (forthcoming)
Series III. Workshops, Classes, and Events (forthcoming)
Series IV. Audio/Visual Recordings (forthcoming)

Container Summary

The contents list for the Audio/Visual Recordings series of this collection is still in-process. There are several hundred audio and video recordings on cassettes and reels. For more information about this series, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Series VI. Administrative Records (forthcoming), c. 1975-2013
Series VII. Memorabilia and Artwork (forthcoming)
Series VIII. Electronic Records (forthcoming)