Howard Players Theatre History Archive

Howard Players Theatre History Archive is a publicly accessible digital humanities research project that documents the Howard Players theatrical production from 2019-1909.

HPTHA chronicles and documents the hidden history of the Howard University Players collegiate theatrical production history from 1909 - 2019. It's a significant resource for researchers, educators and the general public to study the history of Black Theatre. It provides scholars with a deeper understanding of the Howard Players contributions to American Theatre. 

Its unique factor is the comprehensive digitized snapshot of different time periods and access to biographical information, photographs, playbills, other theatre ephemera, news, video, oral histories and documents related to Howard Players theatrical production from 1909-2019 that have not been brought together before as a single collection. It will also feature specially curated in person and digital projects on various aspects of Black Theatre.

Since its founding in 1909, the Howard University Players has remained intertwined with a global community. To study its history is to study the history of Washington DC, Black Theatre, Regional Theatre, National Theatre and the Black people who have made a significant contribution to arts and humanities.