Jesse A. Shipp

Jesse Allison Shipp, Sr. (March 24, 1864, in Cincinnati, Ohio – May 1, 1934, in Jamaica, Queens, New York)[1] was an American actor, playwright, and theatrical director, who is best remembered as a pioneer African-American writer of musical theater in the United States, and as the author of the book upon which the landmark play In Dahomey was based.

Shipp played an influential role in expanding black theater beyond its minstrel show origins and is recalled as perhaps the first African-American director of a Broadway performance.

Following the disbanding of his quartet in 1894, Shipp became an actor in the traveling black theater of the day, including roles in such popular performance as Uncle Tom's Cabin from 1894 to 1895, John William Isham's Oriental America in 1896 and 1897, and A Trip to Coon-Town from 1897 to 1899.

Shipp was hired by the vaudeville team of Bert Williams and George Walker in 1900 as a stage manager, writer, and performer for their troupe's productions.

The production featured the well-known contralto, Daisy Tapley singing Katisha and Dr. Charles Sumner Wormley playing the title character.

[8] Shipp has been lauded as a pioneer in moving black theatre beyond its minstrel origins towards a more fully developed artistic form and is remembered as one of the first, if not the first, African-American director of a Broadway performance.