Smart Set Company

[1] Dudley signed a five-year contract in 1904 and was considered the show's "chief fun maker.

[2]" Reviews of a performance in Indiana in 1902 refer to singing, dancing and "clever acrobatic work" calling it "the smartest colored comedy in all of America.

"[3] Their performances, which were not entirely minstrel shows, were often commentaries on race in America "a composite study of the stage from a racial viewpoint" covering "every phase of stagedom.

"[3]: 685 In 1909, the group split into a Northern and Southern Smart Set Company with the latter being managed by Salem Tutt Whitney.

After 1917 Dudley devoted himself to producing black musicals, including updated Smart Set productions.