Narrative
Harry Belafonte’s interest in the performing arts began with his experiences at the American Negro Theatre (ANT) in Harlem. The theatre was the home of multiple prominent black actors during the 1940s and Belafonte was able to enact some roles alongside the experienced actors. He and Sidney Poitier honed their understanding of the performance arts despite their financial difficulties by splitting ticket stubs with each other to see plays at the ANT, stating “One of us would go in for the first half, come out at intermission and pass the stub, along with a plot summary, to the other. We saw some theater that way, and agreed that seeing half of each taught us more than not seeing a play at all.”
Audio