Historical Background, Dramaturgy, and Design
Explore the historical context of Big White Fog, its dramaturgy, and the design of Court Theatre’s production.
Historical Background
- Washington Park: Read about the rich history of this Chicago neighborhood, home to the Mason family — and Count Theatre’s Production Center
- Marcus Garvey: The leader of the UNIA and Back to Africa Movement, and Victor Mason’s leader
- Marcus Garvey: Black Nationalism – Fast Facts | History (4:15)
- Marcus Garvey – Garveyites And The Garveyism Movement (Black History Animated) (11:00)
- The Black Titanic: Marcus Garvey’s Doomed White Star Line (11:00)
- Marcus Garvey -UNIA -Black Star Line (2:00)
- Marcus Garvey – Black Moses – US History – Extra History (11:30)
- The Story of Marcus Garvey A Documentary (2:01:00)
- The Pullman Company and Pullman Porters: Dan works as a Pullman Porter — famous in Chicago and beyond for their work on railcars
- The Great Depression: The play takes place between 1922 and 1932, and we see the impact of a crashing economy on the Mason family
- The Great Depression: Crash Course Black American History #28 (12:00)
- The Great Depression: Crash Course US History #33 (14:30)
- The Great Depression Explained Like You’re 5 (16:30)
- The Great Depression – America’s Biggest Economic Crisis | Free Documentary History (55:00)
- What HAPPENED To African Americans During The Great Depression? (37:30)
- The Great Migration: The Mason family were part of the huge number of Black Americans that left the south for the promise of opportunities
Image courtesy of the Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) (https://www.loc.gov/item/2017715805/)
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print)
Image courtesy of the Collections of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture) (https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2021/02/marcus-garveys-black-star-line/)
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, George Grantham Bain Collection (https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2021/02/marcus-garveys-black-star-line/)
Image retrieved February 18, 2021 from Virginia Commonwealth University website (https://driehausmuseum.org/blog/view/pullman-porters)
Image courtesy of the Driehaus Museum (https://driehausmuseum.org/blog/view/pullman-porters)
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress (https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2019/02/22/pullman-porters)
Image courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica, UPI/Bettmann Archive
Image courtesy of https://explorethearchive.com/the-great-migration-books
Image P0001.003, Photographs of Steamships, Motor Vessels and Ocean Liners https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2021/02/marcus-garveys-black-star-line/
Dramaturgy
Design
Behind the Scenes: Big White Fog is a massive theatrical undertaking, with a hyperrealistic set and 17 characters. Learn how Scenic Designer Jack Magaw and Costume Designer Yvonne L. Miranda rose to the challenge and brought the world of the Mason family to life.