Tampa itself was not a cultural center during the Harlem Renaissance, however it did provide inspiration to Florida native and prominent Renaissance contributor Zora Neale Hurston. During this period did she not only do research for her more scholarly work surrounding black folkways but also worked on theatrical pieces. Many of these theatrical piece also had significant folk dance and music elements.

Late 1920’s– Researching in southern FL and the Bahamas on black lives in these areas.

1933- From Sun to Sun by Hurston produced at Rollins College (Winter Park, FL), an adaption of her work The Great Day which was performed on Broadway the year before. Both pieces followed the lives of black railroad workers. It included work songs and vignettes based on black folkways derived from her earlier research. The original production was also a collaboration with Rollins College.

 

Other:

1920- It is possible that the Palace Theater (also known as the Victory Theater) hosted primarily black vaudeville acts and performers, however it was later bought out by a Paramount Pictures subsidiary in the 1940s.

Works Cited:

“Palace Theatre.” Cinema Treasures, Cinema Treasures, LLC, 2017, cinematreasures.org/theaters/17395.

Perpener, John O. “The Dance Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston.” Dance Chronicle, vol. 33, no. 1, Nov. 2010, pp. 159–164., doi:10.1080/01472520903275828.

Peterson, Bernard L. The African American Theatre Directory, 1816-1960: a Comprehensive Guide to Early Black Theatre Organizations, Companies, Theatres, and Performing Groups. Greenwood Press, 1997.

“Zora Neale Hurston.” The Official Website of Zora Neale Hurston, The Estate of Zora Neale Hurston, 2015, zoranealehurston.com/about/timeline/.