“To Help Enlighten Our People”: ‘Theater Folk’ and Stage Advice Columns in the 1920s Chicago Defender

Attention audience! Especially those of you that are commonly called stage struck," noted the advice column on the Chicago Defender's Stage Page of November 7, 1925. African American former chorus girl Vivienne Russell, who used the byline "Vivienne," declared that she had "received a number of letters from girls and boys desirous of going upon the stage. I have answered them personally, however but not in detail. Hence this article 'Stage Struck.'" 1 Vivienne argued that overall "show business is a good business" for those with "plenty of grit," but that only the "folks that are endowed with talent" should consider the entertainment industry. After measuring one's vocal or dance ability against other "Race shows or acts," Vivienne maintained, select amateur entertainers should "fight for their place" on the stage amid a racially segregated entertainment system. 2 "Stage Struck" was one of the dozens of such pieces Vivienne addressed to young Black Defender readers who sought practical advice on how to successfully enter the vibrant and challenging world of the 1920s professional Black stage.