AN AMERICAN MUSICIAN
In 1816, William Alexander Brown (a 26 year old free West-Indian ship steward) immigrated to New York, settling in Manhattan's Fifth Ward community of free people of color - who had just two years earlier volunteered their services in the war against the British.
Slavery had declined in the city after Congress legislated manumission of slaves who fought for the Continental Army during the Revolution; and also an act of the state Assembly declaring all children of slaves born after July 4, 1799 to be free (although required to be indentured into their 20s). The city was also one of the centers of the rising ablitionist organizations - although historians note that movement conicided with an increase in demonstrations of nationalist white supremacy.
In the area now called Tribeca, Brown bought a Thomas Street property where he opened a ‘tea garden’ he named ‘The African Grove.’ Such gardens had then been popular London for almost a century, and several had been established in New York for a number of years. The owners sold iced beverages and pastries while offering musical recitals, poetry-readings, and fireworks shows to bring custom. The African Grove was unique because it was open only to black audiences.
After several successful summers running the tea garden, Brown offered in 1821 first presentation of the ‘African Company’ (with an entirely black cast, orchestra, and crew) in which he played Shakespeare's King Lear. He was soon joined in the company by another black Shakesperean, James Hewlett, who later was lead in the company's Richard III.
Brown moved his business to a larger property (the present address is 165 Mercer St) which held space for the tea garden and also contained a building he converted to a year-round theater for off-season music and and especially for plays. While his daily amusements continued to flourish, he worked to produce classic plays, and also wrote and produced his own works. Although much of his work appears to have been comic interludes performed before the curtain between acts, in 1823 he wrote and produced "King Shotaway," a drama depicting the Carib War on St. Vincent. The theatre audience soon began to include white members, as many New Yorkers were attracted to the entertainment his company provided.
Stephen Price owned the Park Theatre, which for years had been the only theater in the city. In the 1820s, rivals began to appear - including the Bowery Theater, Chatham Gardens, and the African Grove. Price hired rowdies to disrupt his competitors’ shows, and encouraged nearby residents to complain to city officials. The African-American community was particularly susceptible to this harassment, and Brown’s theater was closed in 1824.

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