American Moor

Content Warning: The source text and this study guide discuss systemic racism and anti-Black prejudice. The guide quotes and obscures the playwright’s use of racial slurs.

The Actor is the main character and protagonist of American Moor. Since the Director’s voice is disembodied, the Actor is the sole person onstage in this one-person play. The Actor is described as a tall, strong Black man in his late 40s or early 50s, wearing a short-sleeve black button up shirt, tan khakis, and sneakers. The stage directions say he is “only imposing if you see him that way” (6), hinting early on at the theme of Personal Identity and Artistic Integrity, as the play draws attention to the preconceived notions the audience may have about Black men. Occasionally, the Actor is called “Keith” in reference to the playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb, who also played this role in productions of the play.

The Actor is a classically trained actor who was introduced to Shakespearean drama in college. Before he began to encounter Systemic Racism in Theater, which tried to limit the roles he could play, he thought his “crazy-ass African-American emotionality could serve the words well” (7).