Edna Thomas

Edna Thomas (November 1, 1885 – July 22, 1974[1][2][3]) was an American stage actress.[4][5][6] She is most famous for her acting in the Federal Theater Project's theater in Harlem, New York, United States.[5][7] That theater group was part of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.[7] She played Lady Macbeth in a very popular production of the play MacBeth.[5][7] Thomas also appeared in the 1951 movie A Streetcar Named Desire.[6]

Edna Thomas
A woman wearing a crown and a dress sits on a throne
Thomas as Lady Macbeth, 1936
Born
Edna Lewis

November 1, 1885
DiedJuly 22, 1974(1974-07-22) (aged 88)
OccupationActress
EraHarlem Renaissance
Known forLady Macbeth

References

  1. Mitchell, Verner D. (2010). "To One Not There: The Letters of Dorothy West and Countee Cullen, 1926-1945". The Langston Hughes Review. 24: 112–124. ISSN 0737-0555.
  2. Van Straten, Frank (June 6, 2020). "The Two Thomas Trap". Theatre Heritage Australia. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  3. "Edna Thomas collection". researchworks.oclc.org. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  4. "Edna Thomas Tops Shaw's Play Cast: All-Colored Cast to Open at Lafayette One Hundred Race Stars Featured in Theatre Opus." New Journal and Guide (1916-2003), Dec 17, 1938.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Collins, Charles (1936-09-01). ""Give 'Macbeth' Jungle Set for Colored Cast: WPA Stage Direction Tends Toward Fantasy". Chicago Daily Tribune. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Thomas, Edna (1886–1974) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Gill, Glenda E. White Grease Paint on Black Performers: A Study of the Federal Theater, 1935–1939. NY: P. Lang, 1988. Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1992.