We Have Always Been Here: Steve Carter, Arthur French, and the Caribbean Roots of Black Theatre
CSP New Works Fest 2025 Feature - Caribbean heritage voices have always been essential to the Black theatre movement in the United States.
When I sat down with playwright Arthur W. French III for our CSP New Works Fest artist conversation, I expected to talk about his new play. Instead, our discussion opened a portal—into memory, into legacy, into a history that is too often left unspoken.
It affirmed a truth I have carried with me since my early days as an actor:
Caribbean heritage voices have always been essential to the Black theatre movement in the United States.
Not occasional.
Not peripheral.
Essential.
And two artists stand at the heart of that truth:
playwright Steve Carter and actor/director Arthur French.
Hearing Arthur’s son speak about his father’s relationship with Carter stirred something deep in me—because their story is also part of my story, and part of the lineage that shaped my life as an artist.
Steve Carter: Trinidadian Roots Shaping American Theatre
Steve Carter—born Horace Edward Carter Jr.—was the son of an African American father from Virginia and a Trinidadian mother. His Caribbean heritage beat at the center of his artistry.
His celebrated “Caribbean trilogy”—
Eden
Nevis Mountain Dew
Dame Lorraine
—centers Caribbean immigrant families in New York, exploring migration, memory, survival, love, and the ties we carry across oceans.
His plays expanded the tapestry of American theatre, weaving together Black and Caribbean realities in a way that honored the fullness of our shared culture.
He didn’t divide identity.
He embraced the diaspora.
Arthur French: Vincentian & Barbadian Heritage in Action
Arthur French—an actor, director, and master teacher—was born in Harlem to parents from St. Vincent, with a grandmother who spent most of her life in Barbados.
His Caribbean roots shaped:
the discipline he brought into the rehearsal room
the humor that softened tough moments
the compassion he showed young artists
the fierce honesty he demanded in the work
He became a cornerstone of the Negro Ensemble Company, helping shape one of the most influential periods in American theatre history.
And for me, Arthur French was not just a giant in the field—
he was one of my teachers.
From 1990–1992, I studied with Arthur at HB Studio, alongside his dear friend Earl Hyman. They taught with care, not cruelty. They nurtured the artist instead of breaking the person. They made room for possibility—and they made room for me.
Their example lives in everything I do with Conch Shell Productions.
How Steve Carter and Arthur French Became “Thick as Thieves”
Arthur W. French III shared the most delightful story about how his father and Steve Carter bonded.
In the late 1950s/early 60s at the American Community Theater, Arthur was cast in a parody requiring a West Indian accent. Instead of asking him—whose entire family was Caribbean—the director brought in Steve Carter to coach him.
Steve started teaching…
Arthur slipped effortlessly into the accent…
Steve stopped.
And said:
“Wait—you already know this.”
Arthur’s son told me:
“Steve was the first to recognize Dad’s Caribbean roots before anyone else did. When he heard Dad slip into the accent effortlessly, he stopped and said, ‘Wait—you already know this.’ That moment sealed it—they became friends for life.”
That moment sealed a brotherhood.
“Dad was an early champion of Steve. He pushed his work when others didn’t, and Steve never forgot that. When One Last Look was published, he wrote, ‘Thanks to Arthur French for putting me on the map.’ They were thick as thieves after that.”
This wasn’t just collaboration.
It was kinship.
Heritage recognizing heritage.
Art recognizing art.
A Caribbean Lineage Woven Through Generations
Listening to Arthur French III speak about his father, I felt my own story rising alongside his.
He spoke of a home where Barbadian and Vincentian flavors mingled with African American neighborhood culture. I thought of my own Haitian household, the food, the rhythms, the values, the stories that shaped me long before I had the language to express them onstage.
I remembered traveling to London for my Fox Foundation Fellowship, seeking Caribbean heritage stories in British theatre. Meeting leaders who produced both August Wilson and Caribbean British playwright Winsome Pinnock affirmed something deep in me:
Our stories are part of the global Black story.
They are not marginal.
They are foundational.
Arthur W. French III: Continuing the Story
Now Arthur W. French III son steps into CSP New Works Fest 2025 carrying his father’s legacy with humility, honesty, and fire.
His new play,
Dinner With Roxie joins a powerhouse lineup of Caribbean heritage playwrights:
Petron Brown — Stand Right There and Perish, or (May I Never Lose You) — Bahamian
Arthur W. French III — Dinner With Roxie — Vincentian / Barbadian
Joshua W. Josey — Weavers — Bahamian / Dominican
Jessica Betty — The Game — Jamaican
Tyla Harris — Bammy an’ Buxom — Jamaican / Panamanian
These writers are part of the same living tapestry that shaped Steve Carter and Arthur French generations earlier.
Why This Legacy Matters for Conch Shell Productions
Conch Shell Productions exists to ensure that Caribbean heritage voices:
are seen
are valued
are centered
are remembered
are uplifted
Hearing Arthur speak about the Caribbean presence woven through NEC, Harlem, and downtown theatre circles affirmed that our mission is not new.
We are continuing a lineage.
We are naming it.
We are nurturing it.
We are evolving it.
And we are doing it with pride.
An Invitation
When you experience CSP New Works Fest 2025, I invite you to hold this legacy close:
Steve Carter — Trinidadian American playwright
Arthur French — Vincentian & Barbadian American actor/director/teacher
Arthur W. French III — carrying the torch
And the new generation of Caribbean heritage playwrights shaping the future
As for me—the Haitian-American woman who once wondered if her stories belonged on American stages—I am honored to help create a home where this lineage thrives.
To every Caribbean heritage artist reading this:
Your voice matters.
Your history matters.
Your art matters.
Write the stories only you can write.
And together, let’s make sure the world hears them.
For event details and to order your tickets, go to: www.conchshellproductions.com
