This is a rare October 11th, 1915 program (playbill) for the vaudeville bill at the Orpheum Circuit's historic MAJESTIC THEATRE in Chicago, Illinois ..... Among those on the current bill was WILLIAM "Bill Bojangles" ROBINSON, "Singing and Dancing" ..... Historical background: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s dance career unfolded at a peculiar time in this nation’s history — the forces of segregation were rising at the same time as the appeal of Black entertainment. Popular, everyday entertainment began to threaten the “color line.” For this, many laws and industry norms dictated what Black performers could do, for whom they could perform, where they could perform and with whom they could perform. Blackface was still popular and even expected of Black artists. The “two-colored” vaudeville rule prevented Black performers from appearing alone onstage. Because of these restrictions, from 1902 until 1914, Robinson was required to have an onstage partner. He also danced almost exclusively in Black theaters for Black audiences. But, during this time, he pioneered a new form of tap-dancing. His style was elegant, quick and mesmerizing to behold. Into the 20th century, white audiences grew less content to watch white performers going through the motions in front of more skilled Black background dancers. So the astonishingly talented Robinson and his partner, George W. Cooper, attracted notice. They soon became so popular that the duo began to flout the rules of segregation. They performed in white-only venues in addition to Black venues. By World War I, Robinson went solo. In 1918, he became one of the few Black performers to headline a show at the prestigious Palace Theater in New York City. At that show, he introduced his new “stair dance,” in which he danced up and down a staircase not only with dizzying ease and skill, but also producing different rhythms and tones on each step. It was a masterpiece of showmanship that would make him world famous. In the 1930's, as Robinson broke down barriers of segregation with sheer talent, he found himself breaking out of vaudeville and onto the stages of Broadway and into Hollywood films. But more complicated barriers arose in tandem with his stardom. In these worlds, he was limited to the roles written for him by white writers. Unsurprisingly, they were nearly always stereotypical. His most famous and frequent role was that of a cheerful, enslaved butler dancing alongside Shirley Temple. The pair made four movies together. Though he made millions over the course of his career, he gave away vast amounts to Black charities in Harlem, where he lived. In one year alone, he performed in four hundred benefits. He was a founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America. He even co-founded a Negro League baseball team, the New York Black Yankees. (The Valentine website) ..... Others on the Chicago bill included TRIXIE FRIGANZA in "A Bag of Tricks" with Lyrics by Neville Fleeson and Music by Albert Von Tilzer; RASSO, Europe's Well Known Juggler; RENEE NOEL in "A Nine Day Wonder" by George Kelly with Audrey Baird, Herbert Russell and Mary Owen; HERBERT CLIFTON in His Travesties of the Weaker Sex; WILLIAM MANDEL and Company in an Unusual Occurrence; BESSIE WYNN "Smart Songs" Written by Neville Fleeson and Ida Lee Caston; JEANETTE HACKETT and HARRY DELMAR Present Their New Offering "The Dance Shop" and GREAT KOBAN and Company "Wonder Workers from the Land of Cherry Blossoms" ..... DETAILS: The twelve page program measures 5 1/4" X 7 3/4" inches and includes list of entertainers, schedule of upcoming attractions and wonderful vintage advertising, but no photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of moderate creasing, this rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.