filmmaker Arthur Egeli speaks to Janeane about his new film, The Black Emperor of Broadway

The Black Emperor of Broadway is the story of the first African-American leading man on Broadway, Charles Gilpin. Gilpin was cast by playwright, Eugene O'Neill to be the lead in his play "The Emperor Jones" in 1920, a time when "blackface" was the norm on stage. O'Neill and Gilpin clashed numerous times over the cultural representation of Gilpin's Emperor Jones, and while O'Neill's name became celebrated, Gilpin's was tragically lost to history. The Black Emperor of Broadway is now available on VOD and on DVD October 6. When celebrated playwright Eugene O’Neill cast Charles Gilpin as the lead in his new play “The Emperor Jones” in 1920, Broadway was changed forever.