The white producer of African American theatre founded the Ethiopian Art Theatre in Chicago with the intention of reaching integrated audiences with a mix of classics and folk drama. Among the black actors in his short-lived company (19221923) was Evelyn Preer, who played the title role in his premiere of The Chip Woman's Fortune (1922), which O'Neil then took to Washington, D.C., and New York.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.