Black Theatre Symposium
Black Theatre Symposium
Expect parking and traffic delays from 10AM to 4PM due to a lacrosse game at the stadium.
Event Attributes
Presented By
How does Black theatre fit into the framework of our nation’s history and culture? Who are the dominant voices in Black theatre today? What can we expect from Black theatre in the 21st century?
This symposium will challenge assumptions about the boundaries of race and allow a diverse collective of students, scholars and professionals to engage in a spirited dialogue about the past, present and future of Black theatre.
Sessions will include panel discussions, workshops, performances and explorations of the Black theatre canon from the 19th century through the present day.
Lunch is included in registration fee.
Schedule
9:30AM: Free Continental Breakfast
10:00AM: Welcome and Overview
Gildenhorn Recital Hall
With Dean Bonnie Thornton Dill, Dean of UMD Arts and Humanities
11:15AM: Breakout session #1
Musical Theatre
Facilitated by Michael Bobbitt, Producing Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre
Playwrighting
Facilitated by Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Professor of Theatre at American University
Theatre and Hip-Hop Culture
Facilitated by Goldie Deane, Executive Director/Founder of FRESHH, Inc
12:45PM: Catered Lunch
Business and Branding Chat-N-Chew
Facilitated by Dionne Audain
2PM: Breakout Session #2
Producing Black Theatre
Facilitated by Imani Drayton-Hill, Senior Consultant and Co-Founder JoMa Arts and Consulting, LLC
Black Dance and Performance
Facilitated by Alvin Mayes, Director of Undergraduate Dance at University of Maryland
Design
Facilitated by Tim Jones, Prop Shop Manager at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
3:45PM: Breakout Session #3
Theatre for Young Audiences
Facilitated by Kim Peter Kovak, Senior Program Director of the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences Program
Education: Inclusion and Diversity
Facilitated by Sheri L. Parks, Associate Professor of American Studies at University of Maryland
Dramaturgy
Facilitated by Faedra Carpenter, Assistant Professor of Theatre at University of Maryland
5:15PM: Dinner Break
7:30PM: Final Performances
Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Please join us for showings from our community’s talented students. Performances will include students from the University of Maryland, and other local institutions.
Keep in touch
- View a Tagboard of tweets and posts from the symposium
- View a Twitter list of all those who tweeted using the #BlackTheatreSymposium hashtag
- Join the Black Theatre Symposium Facebook group created by Chris Ayy Lane (@chrisDJAYYlane)
- View a Storify of tweets from the symposium curated by JR Russ (@AWayofLife0)
Preview by WAMU
'We don't expect at the end of this symposium to have some sort of magic solution to some societal or racial problem,' [symposium co-organizer Thembi Duncan] continues. 'This is about us coming together, having a conversation and listening to each other.'
— REBECCA SHEIR, WAMU, February 21, 2014
Preview by Broadway World
"This is one of the first times in my memory the community of Black theatre artists in DC has truly united its creative talent in a single space," said [Scot] Reese. "The Symposium is our chance to examine the gamut of Black theatre in this region and define its direction."
— Broadway World, February 25, 2014