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21M.707- Theater and Race: Mixed Race Theater and Film (Spring 2023)

Eunice S. Ferreira, MLK Visiting Associate Professor 2022-2023

What kinds of stories do film and stage tell about mixed race experiences? Does performance reinforce racial stereotypes or can it challenge binary notions and lead to more nuanced understandings of racial identities? Storytelling is the primary imperative for stage & film and is one of the most effective means to communicate across differences and create community. Through class exercises and the study of film and theater, students will analyze how performance complicates and illuminates intersectional perspectives on multiracial identities. The course will survey historical and contemporary representations of mixed race from 19th-20th century US theater and film to 21st century works that place mixed race center stage. With a special focus on the mixed race experiences for people of African, Latinx and Asian descent in the United States, students will consider how performance can lead audiences to explore personal & social issues of identity, exchange personal narratives, engage in meaningful conversations on race and culture, and foster community engagement.  Everyone is welcome. No prerequisites. Enrollment limited.

Catalog Description

Explores Black, Latinx, Asian American, Indigenous, and/or mixed race theater through the lens of identities and experiences. Emphasis on BIPOC voices, plays, artists, theater ensembles, collectives, and cultural organizations. Topics may include cross-ethnic casting, public action and activism, and other emerging contemporary performance platforms. Seminar discussions, readings, research and creative projects, sessions with visiting artists and scholars, and attendance of at least one live performance inform and enrich the experience. May be repeated for credit if content differs.