A Girl Can Only Watch Fiddler on The Roof So Many Times
Presenter: Blair Bean
In a world marked by division and uncertainty, the role of artists, educators, and scholars in fostering community, connection, and change has never been more critical. This presentation is based off of my thesis that explores the intersection of Jewish identity, cultural storytelling, and theatre as tools for addressing contemporary societal issues, particularly the rise of antisemitism. As an assimilated Jew, I delve into the complexities of Jewish-American narratives in theatre, using autoethnography to examine my own evolving relationship with Jewish identity in the context of modern challenges. Diving deep into the idea of catharsis in communities and synthesizing widespread narratives. I look into Jewish immigration and generational trauma as the drive for this paper. I reflect on how these themes have shaped seminal works like well known Fiddler on the Roof among others and its relevance in today's cultural climate. I have explored the delicate balance between honoring painful histories and celebrating Jewish joy in performance, while questioning how these stories are adapted, interpreted, and portrayed for diverse audiences. As theatre is a source of cultural resilience and creative expression, this project is a personal and collective exploration of how Jewish storytelling can evolve. How do we bridge generational divides, and contribute to larger dialogues around social justice, identity, and cultural preservation? Examining the intersection of, Jewish heritage, and artistic practice, I aim to highlight the power of theatre to amplify voices, challenge preconceptions, and create space for meaningful conversation educational spaces during a time heightened division.
Beyond Belonging: Navigating Marginalization in Theatre Education
Sobha Kavanakudiyil
I would like to have the opportunity to share my research for my dissertation. In the proposed research, I will examine stories of female-identifying performing arts practitioners from ethnically and racially minoritized populations. The impetus for this has been reflection on my experiences as a South Asian Indian woman in theatre education, and the lack of other South Asian Indian women in the field. This has impacted my sense of belonging and my identity. I am interested in examining the moment of decision-making to continue a career in the performing arts or not and how cultural, social, and familial influences impact that decision. The hope is that the outcome of this research will illuminate the challenges many practitioners have experienced to help theatre teacher training programs better understand the barriers that exist for these populations to engage in the field. Although my research centers on female-identifying artist educators from ethnically and racially minoritized populations, I acknowledge that many minoritized populations need to be uplifted. The research focus of this paper represents just one aspect of a broader dialogue on diversity and inclusion in the arts.My research questions are: What are the pivotal social, cultural, and familial experiences of female-identifying South Asian artist educators in theatre education?What personal and/or professional experiences have shaped the identities of female-identifying performing arts practitioners from ethnically and racially minoritized populations, and what has been the impact of their professional journeys?What are theatre education programs doing to increase access and opportunity for practitioners from ethnically and racially minoritized populations?
Work/Play
Presenters: Sara Berliner + Calvin Keener
"Work/Play" was a workshop series conducted in the Spring of 2024 at Emerson College focusing on using demechanizing exercises from Theatre of the Oppressed to identify challenges and opportunities for transformation in higher education workplaces. The workshops aimed to engage students, staff, and faculty in a collaborative artistic process to reclaim our collective humanity. While there had been robust union activity in the school year, these disparate groups do not consistently organize cooperatively together or share a vision for campus working conditions and labor organizing. While many undergraduate and graduate students are employed by the college in various capacities, they tend not to see being a worker as a salient part of their identity, nor do they typically identify with a larger labor movement, due to the temporary, part-time nature of their work and transitory relationship to campus. We hoped to enable participants to make connections with other workers at Emerson, to recognize commonalities between their needs and experiences, and to identify tools for changing conditions in the workplace.In this narrative, we will reflect on the challenges, discoveries, and lessons learned in using artistic techniques for labor organizing with participants who have a common employer but differing work identities.
Speakers BB
Blair is a passionate Theatre Educator, Teaching Artist, and Theatre Conceptualizer based in New York City. With a Master of Arts in Educational Theatre for Colleges and Communities from New York University's Steinhardt School, Blair blends academic expertise with a deep commitment...
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Sobha Kavanakudiyil is the Director of The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York. She is currently on sabbatical and a doctoral student in the EdD in Higher Education Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She received her MA in Educational...
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Sara Berliner is a graduate student studying Theatre Education and Applied Theatre at Emerson College. She holds a BA in Theatre Education and Nonprofit Arts Administration from Hampshire College. In addition to being a licensed K-12 theatre teacher in Massachusetts, she is a director...
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Calvin Keener is a graduate student and theater artist studying Applied Theater at Emerson College. He holds a BFA in Acting from Syracuse University. Calvin's areas of research interest include the role of theatre in creating community dialogue, the intersection between theatre and...
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Sunday March 23, 2025 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
LB 225
