Drama & Performance Studies

Cover of Black British Queer Plays and Practitioners

Black British Queer Plays and Practitioners, part one

In this episode, we’ll be discussing the process behind selecting plays for this collection, the collection’s historical context, and the role of theatre publishing in allowing people to access plays, particularly plays from marginalized groups. Then, because the anthology covers plays from several decades, we’ll be taking a look at the ways in which the theatre landscape has changed and the progress that is still yet to be made. Take a listen.

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The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Part Two

This is the first play anthology to offer eight new plays by trans playwrights featuring trans characters. It establishes a canon of contemporary American trans theatre which represents a variety of performance modes and genres. In part two of this episode, we talked to anthology editors Lindsey Mantoan, Angela Farr Schiller and Leanna Keyes about the importance of studying the work of trans artists, trans theatre is a form of activism, and what the editors hoped to achieve with this collection. 

Book cover image

The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Part One

This is the first play anthology to offer eight new plays by trans playwrights featuring trans characters. It establishes a canon of contemporary American trans theatre which represents a variety of performance modes and genres. We talked to anthology editors Lindsey Mantoan, Angela Farr Schiller and Leanna Keyes, about the plays selected, and how they explicitly call for trans characters as central protagonists in order to promote opportunities for trans performers.

Blackface with Ayanna Thompson

After a breathtaking episode on Othello last season, Ayanna Thompson is back to talk about her book, Blackface, which is part of our Object Lessons series. In this episode, we discuss the events that drove Ayanna to write this book, the history of Blackface up to the 21st century, how media weaponizes the notion of white innocence in contemporary examples of Blackface, and much more.

Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration book cover

Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration with Ashley E. Lucas – Part Two

Obscured behind concrete and razor wire, the lives of the incarcerated remain hidden from public view. Inside the walls, imprisoned people all over the world stage theatrical productions that enable them to assert their humanity and capabilities. In part two of this episode, Ashley E. Lucas discusses her most recent book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration, as well as her very personal experience with the carceral system growing up. We cover her in-depth research into prison institutions around the world, the role that theatre plays in creating community, and how it can transform the lives of the people forced into the prison system.

Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration book cover

Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration with Ashley E. Lucas – Part One

Obscured behind concrete and razor wire, the lives of the incarcerated remain hidden from public view. Inside the walls, imprisoned people all over the world stage theatrical productions that enable them to assert their humanity and capabilities. In part one of this episode, Ashley E. Lucas discusses her most recent book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration, as well as her very personal experience with the carceral system growing up. We cover her in-depth research into prison institutions around the world, the role that theatre plays in creating community, and how it can transform the lives of the people forced into the prison system. 

Othello book cover

Othello with Ayanna Thompson

Ayanna Thompson is a scholar, activist, and self-proclaimed Othello whisperer. She is the co-author of Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose, the author of Passing Strange and Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage, and the editor of Weyward Macbeth, Colorblind Shakespeare, and the Arden Third Series’ Othello. In this episode, Ayanna Thompson outlines the complexities of Othello, the history of racism in theater, and the strides the industry still needs to make to reach equality. For any theater buff, aspiring performer, literature professor, or Shakespeare fan, this is a conversation you’ll want to join.