Dance Exchange, Everyman Theatre, and Georgetown University Hold Upcoming Events by Jacqueline E. Lawton

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share a few upcoming events that I feel will be of great interest and value to DCMTA readers, especially those who care about issues of Diversity and Inclusion and Gender Parity in the American Theatre. Theatre is a powerful catalyst for deep, rigorous and lasting social change. Each of these events will offer participants the opportunity to engage in meaningful, thoughtful and passionate discussion.

On Thursday, January 16th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Dance Exchange presents Dance Matters: A Discussion on Equity and the Power of Art. This event will encompass a panel, dialogue and reflection, and process sharing that activates the possibilities of leveraging the arts for social change. Featured artists include Jacqueline E. Lawton, Paloma McGregor, and Jesse Phillips-Fein.

Through looking at the role of historical and personal milestones in relationship to experiences, process, and outcomes in the struggle for racial equity, Dance Exchange Artistic Director Cassie Meador, Partnerships and Production Manager Ouida Maedel, University of Maryland PhD candidate Bimbola Akinbola, and featured artists will bring participants into dialogue and creative research to explore the various roles for the arts, humanities, and other disciplines and institutions in advancing racial justice in the United States.  Click here for more information.

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On Saturday, January 18th at 5:00 pm, Everyman Theatre will host a panel discussion on How Women’s Voices Changed Our Culture in conjunction with the production of Crimes of the Heart. Hosted by radio personality Marc Steiner, panelists will include: Teresa Eyring (Executive Director, Theatre Communications Group), Jacqueline Lawton (Playwright and Dramaturg), and Jackson Bryer (Professor of American Theatre, University of Maryland).

In this discussion, the impact, success and legacy of Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart will offer a point of entry into the role women play in theatre today. Theatre Communication Group’s Executive Director Teresa Erying will speak to the significance of Gender Parity in the American Theatre. D.C. based playwright and dramaturg Jacqueline E. Lawton will offer insight on life as a contemporary Black woman playwright. Jackson Bryer will provide historical perspective as a professor of American Theatre at the University of Maryland.

On Friday, January 24, 2014 from 1:00pm to 5:30pm, Georgetown University’s Department of Performance Arts hosts a one-day symposium, Playing with the Past, (W)righting the Future, exploring how black playwrights and artists remember the past in order to imagine the future.

“In conjunction with the production of Robert O’Hara’s Insurrection Holding History, a symposium, Playing with the Past, (W)righting the Future, will explore how black playwrights and artists remember the past in order to imagine the future.” said Prof. Soyica Diggs Colbert, who is curating the event.

“This symposium offers the rare and wonderful opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary writing of contemporary Black playwrights” said D.C playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton. “I’m honored to take part as moderator of the performances. As a dramaturg, I’m interested in how each of these writers explores the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, and history in their work. We’re fortunate to have this opportunity to engage in such a powerful, rich, and urgent discussion.”

1:00-­2:30 Roundtable 1
Moderator: Robert Patterson
Participants: Faedra Carpenter, Lydia Diamond, Monica Ndounou, and Dominique Morisseau
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2:45-­4:15 Scene Reading
Moderator: Jacqueline E. Lawton
Participants and Play Selections:
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Stick Fly
Dramaturg–Jennifer Nelson
Actors: Obehi Janice
Madeleine Kelley
Aloysia Jean
David Emerson Toney
Robert Barry Fleming
KenYatta Rogers
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The New Black
Dramaturg–Jocelyn Prince
Readers: Marlene Cox
Michael Anthony Williams
Natalie Graves Tucker
Joy Jones
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Detroit 67
Dramaturg–Khalid Long
Actors: Walter Kelly
Molly Roach

                              Crashonda Edwards
Kelly Armstrong

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 Booty Candy

Dramaturg—Isaiah Wooden
Actors: Paul Notice
Obehi Janice
Deidra Starnes
Frank Britton
Brendan Quinn
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4:30-­6:00 Roundtable 2
Moderator: Soyica Colbert
Participants: Isaiah Wooden, Meta Jones, Jennifer Nelson, Robert O’Hara, and Evie Shockley

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6:00-­7:00 Reception
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All events are free and take place in Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center. Click here for more information.