Playing with the Past, (W)righting the Future

On Friday, January 24, 2014 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm, 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. 

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"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 Professor Soyica Diggs Colbert, who is curating the event.

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"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 facilitator of the performances. As a dramaturg, I'm interested in how each of these writers explore 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."

The symposium will feature two roundtable discussions. Confirmed speakers include poets, scholars, and playwrights including Lydia Diamond, Dominique Morisseau, Robert O'Hara, among others. 

Additionally, performances of scenes from from Lydia Diamond's STICK FLY, Robert O'Hara's BOOTY CANDY, and Dominique Morisseau's DETROIT 67, as well as readings from Evie Schokley's THE NEW BLACK will be presented. Moderated by D.C. based playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton, this presentation will feature leading professional actors and dramaturgs alongside GU faculty, alumni, and students. 
                        
Event Details:
Friday, January 24, 2014  
Davis Performing Arts Center 
Georgetown University
Led by Professor Soyica Diggs Colbert
Symposium: 1:00pm to 6:00pm 
Reception:  6:00pm to 7:00pm 

1:00-­2:30 Roundtable 1
Moderator:  
Robert Patterson (Director of African American Studies and Assistant Professor of English, Georgetown University)
     
Speakers: 
Faedra Carpenter (Assistant Professor of Theater, University of Maryland), Lydia Diamond (Playwright), Monica White Ndounou (Assistant Professor of Theater and Film History and Director, Tufts University), Dominique Morisseau (Writer and Actress), and Daniel Beaty (Actor, Singer, and Writer)

2:45-­4:15 Scene Reading
Moderator: 
Jacqueline E. Lawton (Playwright, Dramaturg, Teaching Artist and Theatre Blogger)

Participants and Play Selections:
STICK FLY by Lydia Diamond
Director: Jennifer Nelson
Actors: Obehi Janice, Madeleine Kelley, Aloysia Jean, David Emerson Toney, Robert Barry Fleming and KenYatta Rogers

THE NEW BLACK by Evie Schokley
Director: Jocelyn Prince
Readers: Marlene Cox, Michael Anthony Williams, Natalie Graves Tucker, and Joy Jones

DETROIT 67 by Dominique Morisseau 
Director: Khalid Long
Actors: Walter Kelly, Molly Roach, Crashonda Edwards, and Kelly Armstrong

BOOTY CANDY by Robert O'Hara
Director: Isaiah Wooden
Actors: Paul Notice, Obehi Janice, Deidra Starnes, Frank Britton, and Brendan Quinn

4:30-­6:00 Roundtable 2
Moderator:  
Soyica Colbert (Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program and African American Studies Program Associate Professor)

Speakers: 
Isaiah Wooden (Stanford University, Ph.D. Candidate), Meta D. Jones (Howard University, Associate Professor of English), Jennifer Nelson (Director and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theater, Georgetown University), Robert O'Hara (Playwright and Director), and Evie Shockley (Poet and Associate Professor of English, Rutgers University)

6:00-­7:00 Reception

All events are free and take place in Georgetown University's Davis Performing Arts Center. 

Playing with the Past, (W)righting the Future is offered as part of the Georgetown University/Arena Stage/Ammerman Family Partnership, in conjunction with the April 4-12 GU Theater & Performance Studies Program production of Robert O'Hara's Insurrection: Holding History directed by Guest Artist Isaiah Matthew Wooden (COL '04) at the Davis Performing Arts Center.