How are Black artists, activists, and pedagogues wielding acts of rebellion, activism, and solidarity to precipitate change? How have contemporary performances impacted Black cultural, social, and political struggles? What are the ways in which these acts and artists engage varied Black identities and explore shared histories?
Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance explores these urgent questions to illuminate the relationship between performance, intersectionality, and activism within North America and beyond. Bridging disciplinary divides, it features contributions from scholars, artists, and activists who explore the nuances and varied forms of Black performance in the 21st century. Incorporating performance-based methodologies and queer and black feminist theories helps fill a significant critical gap in understanding the relationship between contemporary Black identity, performance, and activism.
This expansive collection explores topics ranging from Black queer identity formation in Black playwriting, to antiracist pedagogy, to digital blackface, to Black women's subversive practices within contemporary popular culture. Alongside analysis of dramatic works-including Lynn Nottage's Sweat and Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy-and acts of resistance such as the Black Lives Matter's summer 2020 highway protests, the collection features a series of conversations with artists and scholars working at the nexus of rebellion and solidarity, including playwrights Christina Anderson and Donja R. Love, and Willa Taylor, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago.
