Theatre Department Resources for Promoting an Equitable Society in Theatre and Theatre Education

VCUarts Theatre stands in solidarity with our students, faculty, staff, and members of our community who stand for equity, equality, and justice and against racism and hate.

We know there is continued work for all of us to do to unravel and eliminate the structures in our society that perpetuate inequality and injustice.

While we have always been committed to diversity and inclusivity in our department, we know we can do more. We stay committed to highlighting and celebrating Black voices in the artists and writers we study and the plays we produce.

On this first day of June, the beginning of Pride Month, we also want to take a moment to honor all marginalized voices, and to support the continuing struggle to create positive change for all.

We’ll be listening to you and supporting your efforts to change the world.

-VCUarts Theatre, June 1st, 2020

VCU Resources:

Anti-Racism and Theatre

Articles:

• “10 Works Over 5 Years by Black Playwrights. All Intended to Unnerve”.  NY Times, April 2019.
• “Four Black Artists on how Racism Corrodes the Theatre World”, NY Times, June 2020.
• “How These Black Playwrights are Challenging American Theatre,” NY Times, April 2019
• “Playwrights are calling out racism in theater. Their art lights a path to justice,” Los Angeles Times, June 2020

Works by BIPOC Playwrights:

• ‘An Octoroon’ by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2014)
• ‘Barbecue’ by Robert O’Hara (2015)
• ‘Underground Railroad Game’ by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard (2016)
• ‘Kill Move Paradise’ by James Ijames (2017)
• ‘Fairview’ by Jackie Sibblies Drury (2018)
• ‘What to Send Up When It Goes Down’ by Aleshea Harris (2018)
• ‘Pass Over’ by Antoinette Nwandu (2018)
• ‘Slave Play’ by Jeremy O. Harris (2018)
• ‘White Noise’ by Suzan-Lori Parks (2019)
• ‘Ain’t No Mo’ ‘ by Jordan E. Cooper (2019)

• ‘Raisin in the Sun’ by Lorraine Hansbury
• ‘Notes from the Field‘ and ‘Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992‘ by Anna Deavere Smith
•  ‘for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf‘ by Ntozake Shange
• ‘Fences’ by August Wilson
• ‘Jitney’ by August Wilson
• ‘The Colored Museum’ by George C. Wolfe
•  ‘Mulatto‘ by Langston Hughes (1935)
•  ‘Dutchman‘ by Amiri Baraka (1964)

LGBTQIA History and Theatre

Articles:

• “10 plays that have shaped LGBTQ+ theatre history” London Indoors, February 2019.

LGBTQIA plays to read for Pride Month:

• Angels in America, Tony Kushner (1991)
• The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley (1968)
• Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein (1978)
• Bent by Martin Sherman (1979)
• God of Vengeance by Donald Margulies (2003)

Further Resources