Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.F.A.
Department
Theatre Arts
Degree Program
Theatre Arts, MFA
Committee Chair
Carter, Rachel
Committee Member
Tucker, Shona
Committee Member
Whiteside, Jasmine
Author's Keywords
Hendricks; cultural; performance; rehearsal; pedagogy; theater
Abstract
Western acting techniques have historically disregarded the contributions and techniques of black and non-Western performance to the detriment of black actors. This disregard has created barriers for black actors when engaging in what has now become standard theatre training. This training is enforced by implementation of acting techniques in academia that favor codified techniques of Eurocentric acting. Despite black acting techniques being codified and taught within the black community and academia, outside of a few historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), predominately white academia has implemented valuable training methods that black/African American Acting techniques can offer. By looking at American theatre history, consumers and theatre practitioners can see that by incorporating black theatre methodologies and techniques, the theatre world has benefitted and evolved. By incorporating black acting methods into academia as a primary material, the theatre world strengthens the Western theatre canon and its artists.
Recommended Citation
Dispenza-Mosley, Darrin Edward, "Creating new points of access: how integrating Black acting methods strengthens the Western theatre canon." (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4538.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4538
Included in
Acting Commons, Dance Commons, Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Theatre History Commons
