George Mason University's School Of Theater Announces Spring 2023 Guest Artist Series

George Mason University's School of Theater has announced the Spring 2023 dates for its Guest Artist Series: Creating Anti-Racist Theater with leading voices from the theatrical industry discussing the logistics of making and cultivating Anti-Racist Theater. This installment of the series will focus on theater-makers who identify as LBGTQ+ and are leading practices around inclusion and anti-racism in theatrical spaces. The conversations are hosted and led by Djola Branner, Director of Mason's School of Theater, and are free and open to the public, with registration required for access. The conversations will take place on February 6, March 6, and April 17 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

For the Spring 2023 series, Branner will be joined by Yale's Windham Campbell Prize winner Sharon Bridgforth (Monday, February 6), Tony Award-winning playwright Lisa Kron (Monday, March 6), and Northwestern University's Dean of the School of Communications E. Patrick Johnson (Monday, April 17).

Knowing that it is critical for students to engage with their industry while studying at Mason, Branner decided to create opportunities for exactly that with this program. "The series seeks to develop more awareness of ways in which the underrepresentation of marginalized voices persists in the American theater, to become more familiar with BIPOC artists and scholars engaged in conversations for radical change and racial justice, and to cultivate more comfort and proficiency when discussing race, power, and privilege," said Branner. "I love that people from across the country tune in for these inspiring talks."

The inaugural 2021-2022 Guest Artist Series spanned the fall and spring semesters, with a focus on exploring race and power in the work of each guest artist. The Fall 2021 lineup included writer and director Tlaloc Rivas, artist, scholar, and facilitator Omi Osun Joni L Jones, and playwright/television writer Julia Cho alongside playwright/director Chay Yew. Each guest joined Branner for 90-minute conversations that drew audiences of up to 70 guests. Participants tuned in from across the United States, including Texas, California, Massachusetts, and Georgia. The Spring 2022 series brought actress, playwright, and activist Nikkole Salter, playwright, activist, and lawyer Mary Kathryn Nagle and director, artist, writer, and activist Luis Alfaro, while the Fall 2022 series had talks with designer, educator, and creative producer Clint Ramos, artist Daniel Alexander Jones and author P. Carl. The previous conversations are available to watch on the series' website