Quinnipiac unveils new course on racism in...theater?
Quinnipiac University will unveil a course focusing on racism and bias in the theater industry.
A theater professor said he hopes the class is just the beginning in a wave of initiatives regarding diversity.
Quinnipiac University announced the creation of its new course “Landscapes and Lenses” a three-credit-hour arts course that discusses racism and bias in the theater.
The course will be available beginning Spring 2021.
Quinnipiac Associate Professor of Theater Kevin Daly explained to the Quinnipiac Chronicle that the reasoning behind this program would be to make sure theater students are being trained to make “the theater an inclusive place without bias and without exclusionary practices.”
Daly added that it is time the theater program “start acknowledging the racism, biased and exclusionary practices that take place in our industry.”
Some QU students also shared excitement for the course.
Sasha Gluzberg a QU freshman, told the Quinnipiac Chronicle that she feels it is important “for students to learn about how racism and bias is embedded in our everyday lives.”
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Daly told Campus Reform that his quote to make sure students were trained in an inclusive place “is accurate.” Daly also told Campus Reform that the goal of the course is to broaden what students learn. He said that the course would “introduce them to artists and theater-makers who are not currently on their radar. Illuminate for them the challenges and roadblocks that currently make things difficult for underrepresented theater artists. And to inspire them to envision a more inclusive and open professional theater.”
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He said the course is part of a broader response to events that occurred over the summer.
“But it’s not just about one class. This is certainly a reactive response to the events of the summer, but I hope it will mark the beginning of a new way of doing things. I hope it will influence the way we make future hires, the way we select our seasons, and the ways in which we produce theater going forward,” Daly added.
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