Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Diversity and Unity in Higher Ground 5: Having Our Say
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
ASA 2016 Paper Proposal Abstract--Dr. Anita J. Turpin Diversity and Unity in Higher Ground 5: Having Our Say In April of 2015, the Higher Ground Coalition of Harlan County, Kentucky, under the leadership of Robert Gipe, premiered its fifth theatre production: Having Our Say. With this production, the theatre professionals who had helped with the productions of the first four Higher Ground plays disappeared from the scene: Having Our Say was the creation of members of the community, with the professionals serving as mentors only. In my paper, I am focusing on the script of this fifth production, analyzing it as a stand-alone work of drama, but also comparing it to the previous four Higher Ground productions. Having Our Say maintains the best features of the previous plays, but it also breaks new “ground”—particularly in one of the story lines dealing with homosexuality. That it includes this story with the support of the community speaks volume about the power of art to bring people together in support of messages of love and acceptance. Anita J. Turpin aturpin@roanoke.edu Professor of English & Communication Studies at Roanoke College, Salem VA
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Anita J. Turpin is a professor of English and Communication Studies at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. For the past twenty years she has focused her scholarship on the theatre of Appalachia.
Diversity and Unity in Higher Ground 5: Having Our Say
ASA 2016 Paper Proposal Abstract--Dr. Anita J. Turpin Diversity and Unity in Higher Ground 5: Having Our Say In April of 2015, the Higher Ground Coalition of Harlan County, Kentucky, under the leadership of Robert Gipe, premiered its fifth theatre production: Having Our Say. With this production, the theatre professionals who had helped with the productions of the first four Higher Ground plays disappeared from the scene: Having Our Say was the creation of members of the community, with the professionals serving as mentors only. In my paper, I am focusing on the script of this fifth production, analyzing it as a stand-alone work of drama, but also comparing it to the previous four Higher Ground productions. Having Our Say maintains the best features of the previous plays, but it also breaks new “ground”—particularly in one of the story lines dealing with homosexuality. That it includes this story with the support of the community speaks volume about the power of art to bring people together in support of messages of love and acceptance. Anita J. Turpin aturpin@roanoke.edu Professor of English & Communication Studies at Roanoke College, Salem VA
