Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Theatre and Appalachian Studies: An Uneasy Relationship?
Session Abstract or Summary
There is a rich culture of theatre in this region. From the groundbreaking Community Engaged work that is being done at Roadside Theater and Higher Ground, to more traditional formal theatre at SART and Barter Theatre to countless others. At the same time there seems to be an uneasy relationship between the fields of Appalachian Studies and Theatre itself. Take for a key example the 1992 Pulitzer Prize given to Schenkkan’s The Kentucky Cycle, and the response from numerous Appalachians captured in Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes. This book rightfully rejects the mainstream acceptance of one-dimensional stereotypes about Southern Appalachia as seen in this play. How did Theatre get it so wrong? The Pulitzer Prize is reserved for only the finest plays written in America. Surely this honor wasn’t meant as a specific offense to this region. This particular example isn’t an isolated incident either as repeatedly other pieces of theatre have run into a similar set of issues.
In this roundtable, theatre and Appalachian scholars will discuss this disconnect in an effort to understand where it is coming from. Is there something that Theatre-makers are looking for in plays that might be different from what Appalachian Studies Scholars are looking for? Does this cause a fundamental disconnect between the two fields? Do Theatre makers need to be more educated about the field in order to better produce plays in and about this region? What do Theatre-makers who want to produce more local plays need to know and do to be in a better position to properly pick and produce pieces? Most importantly, this roundtable will work towards finding where the two might meet.
Presentation #1 Title
Kelly Bremner
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
There is a rich culture of theatre in this region. From the groundbreaking Community Engaged work that is being done at Roadside Theater and Higher Ground, to more traditional formal theatre at SART and Barter Theatre to countless others. At the same time there seems to be an uneasy relationship between the fields of Appalachian Studies and Theatre itself. Take for a key example the 1992 Pulitzer Prize given to Schenkkan’s The Kentucky Cycle, and the response from numerous Appalachians captured in Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes. This book rightfully rejects the mainstream acceptance of one-dimensional stereotypes about Southern Appalachia as seen in this play. How did Theatre get it so wrong? The Pulitzer Prize is reserved for only the finest plays written in America. Surely this honor wasn’t meant as a specific offense to this region. This particular example isn’t an isolated incident either as repeatedly other pieces of theatre have run into a similar set of issues.
In this roundtable, theatre and Appalachian scholars will discuss this disconnect in an effort to understand where it is coming from. Is there something that Theatre-makers are looking for in plays that might be different from what Appalachian Studies Scholars are looking for? Does this cause a fundamental disconnect between the two fields? Do Theatre makers need to be more educated about the field in order to better produce plays in and about this region? What do Theatre-makers who want to produce more local plays need to know and do to be in a better position to properly pick and produce pieces? Most importantly, this roundtable will work towards finding where the two might meet.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Kelly Bremner is the Chair of the Theatre Department at Emory & Henry College in Emory, VA where she teaches classes in directing, devised and applied performance, and Theatre History. She is also a freelance director who specializes in the development of new works.
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
I am working on assembling the other members of this roundtable. I have discussed it with several colleagues and plan to ask more, but I have yet to get any firm commitments aside from Nicole Drewitz-Crockett is willing to come be on this if all else fails.
Kelly Bremner
There is a rich culture of theatre in this region. From the groundbreaking Community Engaged work that is being done at Roadside Theater and Higher Ground, to more traditional formal theatre at SART and Barter Theatre to countless others. At the same time there seems to be an uneasy relationship between the fields of Appalachian Studies and Theatre itself. Take for a key example the 1992 Pulitzer Prize given to Schenkkan’s The Kentucky Cycle, and the response from numerous Appalachians captured in Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes. This book rightfully rejects the mainstream acceptance of one-dimensional stereotypes about Southern Appalachia as seen in this play. How did Theatre get it so wrong? The Pulitzer Prize is reserved for only the finest plays written in America. Surely this honor wasn’t meant as a specific offense to this region. This particular example isn’t an isolated incident either as repeatedly other pieces of theatre have run into a similar set of issues.
In this roundtable, theatre and Appalachian scholars will discuss this disconnect in an effort to understand where it is coming from. Is there something that Theatre-makers are looking for in plays that might be different from what Appalachian Studies Scholars are looking for? Does this cause a fundamental disconnect between the two fields? Do Theatre makers need to be more educated about the field in order to better produce plays in and about this region? What do Theatre-makers who want to produce more local plays need to know and do to be in a better position to properly pick and produce pieces? Most importantly, this roundtable will work towards finding where the two might meet.
