My approach to diversity is informed by experiences that taught me the value of listening, the importance of language, and the power of representation. As a cisgender gay man teaching in Theatre Studies, I follow local and national conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion in an effort to prepare a welcoming environment in my classroom and artistic practice.
When I began studying at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2000, I joined a grad student group sponsored by the Stonewall Center. The group was initially called the GLBTQ GSA. At the first meeting I attended, we voted to add “same-gender-loving” to the group’s name, so we became the GLBTQSGLGSA: The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or maybe Questioning?), Same-Gender-Loving Graduate Student Association. The idea was to be inclusive, but there was debate about just how inclusive this name was. Why did it start with G? Should there be two Q’s, for “queer” and “questioning?” Would students who identified as “same-gender-loving” want to be part of a group that included “queer” in its title? Informally we tended to refer to ourselves as the “Stonewall Center Grad Group,” though we usually met up for coffee at Rao’s instead of meeting at the Stonewall Center. Language related to the LGBT community has changed quite a bit since the year 2000, and continues to change at a rapid pace. Being attuned to these linguistic changes means listening with humility to my students and to activists working on issues of gender and sexuality.
Also at UMass, I had the opportunity to complete an internship at New WORLD Theater, an organization focused on the work of playwrights of color. When the company was founded in 1979, it was called “Third World Theater.” The name was changed in the 1990s to reflect the shifting valences of language. While New WORLD Theater was primarily interested in looking toward the future, I was interested in history. My projects there reflected the importance of representation in the past, introducing me to an alternate canon of works by artists who had been unknown to me. Working with contemporary playwrights Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas and Alice Tuan taught me new ways of thinking about history and theatrical representation.
During my first semester at Michigan State, I was tasked with teaching an elective course on Theatre and Global Diversity. I have since taught material from this course in required Theatre History courses, in an effort to teach students cultural sensitivity. As an inaugural member of the College Inclusive Practices Committee (CIPC), I participated in discussions about curriculum and diversity in the College of Arts and Letters. My work as a dramaturg on 60/50 Theatre Project in 2014 led to an Excellence in Diversity Award for the production team, and to a publication on theatre, diversity, and citizenship.
That same year I directed a production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses that employed “color-blind casting,” leading to choices that were racist. At the time I considered casting three African-American women in the production to be inclusive, but I failed to consider the ramifications of casting two of them as servants.Reflecting on my racist casting decisions caused me to see the wisdom of moving from “color-blind casting” to “color-conscious casting.” This required listening to students who criticized my work.