Black Theatre & Dance Symposium 2024
Black Theatre & Dance Symposium 2024
Join us for the Black Theatre and Dance Symposium (BTDS) 2024 on Saturday, May 4! The theme of this year's BTDS is “ROOT WORK: Embracing and Honoring Unconventional Pathways to Performance,” celebrating the rich roots and tapestry of Black storytelling and performance, with dynamic speakers, conversations and workshops.
The symposium coincides with the second night of UMoves: Undergraduate Dance Concert on Saturday, May 4, at 7 pm.
Schedule
Welcome
10–10:30 am, Cafritz Theatre
Welcome, Networking, and Invocation. Join us for communion and breakfast before our opening invocation and keynote speaker.
Keynote Presentation “ROOT WORK: Embracing and Honoring Unconventional Pathways to Performance”
10:30–11:45 am, Cafritz Theatre
Featuring Stevie Walker-Webb
Baltimore Center Stage Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb shares his story as Cultural Worker, Playwright, and Obie Award winning Director as a testimony to the beauty of the personal narrative and the transformational power of art.
Chat and Chew
12 am–1 pm, Faculty/Staff Lounge
Creatives chat and chew, look back and look forward, network and share projects that animate their work and promote communal and societal change.
UNBARRED: The Power of Theater of the Oppressed to Spark Social Change
1–2:15 pm, Cafritz Theatre
Featuring Gene Downing, Wallace "Shubaka" Kirby, Lori Pitts and Devin D. Smith
Ally Theatre Company & Voices Unbarred will host an interactive theater workshop, providing insight into their methodology and the utilization of theatre to reimagine the prison system. They employ Theater of the Oppressed (TO), a revolutionary art form that helps people analyze the world around them, explore social and political issues, and create solutions, in their work. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness performances by individuals directly impacted by incarceration and participate in activities aimed at offering a glimpse into the organizations' endeavors.
Re-FRESHH: Readings of Afro-Futuristic Plays in Progress
2:30–3:30 pm, Rever
Featuring Bryanda Minix
Re-FRESHH: A presentation of excerpts, monologues, and short scenes, from Afrofuturistic works-in-progress. Inspired by the Next to Kin new play festival (FRESHH Inc Theatre Co) in tribute to Octavia Butler, themes center on the importance and impact of world building in Black feminist goals in Afrofuturism.
DIGGING DEEP: Liberating Black Roots in White Landscapes
3:30–4:45 pm, Rever
Featuring Lauren Davis, Matré Grant, Sybil R. Williams, and Ama Law
A panel of theatre scholars and practitioners discuss their experiences cultivating space for the black artist within Western classics providing examples of how black scholars/artists/creators draw on their lived experiences (as well as their work both inside and outside the Afro-Diasporic canon) to exercise their commitment to representation, identity and cultural heritage.
Mock Ball: (Pre-Strut) Panel
5–5:30 pm, Cafritz Theatre
Expert panelists will talk about their history in the scene as well as their personal and curated movement language. Following that brief introduction, our panelist will do a short demo of their skills. Questions are encouraged!
Mock Ball: STRUT
5:30–6:30 pm, Cafritz Theatre
STRUT: Open to any and all levels of skill. Join us for a mock vogue ball with a theme Rooted around LEGENDS, ICONS and STARS. All are invited to participate no matter your dance experience. The event will begin with a panel discussion between the community and active members of the vogue culture. The panelists will also give a demo of their movement language. Those who participate in the mock ball are encouraged to honor the roots and inspirations of Vogue culture. This could mean dressing like a pioneer, honoring the fashion, incorporating the movement and being able to practice your movement in a safe, low pressure style ball. Winners will receive complimentary tickets to the 7:30pm UMoves dance production. Show us what you’ve got!
UMoves: Undergraduate Dance Concert
7–8:30 pm, Dance Theatre
Presented by The Clarice, School of Music, and School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, these vibrant performances celebrate bold artistry, amplify voices previously silenced and illuminate new perspectives in reimagined classics. At the University of Maryland's dynamic laboratory for the performing arts, our work on stage leverages creativity, innovation, social justice and scholarship to present extraordinary cultural experiences for our campus and community.
This event is part of Black Theatre and Dance Symposium 2024.