Abstract

The question of "who am I" created an involuntary domino effect which led me to my most valued work I have done as a graduate student, serving predominantly Latino/a students in educational theatre settings. This thesis explores three productions I worked on and the questions that have evolved in my understanding of identity and cultural sustainability as a Latina theatre artist and educator working in educational theatre. As an Orlando Repertory teaching artist, I began a residency with HOPE CommUnity Center along with some colleagues. We worked with high school students from their youth group to devise a show titled Walk a Day in My Shoes (Camina un dia en mi zapatos), which speaks to the experience of these students as either DREAMERS or first-generation Americans. During Theatre UCF's Pegasus PlayLab festival, I worked as the assistant director and dramaturg for El Wiz, an original Latino musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, written by local Latina/o artists in the Orlando community, as a response to the impact Hurricane Maria had in the Island of Puerto Rico. For Theatre UCF's mainstage season, I worked as the assistant director and as an understudy for Water by the Spoonful written by Quiara Alegria Hudes, which follows a diverse group of individuals trying to navigate addiction, identity and redemption. In this thesis project, I reflect on my own growth and experiences as part of the process and seek to define the necessity of identity and cultural sustainability as a part of the theatre education space, acknowledge the complexities that creates challenges for diversity and access within theatre programming, and articulate areas of growth that theatre institutions may need in order to support the diverse communities they inhabit and the students they serve and educate in a new millennium.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2020

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Wood, Vandy

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Theatre

Degree Program

Theatre; Theatre for Young Audiences Track

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007912; DP0023046

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0023046

Language

English

Release Date

May 2020

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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