UMHB's Performance Studies Program
Celebrates Ethnic History/Literature
Addresses Minority Issues

      

(For other multi-cultural, global performances of literature and history, see the following lists and links.
 Equal Opportunity Programs ,  Performances of Autobiography and Literature,
Performances of Poetry, Performance/Communication Programs. )

 

                  Courtney Dennis                                                                                                
       UMHB Performance Studies Major                                                                      
       has performed the story of Harriet Tubman.   
         See http://ali.apple.com/events/mhb/  
                            *, **, ***                                                                                                           
                                                                                    
         

                                                            Carlotta Russell Maneice                               
                               UMHB Performance Studies Alumna
                                                                                     has presented Sojourner Truth.  **, ***

           



Dr. Diane Howard (Professor of Performance Studies at UMHB) has performed stories related to ethnic issues. She has performed a voice-over
for the film, Distance. This production by Jonathan Jakubowicz, Genius Productions, concerns a mysterious and touching reunion of Holocaust survivors. Dr. Howard has performed stories of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Martha Washington in their conflicts over slavery. She has
performed Martha Washington and has taught about autobiographical writing and performing via the Apple Learning Interchange. She has performed excerpts of her script Set Free! , related to Martha's Dilemma over slavery, at the Performance Studies International Conference, Theaters of Life, at NYU in New York City in April 2002.                    
                                           
                    
                                                                 Dr. Diane Howard
                                                                                               as Martha Washington
                                                                                                            *, **, ***

Dr. Howard (Performance Studies Division, Dept. of Communication at UMHB) and Darien Moore, performance studies alumna, presented their paper, Empowering Students of Color By Involvement in Distance, Ethnic, Communication Research, at the national Ethnic Studies Conference
in Houston, Feb., 2001. UMHB ethnic, performance studies students, Christine Pointer and Natalia Trejo, attended the conference with
Dr. Howard and Ms. Moore.

Dr. Howard and Ms. Moore have presented evidence, which has supported the idea that long-distance, autobiographical presentations may provide a role modeling effect, which may influence achievement motivation in audience members. This role modeling effect may be particularly significant in marginalized individuals and groups. Since 1998, Dr. Howard and her performance studies students and alumni have been involved in presenting a
series of African American performances over the BellNet videoconferencing system in a collaborative project with Dr. Stan Dyer, who has taught  African America history at Central Texas College. Dr. Howard has designed this communication research project to study the relationship of African American role models presented over videoconferencing and locus of control in audience members in Dr. Dyer's African American history classes.
(This research is presented in detail in her book, Autobiographical Writing and Performing: An Introductory, Contemporary Guide to Process and Research in Speech Performance, McGraw-Hill, 1999. See http://www.dianehoward.com/publication.htm)

Evidence from this research study suggests that there is a relationship between locus of control in subjects (in both minority presenters and observers) and their identification of role models. Further, evidence suggests that role models empower those who observe and identify
with them by encouraging the locus of control in the observer in a more internal direction, which strongly encourages motivation and predicts achievement in the observer.

UMHB students have performed African American literature and histories to an site and distance audiences. Sheraton McCarter Duffey,
Christine Pointer, Megan Moore, and Tamara Harris have performed the literature of Maya Angelou. The poetry of Langston Hughes has been presented by the following performers: Sterling Stewart, Lennard Ball, Joseph Warren, Lorenzo Morgan, Lejon L. Wright Sr., Lisa Banks,
Christine Pointer, Shannon Robinson,  Brandon Fulcher, and Ryan Mosley.  Kevin Guyden has also performed the poetry of Langston Hughes in a video Web cast. Further,  Kris Price and Carrie Kelley have performed the poetry of Nikki Giovanni. Will Johnson has performed The Slave's Complaint by George Horton.  Carlotta Russell Maneice has presented the poetry of Elaine Sims and Phyllis Wheatley.   Laura Van Vliet has presented the Kate Chopin story, Desiree's Baby. Christine Pointer has performed the poetry of . Angelique Meyers has delivered Her Story by Naomi Long Madgett. Cynthia Brehm and Courtney Williams have performed the script Driving Miss Daisy. Dee Hughes has powerfully delivered in Web casts, on television, and on site the literature of James Weldon Johnson and other great African American writers. She has performed the autobiographical story of Harriet Tubman at international conferences, at Equal Opportunity Programs for the U. S. Army, for the DAR, and at UMHB. Like Christine Pointer, Eugenia Greaves has performed poetry for television and for videostreams. She has performed We Wear a Mask,
by Paul Laurence Dunbar for television and I Will Not Give My Black Back by an unknown author via V-Bricks Videostreams.  

Stacey Voelker, Megan Moore, and Angela Booth have performed the autobiographical story of Maya Angelou. Darien Moore has presented the autobiography of  Billy Holliday in Lady Day. Jerrod Speights has performed Jesse Owens in Jesse. Myrtle Captain and Rev. Robert Johnson have presented the story of  Dr. Martin Luther King in Martin. Chris Johnson has performed Arthur Ashe from his autobiography, Days of Glory. Josh Gwynn has enacted Martin Luther King in his I Have a Dream speech.  Resha Ellis and Aja Bradford have performed the autobiographical story of
Coretta Scott King. Amy Martin and Lisa Banks has performed the autobiographical story of Rosa Parks and the Equal Rights Movement. Christine Pointer has performed the autobiographies of Dorothy Dandridge and Josephine Baker. Joseph Warren has presented the story of Michael Jordan.

                                                                                                 Christine Pointer
                                                                                                                                               ***

                                                                      
UMHB Hispanic performances have included performances of Spanish poetry by Brisa Ruiz, Sandra Rodriquez, Natalia Trejo , Jeff Contreras,
Yasmin Blackwell, Diane Myers,  and Aaron Castillo. Cindy Hardwick has performed in English and Spanish the poetry of Gabriela Mistral in a Web cast video. Angela Vasquez  has performed the poetry of Cuban poet, Lourdes Casal. Lindsey Villareal has performed a speech by Eva Peron. Ashley Ramirez has performed the autobiography of America Ferrara and voice-overs for an Hispanic book. Further, autobiographical performances have been presented by Jenna Artus **** as Frida Kahlo, surrealist painter, in la Vida de Frida and Natalia Trejo as Eva Peron  in Evita: Sinner/Saint?          
                   Natalia Trejo         
                                                                                   **, ***                                                            
   
Dr. Howard and Natalia Trejo presented at the national Hispanic and Latino, NAAAS conference in Cancun, Mexico in August 2001. Their presentation was entitled, Writing and Performing Autobiography, Evita: Sinner/Saint?  Dr. Howard's conference monograph has been entitled Presenting Autobiographical Stories from Hispanic, Latino Culture and History. It has included Ms. Trejo's script, Evita: Sinner/Saint?

UMHB Asian presentations have included the following: Shuntaro Yanasaki as Mishima Yukio in Samurai, Carol Ellis performing The Joy Luck Club, Van Nguyen presenting the Story of  Bruce Lee, Kazunori Yamaguchi presenting the poetry of Basho, Stacia Yu performing Chinese poetry and the autobiography of Amy Tan, Angela Espada performing Korean Literature and the autobiography of Lee Hee Ho, Korea's First Lady  and Janice Whited performing Chinese poetry in English and Chinese. Sara Culpepper is also bi-lingual talent. She has performed bi-lingual commercials in China. Ashley Stroud, Amber Peterson, and Scarlett (McLeroy) Crayton have performed the autobiographical story of Lottie Moon, missionary  to the Chinese.

UMHB Jewish performances have included Angel Weir, Jaci Vance Lambert, and Rhonda Roscoe as Queen Esther; Brian West as King David; Ashley Klepac as Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Patrick Hill as Peter; Teresa Huggins, Jenny Foster, and  Lauren Ellis as Anne Frank; and
Jeremy Johnson as Oscar Schindler. Annah Lamberson, Kathlee Roscoe, and Erin Edwards have performed the autobiography of Corrie Ten Boon.
Aason Castillo has also performed this story from the from the perspective of a Ravensbruck guard, whom Corrie forgave.

                                                                         Jessica Stockel 

UMHB International, Bi-Lingual Performance Studies Students perform literature in dialects, especially for voice-overs: Peter McBride - Irish; Michael Peterson - Greek; Okechuwu Iwundu - African; Breanna Sherbert & Shuntaro Yanasaki - Japanese; Stacia Yu - Chinese; Angela Espada- Korean; Layla Kalati- Farsi- Persian Poetry by Rumi, Justin Golden and Jessica Stockel - German; Robyn Renfroe- Scottish; Natalia Trejo, Michael Fox, Sandra Rodriquez, and Candi Kelly, and Cindy Hardwick - Spanish...

American Indian performances have included Monica Rosales as Pocahontas and Sarah Thornton performing The Trail of Tears.
Nicole Young has performed I Am He, which is about Native Americans. (See the UMHB repertoire of solo performances of literature and history.)

Nicole Young has also presented the story of Gandhi. Further, Ashley Goodin has performed Filipino poetry.

Black Texas.com has published Dr. Howard's articles African American Role Models are Critically Needed and Presenting Role Models from African American History .

The Performance Studies Division at UMHB in collaboration
with the UMHB Music Department produced the following:

The Color of the Theatre
Multi-Cultural Performing Arts Festival
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

ACT ONE

                                                         For more information contact Dr. Diane Howard at dhoward@vvm.com.
      

  Contact Dr. Howard