Penn State may be tied for the whitest student population in the Big Ten according to College Board, but once again it will be hosting the only university-sponsored theater festival in the country to address issues of diversity, the festival's art director said.
The second annual Cultural Conversations festival is taking place at the Pavilion Theatre Feb. 15 through March 5. Currently, only one of the scheduled plays has been performed, with six events scheduled throughout the next week.
The plays will be performed by students in the School of Theatre, exploring issues ranging from a Ugandan child soldier to the education of Mexicans in Texas. All the performances relate to the festival's mission to present new plays, dance and art devoted to a local and global viewpoint.
Susan Russell, artistic director of Cultural Conversations, started the festival in last March in order to foster and promote new works dealing with themes of local and global diversity.
Russell said that for playwrights, this festival is an opportunity to workshop new pieces. For PSU students and faculty, she said, the festival is an opportunity to work with professional playwrights outside of the School of Theatre.
"For the community surrounding PSU, this festival affords the opportunity of witnessing conversations that define specific cultures," Russell said.
Cultural Conversations is the only university-sponsored theater festival in the United States devoted to issues of local and global diversity, Russell said.
"It takes a great many visionaries to make it happen," she said. "It takes artistic and administrative visionaries with the courage to act, but it also takes visionary audiences who have the courage to engage."
Charles Dumas, a professor at Temple University and director of ¡STICK!, said the concept of the festival is one that should have been instituted long ago.
"I think it is a wonderful idea which is long overdue at Penn State. Conversations between scholars and artists from different cultural backgrounds are essential parts of education," Dumas said.
The festival addresses the issue of diversity, a topic Dumas said is overshadowed in society by other issues seen as more pressing. This festival serves as a small step in the right direction, he said.
"It is addressing a particular need which is as yet unfulfilled. On a national level, it takes the lead in providing a platform for dialogue between diverse peoples," he said.
Following the two-week festival, one of the new plays will be taken to The York Theatre, New York City's premiere Off-Broadway theatre, where it will be performed by Penn State theater students.
"This relationship with The York Theatre, yet again, sets the Penn State School of Theatre apart from any other theater program in the United States. The benefits of this relationship afford a unique visibility for both playwright and PSU actor alike," Russell said.
The Penn State theater program isn't the only group getting involved with promoting diversity. According to artsjournal.com, in the coming weeks, three shows will open on Broadway with entirely or nearly all non-white casts.
Russell, professor of acting and theater history, said this type of diverse musical began with the production of Rent.
"Rent opened in 1996 and from then until now we've seen a big trend in more diversity," Russell said. "When I say a trend I mean one show a year. But before that there wasn't any shows featuring a racially diverse cast."
Russell said the trend within theater is part of an interest in reflecting the make-up of the country, she said.
"Even on campus I see the population embracing diversity," Russell said. "For the youth culture, they are turning to theater, like they have to music, to represent themselves."
Jo Dumas, professor of media studies, said there is room for more diversity in all types of art.
"There is great room for growth in all areas of entertainment because we are talking about thousands of cultures that are a part of American civilization," Jo Dumas said. "We have a long way to go for [the theater] to be a representation of our nation. But I think we're moving in a positive direction."
Russell said that right now, many musicals on Broadway are owned by broadcasting companies. This causes a "revival trend," she said, which means many Broadway shows are remakes of movies and books.
"My hope is that the revival trend ends. An example is Legally Blonde, which has come to Broadway because of the influence of corporations," Russell said. "With this corporate mentality, they want a sure thing so they produce revivals. I want them to lose their grip so that new forms [of theater] can come forth."
Charles Dumas said students will learn about other cultures and will be forced to think "outside the box."
"It is both a privilege and a responsibility to be an educated person," Charles Dumas said. "This means you must be well-rounded and exposed to as much as possible. In the friendly, isolated confines of Happy Valley, contact with other cultures is rare and precious. Every opportunity should be taken to learn about others."
