Contemporary theatre, both commercial and non-commercial, has seen a huge increase in diversity — diversity among playwrights and their plays, actors, directors, designers and theatre practitioners.  Diverse artists have always shown themselves to be an integral part of theatre and theatre history, though in contemporary theatre they are sometimes referred to “artists of a diverse background” instead of just theatre artists.

These artists come from a selection of groups, cultures and categories including, but not limited by:

Gender-Specific (i.e. Female)

Native American

Hispanic

African-American

Asian-American

Gay and Lesbian

and others

This assignment requires you to…

select one person (playwright, actor, designer, etc.) from the groups listed above

explore, prepare and discuss his or her historical, social and cultural importance to what we call “diverse contemporary theatre” today (the focus here is on theatre not their impact to film, television or music)

Create your response, in the Assignment submission box below (not in the Comments field), as a journal or diary entry.  This response will not be read by your fellow classmates.  The journal should be 1-2 pages long, approximately 400-500 words minimum.  Be careful of spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation…proofread and edit your work as necessary.  Please cite your sources if any are used, including any videos or links used.