LISA L. BIGGS

Michigan State University Residential College in the Arts and Humanities 362 Bogue Street, Snyder C210, East Lansing, MI 48825 (517) 884-6002 (office) [email protected]

EDUCATION

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 2013 Ph.D., Performance Studies Dissertation: “Acting Right: The Role of Performance in Black Women’s Community Organizing From Behind Bars.” Graduate Certificates in Gender Studies and African American and Diaspora Studies Committee: E. Patrick Johnson (Chair), D. Soyini Madison, Ramon Rivera-Servera

New York University, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York, NY 2007 M.A., Playwriting & Performance Studies Thesis: “The Changing Construction of Black Womanhood on the American Stage.”

Amherst College, Amherst, MA 1993 B.A., Theatre & Dance Magna Cum Laude Thesis: “Hey Baby! Have You Seen Her?: The Process of Building My Original Work.”

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Theatre for Social Change. African American Theatre and Performance History. Cultural Criminology. Legal Studies. Playwriting. Devising Original Performance.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Assistant Professor, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH), 2013-Present Michigan State University

Teaching Assistant (Sole Instructor), Department of Performance Studies, 2012 Northwestern University

Teaching Assistant (Sole Instructor), Department of Performance Studies, 2008-2009 Northwestern University

Adjunct Faculty, Graham School of Continuing Education, University of Chicago 2008

Dance Department Administrator, Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus 2006-2007

Graduate Assistant, Interdisciplinary Arts Program, New York University 2004-2006

Freelance Teaching Artist 2001-2006

Artist Educator, Living Stage Theatre Company/Arena Stage 1999-2001

Performing Artist and Playwright 1993-Present Biggs, Vita 2

PUBLICATIONS

Book Chapters “Between Living and Dying: Rhodessa Jones’s Big-Butt Girls, Hard-Headed Women.” Solo/Black/ Woman: Scripts, Interviews, and Essays. Eds. E. Patrick Johnson and Ramon Rivera-Servera. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2013. In 2014, the collection received an Honorable Mention for the Errol Hill Book Award from the American Society of Theatre Research for its outstanding research in African American Theatre and Performance Studies.

Accepted and Forthcoming “Crossing the River to Recovery: Rebecca Rice and the Performance of Black Feminist Theatre for Social Change.” Afrocentric Approaches to Teaching Acting/Directing Theatre: The Hendricks Method and Other Techniques. Eds. Sharrell D. Luckett and Tia M. Shaffer. New York: Routledge Publishing, Inc.

Submitted for Review “They Pink Dress Ain’t Done Shit: Performing Black Quare Activism at a Women's Gulf Coast Prison.” Book chapter draws from my research at a women’s maximum security prison in the U.S., whose Drama Club uses performance to address racist and homophobic policies instituted by the prison administration. For the anthology, Applied Theatre: Women and the Criminal Justice System, edited by Coaimhe McAvinchey for Metheun Press.

“Serious Fun at Sun City: Rhodessa Jones, Prison Drama and the Performance of Rehabilitation for Women Incarcerated in the “New” South Africa.” Journal article documenting how incarcerated women in South Africa appropriate a prison drama program to critique popular notions about crime, criminality and rehabilitation.

In Progress “Awuleth umshini wami (Bring me my machine gun): Mobilizing for Radical Change Through Theatre for Incarcerated Women.” Journal article argues prison-based theatre scholarship overlooks the importance of Black performance practices behind bars, and asserts that a Black feminist theoretical approach to devising and staging prison dramas is critical to incarcerated women’s political organizing from behind bars in South Africa.

Acting Right: The Role of Performance in Black Women’s Community Organizing From Behind Bars. Book manuscript that contributes to the emerging literature on law and performance ethnographies about imprisoned women’s appropriation of Black performance practices and prison arts programs for community organizing on both sides of the prison door.

FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS AND HONORS

Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Initiative Fellowship, State of Illinois 2009-2013 ($60,000) Competitive fellowship to promote graduate study by people of color from Illinois

Center for Legal Studies Graduate Fellow, Northwestern University 2011-2013

National Communications Fraternity Zeta Phi Eta Award, Northwestern University 2012

Ellen S. Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media 2011 Fellow at Columbia College-Chicago

Goodman Award, Program of African Studies, Northwestern University 2010 Biggs, Vita 3

Leo Bronstein Homage, Gallatin School, New York University 2006

President's Service Award for Leadership for successfully producing the 2005 & 2006 2006 Gallatin Arts Festival, New York University

Artist Fellowship, Washington DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities 2000

The Hattie McDaniel Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Faith & the Good 1995 Thing) at the Chicago Theatre Company, Black Theater Alliance Awards, Chicago, IL

Raymond K. Bryant Prize for Outstanding Performance, Theatre & Dance Department, 1993 Amherst College

GRANTS

Perform Midwest: Incubating Collaborative Research Project, Global Midwest Initiative 2015- University of Illinois-Champaign ($80,000) Bridges six universities, uniting students and faculty 2017 members around three artistic projects that challenge the stereotype of the Midwest as a homogeneous monoculture. I will collaborate with a team of other artists and scholars to build performance and engage in research on animal/human stories.

Individual Artist Grant, State of Illinois ($750) to build a new website to promote my artistic 2013 and academic work

Buffett Center International Travel Grant, Northwestern University ($2,500) to support ongoing 2012 research in South Africa with the Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women

Buffett Center International Travel Grant, Northwestern University ($2,500) to initiate research 2010 in South Africa on the Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women

Young Emerging Artists Grant, Washington DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities to 2001 develop and tour my solo theatre/dance work, Vigilante.Artist.

SELECTED RESEARCH AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“Demeter’s Daughter: Redefining the Role of the Performing Arts in Incarcerated Women’s Rehabilitation.” Paper delivered at the Marking Time: Prison Arts and Activism Conference. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. October 2014.

“In A Dream I Saw A Way to Survive: The Role of Performance in South African Women’s Community Organizing From Behind Bars.” Paper delivered at the Association of Theatre in Higher Education Annual Conference. Phoenix, AZ. July 2014

Performer. Stage Reading of Femmes by Gina Young, the winner of the Jane Chambers Award 2014. Women and Theatre Association. Association of Theatre in Higher Education Annual Conference. Phoenix, AZ. July 2014.

“Awuleth Umshini Wami (Bring Me My Machine Gun): Dance as Performative Intervention for Women Behind Bars.” Body/Space/Emergence. Drama Department. University of Pretoria, South Africa. January 2014. By Skype.

Biggs, Vita 4

“There Are Black Women in the Future: Performance as a Praxis of Possibility for Women Behind Bars.” Shakespeare In Prisons Inaugural Conference. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. 2013.

“That Pink Dress Ain’t Done Shit: Performing Queer Activism at a Women’s Gulf Coast Prison.” Association of Theatre in Higher Education Annual Conference. Washington, DC. 2012.

"Don't Be A Dress, Be A Woman: Theatre for Incarcerated Women in South Africa." Society of Dance History Scholars Annual Conference. Philadelphia, PA. 2012

“Serious Fun at Sun City: Re-Appropriating a Johannesburg Prison for Women’s Activism.” Program of African Studies. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. April 2012

“Performance and Prison Rehabilitation for South African Women.” Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. February 2011.

“Rhodessa Jones and the Medea Project: Theatre for Incarcerated Women in South Africa.” University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. 2009.

“Inside/Out: Staging Research From Behind Bars.” Performance Studies International. York University, Toronto, Canada, 2010.

“Why Walk When You Can Fly?: The Living Stage Praxis of Community Engagement and Mobilization.” Citizenship and Applied Theatre Conference. New York University, New York, NY. 2010.

“The Living Stage Theatre and the Performance of Black Women’s Community Organizing.” Radical Intersections: Performance Across Disciplines: The Inaugural Performance Studies Graduate Student Conference. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 2009.

“The Living Stage and the Performance of Civic Engagement.” American Studies Association Annual Meeting. Washington, DC. 2009.

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL THEATRE AND DANCE PERFORMANCES

Original Performance Work (Writer and Performer) Where Spirit Rides; Or, The National Black Theatre Festival 2013 Long Way Home Shadowbox Theatre, New Orleans Fringe Festival 2011 Rustbelt Revival, Links Hall, Curator: Holly Hughes 2009 Northwestern University 2008

Nervous Conditions Northwestern University (stage reading) 2010 (written with Lori Baptista)

Memory is a Body of Water National Black Theatre Festival 2004 (written with Tanisha Christie) Goucher College 2004 NY International Fringe Festival NY Hip Hop Theatre Fest 2003 Amherst College 2003

Silence Baltimore Theatre Project 2002

Vigilante. Artist. Amherst College 2014 Cultural Odyssey 2002 Joe’s Movement Emporium 2002 Biggs, Vita 5

Actor Color Me Dark (workshop) The Kennedy Center Ricardo Kahn, Dir. 2003 Big Love Woolly Mammoth Theatre Howard Shalwitz, Dir. 2002 Bee-Luther-Hatchee African Continuum Theatre Jennifer Nelson, Dir. 2001 The Southwest Project Arena Stage Rebecca Rice, Dir. 2001 Butterfly Belongings Living Stage Theatre Company Rebecca Rice, Dir. 2000 Oceans Living Stage Theatre Company Rebecca Rice, Dir. 1999 The Trial of One Short- ETA Creative Arts Foundation Paul Carter Harrison, Dir. 1998 Sighted Black Woman… Eye Plus One Lookingglass Theatre Joy Gregory, Dir. 1997 Home City Lit/Chicago Theatre Co. Phillip Van Lear, Dir. 1996 Faith & The Good Thing Chicago Theatre Company Doug Mann, Dir. 1995

Credits include Joseph Jefferson and Black Theatre Alliance award winners and nominees.

RECENT THEATRE PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE

Producer/Facilitator Occasional Play Monthly gathering to read aloud plays by contemporary 2014-Present Reading Series women and people of color. Michigan State University.

Director Tangled (stage reading) ATHE 2014 Black Theatre Alliance 2014 Lost State(s) of America Theatre Project, Northwestern University 2011 Theatre Department; Regina Taylor, Coordinator Justice in Red Tights Northwestern University 2009

Production Assistant Accompanied Rhodessa Jones of Cultural Odyssey to South Africa to help manage the 2009, 2010, and 2012 touring productions of Serious Fun at Sun City, a theatre/dance work featuring 30 women and girls incarcerated at Johannesburg’s "Sun City" prison.

PUBLIC TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

Directing Workshop. RCAH Theatre. Michigan State University. March 2015.

Panelist. “#BlackArt: Talk Back on Black Art and Popular Culture.” African American and African Studies Undergraduates, Michigan State University. March 2015.

Panelist. “Ferguson to Paris” African American and African Studies/Muslim Studies, Michigan State University. Feb., 2015.

Viewpoints Stagecraft Workshop. RCAH Michigan State University. Nov., 2014.

Facilitator. My Brother’s Keeper Middle School Student “Performance” Workshop. RCAH. Sept., 2014.

Respondent/Talk Back Facilitator. “Fruitvale Station.” Racial Justice Healing Series, East Lansing Public Library, East Lansing, MI. August, 2014.

Respondent/Talk Back Facilitator. “The House I Live In.” Racial Justice Film Series, East Lansing Public Biggs, Vita 6

Library, East Lansing, MI. May, 2014.

Facilitator. My Brother’s Keeper Middle School Student “Performance” Workshop. RCAH. 2014

Respondent. Justice for Renisha McBride Teach-In, Sankofa Black Graduate Student Union, Michigan State University. Dec., 2013. Respondent. “Fruitvale Station.” Broad Museum/LBGT Resource Center, East Lansing, MI. Sept., 2013.

ACADEMIC COMMUNITY SERVICE

RCAH Education Policy Committee, Michigan State University 2014- Present RCAH TLE Committee, Michigan State University 2014-Present RCAH Search Committee for Socially- and Culturally-Engaged Academic Specialist 2014-15 Michigan State University RCAH Diversity Committee, Michigan State University 2014 RCAH Dean’s Service Award Selection Committee, Michigan State University 2014 RCAH Emerging Visions Artists Residency and Exhibition Selection Committee, 2013-14 Michigan State University Organizing Committee, Graduate Student Conference in Performance Studies, 2012-2013 Northwestern University Grad Student Coordinator, Black Feminist Performance Summer Institute, Northwestern 2011 University Organizing Committee, Radical Intersections: Performance Across Disciplines - The 2009 First Inaugural Graduate Student Conference in Performance Studies, Northwestern University Graduate Student Coordinator, Radical Performance, Neoliberalism and Human Rights 2008 Summer Institute, Northwestern University Center for Global Cultures and Communication

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Actor’s Equity. American Federation of Television and Radio Actors. Association of Theatre in Higher Education. Chicago Dramatists Playwrights Network. Screen Actors Guild. Society of Dance History Scholars

REFERENCES Available Upon Request.