ABSTRACT THE LIBERATION WILL BE TELEVISED: PERFORMANCE AS LIBERATORY PRACTICE by Kelcey Anyá Broomfield Performance and even vulnerability are not inherently liberatory or revolutionary, however when we set this intention, we produce a product and a framework that seeks to liberate not only self, but others. As one young woman attempts to make sense of the world by first making sense of herself, “The Liberation Will Be Televised: Performance as Liberatory Practice” explores the process of producing a product in search of collective liberation through performance. Following in the footsteps of many Black feminist theorists, the curation of this portfolio invokes a Narrative approacH, taking the reader on a journey of liberatory practice. THE LIBERATION WILL BE TELEVISED: PERFORMANCE AS LIBERATORY PRACTICE A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Kelcey Anyá Broomfield Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2019 Co-Advisor: Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile Co-Advisor: Julia Guichard Reader: Dr. Gwendolyn Etter Lewis ©2019 Kelcey Anyá Broomfield This Thesis titled THE LIBERATION WILL BE TELEVISED: PERFORMANCE AS LIBERATORY PRACTICE by Kelcey Anyá Broomfield has been approved for publication by The College of Creative Arts and Department of Theatre ____________________________________________________ Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile ______________________________________________________ Julia Guichard _______________________________________________________ Dr. Gwendolyn Etter Lewis Table of Contents Dedication………………………………………………………….…….………..iv Acknowledgements…………………………………………….……….………....v My Journey Towards Liberation; Framing Essay……………….………...………1 Finding Black Feminism …………………….……………….……..……..3 Inspirations……………………………………………….………..……….5 Creating……………………………………….………………………....….8 Playwriting……………………………………….…………………….….23 Designing………………………………………………………………….25 Performing…………………………………………………………...……27 Being…………………………………………………………………...….30 Becoming……………………………………………………………….…33 Conclusion……………………………………….…………………….….37 Script……………………………………………………………………..……….38 Media……………………………………………………………………………..55 Cut Scenes……………………………………………………………...……..…..56 Testimonials…………………………………………………….……………..….57 Telling Our Own Stories: Exploring the Self-definition and Self-valuation of Black Female Characters in Performance tHrougH Narrative……………...……..59 D.I.V.A. Institute…………………………………………………………………71 Annotated BibliograpHy…………………………………………………………. 73 iii Dedication To my great grandmotHer, who was tHe granddaughter of a slave, who worked as “tHe Help” and died with only an 8th grade education, unable to read. To my grandmother who was forced to take a bus 45 minutes away to the ‘colored scHool’, wHo had to wait until all five of her grandchildren were born before receiving her Bachelor’s degree. To my motHer who taugHt me to never give up no matter who Hard things get, wHo instilled the importance of education and to never let anything get in the way of my education. With two kids in tow, you showed me how to get it done! I dedicate my thesis to you three, who raised the badass feminist that I am today. I wouldn’t be wHo I am or wHere I am today, witHout you and what you have done for our family. I truly am my ancestors’ wildest dreams. iv Acknowledgements Glory and tHanks be to my Lord and Savior Jesus CHrist for guiding me every step of this journey. I would be remised if I didn’t first acknowledge my mentor and friend, Torie Wiggins for tHe time sHe selflessly put in being director, dramaturg, counselor, cheerleader and anytHing else tHat I needed Her to be over tHe past two years. I couldn’t possibly begin to tHank you enougH. To my committee members Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile, Julia GuicHard and Dr. Gwendolyn Etter Lewis, tHank you for your time and assistance on this journey. To my production team; AsHley Dunn (stage manager) for jumping at tHe opportunity to help me without so much as a second thought, to Emma Wott (ligHting designer) for not only design amazing ligHts, but also being tHe first designer to get the lights to work in that space in two years, to Holly West (sound designer) for the awesome work you put in to bring the atmosphere to life and to Yodit Gebreab and Anyssa Selkirk (production crew) two amazing friends who cheered me, gave great pep talks and who took the time out without question to put on an amazing production. Out of the Box wouldn’t exist off tHe page witHout eacH of you. THANK YOU!! To #GirlGrads2k19, Stormi, RacHel, Kelley and Mackenzie: Wow! What a wild ride we endured togetHer. THis was one crazy roller coaster of a two years, but I truly would not have wanted to ride it out with anyone else. You girls have taugHt me so mucH and I can only Hope tHat I Have imparted tHe same. To my tribe. To tHe Black women who actively stood in my corner and reminded me tHat we get it done, no matter what, THANK YOU! WHen I tHougHt I wouldn’t make it, it was eacH of you who lifted my Head, Held my arms up, prayed for and encouraged me. THere are too many to name, but I am thankful your sHoulders to stand on. Thank you for reminding me daily of wHo I am and wHose I am! Lastly, to my parents wHo instilled in me tHat I could do anytHing I put my mind to and to never give up; this is for you! v My Journey Towards Liberation “Significantly, she had to imagine herself in the space of childhood, to look again from that perspective, to remember "crucial information, answers to questions which had gone unanswered throughout [her] study of philosophy and psychoanalysis."' When our lived experience of theorizing is fundamentally linked to processes of self-recovery, of collective liberation, no gap exists between theory and practice. Indeed, what such experience makes more evident is the bond between the two-that ultimately reciprocal process wherein one enables the other.” – bell Hooks “Theory as Liberatory Practice”1 It is important for me to begin this creative portfolio by welcoming you on my personal journey towards liberation. It is a journey and like most journeys, things aren’t always linear. Sometimes we take a few steps forward, a few backwards and at times we spin around in a circle not knowing which way to go. As I began this project, I did so with two hopes in mind; 1) to make sense of myself and what I was feeling and 2) inspire others to do the same. While I had no idea how the final product would unfold, I was motivated throughout by these two key hopes. In the Spring of 2019, I was introduced to bell hooks’ Theory as Liberatory Practice. I read the article and cried. I cried because I felt seen, I cried because I finally felt understood. I had spent the better part of my graduate experience feeling misunderstood and either invisible or visible for all the wrong reasons. I had to try to make sense of all that I was experiencing and if possible, begin to shift its impact on me. Like hooks, I came to theory tHrough pain. I was hurting and it was a deeply rooted pain. It was a pain stemming from years of neglecting childhood traumatic experiences. It was a pain stemming from trying to remain in boxes I had completely outgrown. It was a pain stemming from not allowing myself to live truthfully and holistically. The creation of this project wasn’t motivated by school nor the desire to graduate but was motivated by a need for liberation. I was tired of feeling how I felt. In an effort to make sense of where I was, I followed hooks’ lead, “imagine [myself] in the space of childhood, to look again from that perspective, to remember ‘crucial information, answers to questions which had gone unanswered’.” How did I get here? The answer was in my childhood. Thus, began the birthing process of Out of the Box. How could I explore my childhood through performance? How could I share my journey to this current moment in time in a way that allows others in on it? The answer for me was to write it in a play and perform it. The writing process would be cathartic for 1 hooks, bell “Theory as Liberatory Practice,” Yale Journal of Law & Feminism: Vol. 4. Issue 1, Article 2. http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yjlf/vol4/iss1/2 1 me, allowing me the time to process my experiences and the performance would allow me to invite others in. That was how I was going to tackle my hopes of making sense of myself and encouraging others to do the same while still moving towards graduation. A win all the way around. It sounded simple enough, yet little did I know how much work, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, I had signed myself up for. That being said, today, I am liberated. I am free. I feel lighter than I have ever felt in my life. I put myself out there, I challenged myself by telling my story. I invited others to confront their own boxes and challenged them to destroy them. “When our lived experience of theorizing is fundamentally linked to processes of self-recovery, of collective liberation, no gap exists between theory and practice.”2 My process, my journey in search of my own liberation, merged the worlds of theory and practice; I conflated the divided line, by developing my own liberatory practice through performance. In the curation of this portfolio, I quickly discovered that there is no other way of formatting my process, than through taking you on my journey. As you read through this portfolio, I will take you through my quest for liberation by developing a liberatory practice through performance. Beginning with my discovery of Black feminism, what creative works inspired me to write Out of the Box, continuing with my playwrighting, designing and performing processes, exploration of being who I was and who I am today, and concluding with a declaration towards becoming the woman I desire to be, it is my hopes that you are able to follow and understand how I made sense of my world through theory and performance.