Exhibit: New WORLD Theater's 30th Anniversary: A Retrospective Exhibit
The UMass Amherst Libraries will host “New WORLD Theater’s 30th Anniversary: A Retrospective Exhibit.”
The exhibit commemorates 30 years of New WORLD Theater’s unique contributions to the campus and the surrounding Pioneer Valley as an innovative cultural institution dedicated to presenting and producing theatrical works by artists of color.
An opening reception will be held on February 12, 2009, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., featuring a talk by founding artistic director Roberta Uno, “Reflections of New WORLD in an Obama Nation.” The reception is open to the public and refreshments will be served.
New WORLD Theater program curator and UMass Amherst theater professor, Priscilla Page, has compiled a retrospective exhibit of 30 years of the New WORLD Theater. In collaboration with Special Collections and University Archives at the UMass Amherst Libraries, Page has gathered and cataloged production material over the past year. A range of this material will be on display including photos, press releases, scripts, season brochures, reviews, newspaper clippings, and production research.
The exhibit consists of six display cases organized around four areas of focus: the early years with production notebooks, photos, and brochures; Project 2050, the New WORLD Theater’s nationally recognized youth program; Intersection and the Black Musicians’ conferences, national gatherings of regional, national, and international artists and academics; and a collection of research and scholarship including four major publications on multicultural theater emanating from the creative work and artistic production at New WORLD theater. The publications include Unbroken Thread: An Anthology of Plays by Asian American Women; Contemporary Plays by Women of Color; Monologues for Actors of Color; and The Color of Theater, all edited by founding artistic director of New WORLD Theater Roberta Uno.
New World Theater’s mission is to present innovative, contemporary theater by artists of color; to foster a creative community that exists at the intersections of artistic practice, community engagement, scholarship and education; and to promote cultural equity and the vision of a “new world” – one that embraces diverse cultural backgrounds, interdisciplinary approaches, widespread geographic roots, and a commitment to justice.
For more information about the exhibit contact Brian Shelburne at (413) 545-4061 or bps@library.umass.edu.
For more information about New WORLD Theater, contact Priscilla Page at (413) 577-0567 or pmpage@theater.umass.edu.
