Associate Professor of English Scott Proudfit and the Contemporary Play Reading and Discussion Series at Elon are featured in American Theatre’s recent article “Train for a Diverse Theatre” by Editor-in-Chief Rob Weinert-Kendt.
Since the fall of 2017, Associate Professor of English Scott Proudfit and Assistant Professors Susanne Shawyer and Kim Shively in the Department of Performing Arts have partnered to create the Contemporary Play Reading and Discussion Series at Elon. The mission of the series is simple: to foster community and increase the exposure to contemporary playwrights heard on campus.
With an ambitious first year, the series hosted readings and discussions for 6 plays, including a world premiere reading of “The Inferior Sex,” a new play by Jacqueline Lawton. Funded through a Teaching and Learning Grant from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Lawton taught a playwriting workshop for students on campus and also worked with students and faculty for rehearsals and the performance of the reading.
Since the first reading of “Disgraced” by Ayad Akhtar in fall 2017, which explored the complex perspectives of what being Muslim in America means, students have gathered to read and hear plays that Elon might not be able to produce because of student demographics, audience and production demands. Other contemporary playwrights like Young Jean Lee, Qui Nguyen, Paula Vogel and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins have also been featured, giving students a more interactive experience with important writers from underrepresented groups.
The energy of the first year of the series carried into the 2018-19 series and Proudfit, Shawyer and Shively have partnered with the Hollins University MFA Playwriting program to bring playwright and teaching artist Kate Leslie to Elon’s campus. Leslie will teach a workshop and end the fall season of the series with a world premiere reading of her new work, “The Love Code,” on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Isabella Cannon Room of the Center for the Arts.
It is these opportunities for students and the community that caused Rob Weinert-Kendt to feature the Contemporary Play Reading and Discussion Series in his recent article, “Train for a Diverse Theatre” in American Theatre. While the landscape of American theatre is changing, training programs all over the country remain tied to traditional seasons which tend to be dominated by white, male-identified writers. The Contemporary Play Reading and Discussion Series is evidence that Elon is part of the change that has already begun.