Thursday Forum examines early 20th century black women playwrights
Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Deanna Downes
Coe Assistant Professor of Theatre Deanna L. Downes will introduce this month’s Thursday Forum participants to Alice Dunbar Nelson and Mary Powell Burrill — two African American women playwrights of the early 20th century.
Professor Downes will provide an overview of the plays and playwrights as well as guide participants through a reading of one of their works. Nelson and Burrill were able to bring black history to life through their plays, offering participants a glimpse into the African-American culture of the early 20th century.
War, racial and gender inequality, reproductive rights and social justice are just a few of the critically important topics covered in this forum — topics just as important now as they were in the early 20th century.
Thursday Forum lectures are held in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus. Each session begins with coffee and pastries from 8:45-9:15 a.m., followed by the class until 11:30 a.m. Each series concludes with an optional luncheon on the final Thursday. Admission is $35 for a four-week course or $12 per week. Visit www.coe.edu/thursday-forum to register.
For the remainder of the 2018-2019 academic year, the Thursday Forum schedule includes:
- Reviving the Plays of Early 20th Century Black Women Playwrights — Dec. 6
- A New European State? Catalonia Past and Present — Jan. 17 and 24
- Women in the Hebrew Bible — Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28
- Urbanism to Save Us All: How Cities are Reshaping our Social and Physical Lives — March 7, 14, 21 and 28
- The Count, The Duke, The King and Glenn: Music of the Big Band and Swing Era — April 4, 11, 18 and 25
Coe values its location and relationship with the Cedar Rapids community and looks forward to providing insightful forum topics. Established in 1851, Coe has a national reputation for academic excellence enhanced by a student-centered, highly supportive campus environment. Our success in offering superb academics and exciting co-curricular activities stems in large part from our location in a thriving urban setting that promotes student growth and success. As such, we welcome the community to participate in this event.