Podcast appearances and mentions of Ayanna Thompson

How can educators effectively incorporate discussions about race into the study of Shakespeare and other premodern texts in the college classroom? Barbara Bogaev speaks with scholars Ayanna Thompson and Ruben Espinosa about Throughlines, a pedagogical resource developed by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. This free online tool offers professors a variety of accessible teaching materials for incorporating premodern critical race studies into their teaching. Specifically designed for use in higher education, the materials include lectures, syllabi, and activities on a unique and expansive range of topics that will continue to grow. >>Explore Throughlines, a free online resource for the college classroom at throughlines.org Espinosa and Thompson share their experiences teaching Shakespeare in diverse higher education settings. Their conversation underscores students' need for open dialogue and provides practical strategies for navigating these discussions. They offer valuable insights for experienced professors and those new to teaching, highlighting the value of integrating premodern critical race studies into studying Bard's works and other literature and history. Ayanna Thompson Ayanna Thompson is a Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University and Executive Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Thompson, an influential Shakespeare scholar, is the author of many titles, including Blackface and Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars. She is currently collaborating with Curtis Perry on the Arden4 edition of Titus Andronicus. Thompson's leadership extends beyond the university, serving on the boards of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Play On Shakespeare, and Folger Shakespeare Library. She is a Shakespeare Scholar in Residence at The Public Theater in New York. In 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ruben Espinosa Ruben Espinosa is the Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and a Professor of English at Arizona State University. He is the author of many titles, and most recently, Shakespeare on the Shades of Racism. He is the current President of the Shakespeare Association of America, and he serves on the Editorial Boards of Shakespeare Quarterly, Exemplaria: Medieval, Early Modern, Theory, and Palgrave's "Early Modern Cultural Studies" series. He is working on his next monograph, Shakespeare on the Border: Language, Legitimacy and La Frontera.

Shakespeare is ubiquitous in literature classes and theater, but the avenues of relating to his work are not always clear to young people and modern audiences. Some, such as Shakespeare scholar and professor Ayanna Thompson, argue that his plays make sense as living, breathing, adaptable instruments that can be shaped to fit the times. Playwright, director and professor James Ijames created a prime example of interpretation with his play “Fat Ham,” an adaptation of Hamlet that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The two come together on stage at the festival to talk about what makes a good Shakespeare adaptation work, and why people have been inspired to run with his work and messages for centuries. Oskar Eustis, NYU Tisch School of the Arts professor and the artistic director of The Public Theater in New York, where “Fat Ham” premiered, moderates the conversation.

In this eighth Episode of Public Square 2.0, the re-launch of The Public Theater's podcast, Public Square, we share a recording of the May 1, 2023 Public Shakespeare Initiative's Shakespeare Talks event, Let's Talk About Hamlet. Recorded live in Joe's Pub, this was a conversation with Saheem Ali, Ato Blankson-Wood, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Sam Waterston, moderated by Ayanna Thompson. Host Garlia Cornelia Jones, The Public's new and first ever Director of Innovation and New Media, introduces the Episode and drops you into the evening. Executive Producer: Garlia Cornelia Jones, Director - Innovation and New Media Creative Producer: John Sloan III, Ghostlight ProductionsAudio Producer: Justin K. Sloan, Ghostlight ProductionsAssistant Producer: Emily White - New Media Associate Graphics by Tam Shell, Art Director - Brand Studio Music Credits: "Baby I'm Stuck In a Cone " by Ge Filter Fish, Artlist.io "Latte" by Sunny Fruit, Artlist.io "Catch Me" by Russo, Artlist.io

The Folger: Hey ChatGPT! Could you write a six line Shakespearean monologue in iambic pentameter about an interview with Jennifer Black, Laura Turchi, and John Ladd about the challenges and opportunities that ChatGPT presents in the English classroom? Thank you! ChatGPT: Of course, I'd be happy to write a Shakespearean monologue on that topic! Here it is: Oh, how ChatGPT may bring the bard to light, And in the English classroom, set things right. With Jennifer, Laura, John to lead the way, They'll show the world what ChatGPT can convey. For in its code, a wealth of knowledge lies, And students learn, to their great teachers' surprise. Based on that monologue, Open AI's ChatGPT tool obviously believes that it can be a positive addition to the classroom. Should you share its optimistic outlook? Our host Barbara Bogaev talks with Jennifer Black of Boise State University, Laura Turchi of Arizona State University, and John Ladd of Washington and Jefferson College about the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence tools offer English teachers. Check out this episode on our website to see a gallery of Shakespeare portraits "created" by Open AI's DALL-E tool, responding to prompts including "Shakespeare piloting a Shakespeare in the style of Cowboy Bebop," "Robot William Shakespeare in the style of John Singer Sargent," "Photorealistic image Shakespeare in cyberspace," and "Shakespeare sitting on a cliffside in a jungle working on a laptop." Dr. Jennifer Black is a Lecturer in English Literature at Boise State University, where she teaches a broad range of undergraduate courses in literature and humanities. Her most recent publications focus on teaching Shakespeare online, leadership and ethics in Shakespeare's plays, and flipping the college classroom. Dr. John R. Ladd is an assistant professor in Computing and Information Studies at Washington & Jefferson College. His teaching and research focuses on the use of data across a wide variety of domains, especially in cultural and humanities contexts, as well as on the histories of information and technology. He has published essays and web projects on cultural analytics and humanities data science, the history of data, and network analysis. Dr. Laura Turchi is a teacher educator specializing in English Language Arts. She co-authored Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose: A Student-Centered Approach (Bloomsbury/Arden) with Ayanna Thompson and recently completed Teaching Shakespeare with Interactive Editions (forthcoming from Cambridge University Press ). Turchi is Clinical Professor in English at Arizona State University, where she directs curriculum development for “RaceB4Race: Sustaining, Building, Innovating” at the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published February 28, 2023. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. Leonor Fernandez edits a transcript of every episode, available at folger.edu. We had technical help from Shane McKeon, Kristin Vermilya, and Voice Trax West in Studio City, California. Final mixing services provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc.

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry

Today's guests are Dennis Austin Britton and Kimberly Anne Coles who have co-edited a special issue of Spenser Studies in 2021, on “Spenser and Race.” Dennis is Associate Professor of English at the University of British Columbia; his previous book Becoming Christian: Race, Reformation, and Early Modern English Romance, was published through Fordham University Press in 2014. Dennis is the former board president of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. Kim is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she has published Religion, Reform and Women's Writing in Early Modern England, with Cambridge University Press in 2008; and Bad Humor: Race and Religious Essentialism in Early Modern England, with the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2022. We will be discussing the impetus and contributions of this special issue, which features brilliant scholarship by Tess Grogan, Anna Wainwright, Ayanna Thompson, Melissa Sanchez, Eric Song, Urvashi Chakravarty, Ross Lerner, Andrew Hadfield, Thomas Herron, and Benedict Robinson. John Yargo holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His specializations are early modern literature, the environmental humanities, and critical race studies. His dissertation explores early modern representations of environmental catastrophe, including The Tempest, Oroonoko, and the poetry of Milton. He has published in Studies in Philology, The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, and Shakespeare Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

After a breathtaking episode on Othello last season, Ayanna Thompson is back to talk about her book, Blackface, which is part of our Object Lessons series. In this episode, we discuss the events that drove Ayanna to write this book, the history of Blackface up to the 21st century, how media weaponizes the notion of white innocence in contemporary examples of Blackface, and much more.

The Loves and I discuss their book The Redemption of Bobby Love, telling their story to Humans of New York and the amazing response they received, how Bobby had to get used to a new name, the importance of forgiveness, and more. Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon.  Other ways to support the podcast can be found here.   Thanks to Maggie Garza of HTX Real Estate Group for sponsoring this episode. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Julie Metz, Ayanna Thompson, Ly Tran, Cate Doty, or Joe Berkowitz.  The Redemption of Bobby Love can be purchased at the Conversations from a Page Bookshop storefront.       Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Mean Girls, James Bond, and baguettes all have to do with Richard II? Join James, Nora, and special guest Dr Ambereen Dadabhoy to find out! We've got scheming uncles, familiar castles, and improbable timelines galore in our first foray into Shakespeare's history plays. Ambereen is an Associate Professor of Literature at Harvey Mudd College. Her research focuses on racial and religious "otherness," in early modern English drama, particularly on plays set in the Mediterranean. She's currently working on a book on Shakespeare and Islamicate cultures, which dovetails with her interest in early modern forms of the "War on Terror." Ambereen's favourite Shakespeare play is Richard II. Check out Ambereen's most recent publication in the excellent Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race, edited by Ayanna Thompson. Her chapter is on ‘Barbarian Moors: Documenting Racial Formation in Early Modern England' https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/literature/renaissance-and-early-modern-literature/cambridge-companion-shakespeare-and-race?format=PB If you love this episode, follow us on social media @NAShaxPodcast and subscribe to get notified about new episodes!

Have you noticed how hard it is to remember the past 18 months? You might be dealing with historical amnesia, the process by which we collectively forget traumatic events in the past. Storytelling is a major driver of historical amnesia -- in science fiction, and in political rhetoric too. We also talk to Ayanna Thompson, author of a new book called Blackface, about how people have forgotten the history of minstrelsy in the US -- and why that's a problem. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Ly and I discuss her new book House of Sticks, the extent to which her father’s PTSD shaped her childhood, immigrating to the United States through a humanitarian program when she was three, writing about her family, the multi-layered meaning of the book’s title, wanting to provide hope for others who may experience similar situations, and much more. Ly’s recommended reads are: Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen Red Rock Baby Candy by Shira Spector Information for the As the Page Turns book club discussion of House of Sticks.   Support or sponsor an episode of the podcast here.    If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more like it, try Julia Cooke, Tovah Feldshuh, Anna Malaika Tubbs, Bridgett Davis, and Ayanna Thompson. House of Sticks can be purchased at the Conversations from a Page Bookshop storefront.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ayanna and I discuss her new book Blackface, her desire to encourage honest and sustained conversations about race, understanding the history of performing blackness and connecting these performances from Shakespeare to minstrel into one long arc, the need for the full rainbow of stories from black authors, the shocking number of blackface performances occurring in the 21st century, and much more. Ayanna’s recommended reads are: Being Property Once Myself: Blackness and the End of Man by Joshua Bennett In the Wake: On Blackness and Being by Christina Sharpe Black Feminism Reimagined: After Intersectionality by Jennifer C. Nash Please take 3 minutes and nominate this podcast in the Society and Culture category of the Quill Podcast Awards here. Support or sponsor an episode of the podcast here.   If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more, try Ty Seidule, Mateo Askaripour, Nancy Johnson, Anna Malaika Tubbs, and Bianca Marais. Blackface can be purchased at the Conversations from a Page Bookshop storefront.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BLACKFACE & MINSTRELSY - At its most basic level, 'blackface' is the application of any prosthetic to imitate the complexion of another race. In theory, it's a performance available to all, yet 'whiteface' is relatively unknown. Laurie Taylor talks to Ayanna Thompson, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University, about the painful history of ‘blackface’, an ancient European theatrical device that the Europeans brought with them to America. What connects it to Blackface minstrelsy, a specific comedic performance tradition rooted in slavery, and why does this racist practice endure today? Also, Christine Grandy, Associate Professor in History at the University of Lincoln, discusses the origins of the British Black and White Minstrel Show, a prime time, BBC variety programme which lasted for 20 years, from 1958-1978. She uncovers a little known history in which broadcasters, the press, and audience members collectively argued that the show had nothing to do with race whilst the complaints and anger of Black people were dismissed. Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with the Open University. Producer: Jayne Egerton

Ayanna Thompson discusses the history of blackface – a story spanning William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison Professor Ayanna Thompson, author of Blackface, discusses the long history of blackface performances and minstrelsy – a story that spans William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison. +++AFFILIATE TEXT +++(Ad) Ayanna Thompson is the author of Blackface (Bloomsbury, 2021). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackface-Object-Lessons-Professor-Thompson/dp/150137401X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

BLACKFACE & MINSTRELSY - At its most basic level, 'blackface' is the application of any prosthetic to imitate the complexion of another race. In theory, it's a performance available to all, yet 'whiteface' is relatively unknown. Laurie Taylor talks to Ayanna Thompson, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University, about the painful history of ‘blackface’, an ancient European theatrical device that the Europeans brought with them to America. What connects it to Blackface minstrelsy, a specific comedic performance tradition rooted in slavery, and why does this racist practice endure today? Also, Christine Grandy, Associate Professor in History at the University of Lincoln, discusses the origins of the British Black and White Minstrel Show, a prime time, BBC variety programme which lasted for 20 years, from 1958-1978. She uncovers a little known history in which broadcasters, the press, and audience members collectively argued that the show had nothing to do with race whilst the complaints and anger of Black people were dismissed. Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with the Open University. Producer: Jayne Egerton

BLACKFACE & MINSTRELSY - At its most basic level, 'blackface' is the application of any prosthetic to imitate the complexion of another race. In theory, it's a performance available to all, yet 'whiteface' is relatively unknown. Laurie Taylor talks to Ayanna Thompson, Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University, about the painful history of ‘blackface’, an ancient European theatrical device that the Europeans brought with them to America. What connects it to Blackface minstrelsy, a specific comedic performance tradition rooted in slavery, and why does this racist practice endure today? Also, Christine Grandy, Associate Professor in History at the University of Lincoln, discusses the origins of the British Black and White Minstrel Show, a prime time, BBC variety programme which lasted for 20 years, from 1958-1978. She uncovers a little known history in which broadcasters, the press, and audience members collectively argued that the show had nothing to do with race whilst the complaints and anger of Black people were dismissed. Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with the Open University. Producer: Jayne Egerton

Lois Reitzes talks with professor Ayanna Thompson about her book "Blackface," which looks at the history of the practice; Academy award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter about her exhibit "Afrofuturism," on display at the SCAD Fash Museum through September 12th; and Dr. James Chappuis about "Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel," on view at the Westside Cultural Arts Center through May 23rd.

Tips and Tricks 50th Episode!! "Dancing in celebration" Thank you Ayanna for the time and your patience! It is only right that you claim this spot as the BIG 5-0!!! Ayanna values EQ over IQ, as a creative, articulate, learner-centered educator with effective interpersonal and mass communication skills. She leads and facilitates discussions and opportunities that render personal and professional development thriving as both a team member and a team leader. Ayanna's career objective is to communicate progressive messages to individuals/organizations, with the intent of coaching them towards empowerment, growth, and success. Ayanna is a passionate educator who aims not to simply "teach" kids but to educate them. In this discussion, Ayanna "flips" the traditional classroom and engages students in a forward thinking experience. Enjoy this episode as Ayanna "turns the tables" on education --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/danielle-shelton/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/danielle-shelton/support

Scott Newstok discusses his book How to Think Like Shakespeare: Lessons from A Renaissance Education with Chris Richardson. Newstok is Professor of English and Founding Director of the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment at Rhodes College. Newstok is the author of Quoting Death in Early Modern England: The Poetics of Epitaphs Beyond the Tomb (Palgrave, 2009) and How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education (Princeton, 2020); and editor of Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare (Parlor Press, 2007), Weyward Macbeth: Intersections of Race and Perforance (Palgrave, 2010, with Ayanna Thompson), and Paradise Lost: A Primer, written by his late mentor Michael Cavanagh (Catholic University of America Press, 2020).

In the second of two episodes about Black Americans and Shakespeare, we talk with scholars Marvin MacAllister and Ayanna Thompson about the period between the end of the Civil War and the 1950s: from Reconstruction, through the period of Jim Crow segregation, and into the Civil Rights Era. We’ll take a look at landmark performances like Orson Welles’s 1936 all-Black Macbeth and Paul Robeson’s groundbreaking Othello. We’ll also hear a less familiar story that dramatizes the tensions surrounding Shakespeare in the Black American theater—one set at Washington, DC’s Howard University, where a young Toni Morrison played Queen Elizabeth in the university’s production of Richard III in the early 1950s. Ayanna Thompson is a Professor of English and the director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. Marvin McAllister is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They are interviewed by Rebecca Sheir. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. ©Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, "Our Own Voices with Our Own Tongues," was originally published January 28, 2015, and rebroadcast with an updated introduction September 1, 2020. This episode was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Esther French and Ben Lauer are the web producers. Special thanks Dr. James Hatch, co-author, with the late Errol Hill, of A History of African American Theatre; Connie Winston, Anthony Hill and Doug Barnett, co-authors of The Historical Dictionary of African American Theatre; and Jobie Sprinkle and Tena Simmons at radio station WFAE in Charlotte, North Carolina.

WNYC In Collaboration with The Public Theatre Present: Free Shakespeare on the Radio Production of RICHARD II https://publictheater.org/productions/season/1920/richard-ii/ By William Shakespeare Conceived for the Radio and Directed by Saheem Ali https://www.saheemali.com/ This conversation features director Saheem Ali, and renowned Shakespearean scholar Ayanna Thompson https://www.ayannathompson.com/ You can also listen to an abridged version of this conversation on The Public Theatre's podcast The Public Square https://publictheater.org/podcast12 and English and Spanish transcripts are available there.

From open air to on the air - RICHARD II comes to the radio courtesy of WNYC!  Multi-hyphenate artist Alec Stephens III sits down with RICHARD II director Saheem Ali and Shakespeare scholar Ayanna Thompson to interrogate the relevance of the Bard's work amidst a pandemic and the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement, and why shifting from a stage production to a radio play may be the future for audience accessibility. 

Phase III (Season 3) of the podcast starts tomorrow featuring a conversation about Richard II https://publictheater.org/productions/season/1920/richard-ii/ at Public Theatre devised as a radio play featuring Director Saheem Ali and Shakespearean scholar Ayanna Thompson.

Ayanna Thompson, director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) at Arizona State University, joins us to discuss The Public Theater's production of William Shakespeare’s "RICHARD II," airing in a serialized radio broadcast over the course of four nights on WNYC (7/13-16 at 8). Director Saheem Ali also joins the conversation.  

Ayanna Thompson is a scholar, activist, and self-proclaimed Othello whisperer. She is the co-author of Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose, the author of Passing Strange and Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage, and the editor of Weyward Macbeth, Colorblind Shakespeare, and the Arden Third Series’ Othello. In this episode, Ayanna Thompson outlines the complexities of Othello, the history of racism in theater, and the strides the industry still needs to make to reach equality. For any theater buff, aspiring performer, literature professor, or Shakespeare fan, this is a conversation you’ll want to join.

In Act 3, scene 4 of Othello, Othello tells Desdemona that the handkerchief he gave her was “dyed in mummy.” What does that mean? According to Lafayette College’s Ian Smith, it means the handkerchief was dyed black. In this episode, originally broadcast in June 2016, we talk to Smith and Ayanna Thompson about Elizabethan modes of blackface—which included covering a performer’s body with dyed cloth to simulate blackness—and how Smith’s insight changes how we understand Othello. Ian Smith is a professor of English at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. When we published this episode, Ayanna Thompson was a professor of English at George Washington University. She is now Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. Smith and Thompson are interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. From our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Originally published June 14, 2016. Re-broadcast August 20, 2019. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “Teach Him How To Tell My Story,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Ben Lauer is the web producer. With technical help from Tobey Shreiner at WAMU-FM in Washington, DC, Neil Hever at radio station WDIY in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Jeff Peters at the Marketplace Studios in Los Angeles.

Future Visions, Past ReflectionsHow do we think about the future in precarious, uncertain times? Can we garner insights from the past, drawing on the realms of religion, art and technology? Host Mary-Charlotte Domandi speaks to Jeffrey Cohen, ASU dean of Humanities, about his study of Noah’s Ark. She then talks about Shakespeare and race with Ayanna Thompson, ASU professor of English and president of the Shakespeare Association of America, and ASU Professor Andrew Maynard, who directs the Risk Innovation Lab and studies the future of innovation.

Future Visions, Past ReflectionsHow do we think about the future in precarious, uncertain times? Can we garner insights from the past, drawing on the realms of religion, art and technology? Host Mary-Charlotte Domandi speaks to Jeffrey Cohen, ASU dean of Humanities, about his study of Noah’s Ark. She then talks about Shakespeare and race with Ayanna Thompson, ASU professor of English and president of the Shakespeare Association of America, and ASU Professor Andrew Maynard, who directs the Risk Innovation Lab and studies the future of innovation.

Fred Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, welcomes professor Ayanna Thompson.  Professor Thompson specializes in Renaissance drama and issues of race in performance. She discusses the universality of Shakespeare while honing in on how he would have reacted to racialized readings of his work. Would he recognize that race plays a role in his plays? Would he agree with Thompson that one of his characters delivers “the first Black-Power speech in English”? What would he think of “Hamilton” and its non-traditional casting? These and other fascinating questions make for a memorable conversation with one of the country’s premiere Shakespeare scholars.

Fred Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, welcomes professor Ayanna Thompson. She specializes in Renaissance drama and issues of race in performance. She discusses the universality of Shakespeare while honing in on how he would have reacted to racialized readings of his work. Would he recognize that race plays a role in his plays? Would he agree with Thompson that one of his characters delivers “the first Black-Power speech in English”? What would he think of “Hamilton” and its non-traditional casting? These and other fascinating questions make for a memorable conversation with one of the country’s premiere Shakespeare scholars.

Director Peter Sellars once staged "Antony and Cleopatra" in a Harvard dormitory swimming pool. His King Lear owned a Lincoln Continental. His work is complex. But what confounds some audience members has also won him ardent fans. One of them is Ayanna Thompson, a scholar of Shakespeare and performance studies who is now director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. Thompson’s new book, the latest in Bloomsbury’s "Shakespeare in the Theatre" series, explores Sellars’s influences and tracks the predominant theme of his work: a laser-like focus on race in America. We talked with Thompson and Sellars himself about what can be gained from striving to understand the impenetrable. Thompson and Sellars are interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. From the "Shakespeare Unlimited" podcast series. Published October 2, 2018. ©Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “I Understand Thee Well,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Ben Lauer is the web producer. We had technical help from Andrew Feliciano and Evan Marquart at Voice Trax West in Studio City, California and Brian Mendez at public radio station KJZZ in Phoenix. Special thanks to Julia Carnahan, Peter Sellars’s assistant, for her help in making this interview possible.

Othello isn’t just a play about race, toxic masculinity, and the nature of identity—it’s a play that has influenced our own views on race throughout the centuries. But what did race mean in early 17th-century London? In this fifth episode of Lend Me Your Ears, host Isaac Butler talks to Queen Mary University of London professor Jerry Brotton, Barnard College professor Kim Hall, and Ayanna Thompson, director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University, about the history surrounding Othello and what it means to perform the play today. The actors in this episode are Will Sturdivant as Othello, Sid Solomon as Iago, and Emily Gardner Xu Hall as Desdemona. Slate Plus members get a bonus episode of Lend Me Your Ears every month. Learn more at slate.com/shakespeare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Othello isn’t just a play about race, toxic masculinity, and the nature of identity—it’s a play that has influenced our own views on race throughout the centuries. But what did race mean in early 17th-century London? In this fifth episode of Lend Me Your Ears, host Isaac Butler talks to Queen Mary University of London professor Jerry Brotton, Barnard College professor Kim Hall, and Arizona State University associate dean Ayanna Thompson about the history surrounding Othello and what it means to perform the play today. The actors in this episode are Will Sturdivant as Othello, Sid Solomon as Iago, and Emily Gardner Xu Hall as Desdemona. Slate Plus members get a bonus episode of Lend Me Your Ears every month. Learn more at slate.com/shakespeare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk with Ayanna Thompson about the future of SAA!

We talk with Ayanna Thompson about the future of SAA!

 Peter Sellars, the renowned avant-garde theater director, and Ayanna Thompson, a prominent Shakespeare scholar, will discuss the ways Shakespeare remains relevant in our contemporary American world. From expressions of black rage to the challenges facing systems of justice, they hope to illustrate how Shakespeare’s plays provide rich texts through which the most pressing problems in our world can be debated and solutions become, perhaps, imaginable.

This podcast episode, which deals with race, Othello, and how the Elizabethans portrayed blackness onstage, offers a startling, new interpretation of Desdemona’s handkerchief that is changing the way scholars understand the play. Our guests are Ayanna Thompson, Professor of English at George Washington University and a Trustee of the Shakespeare Association of America, and Ian Smith, Professor of English at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. They are interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. Published June 14, 2016. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, "Teach Him How To Tell My Story," was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Esther French is the web producer. Thank you to Tobey Schreiner at WAMU-FM in Washington, DC, Neil Hever at radio station WDIY in Bethlehem, PA, and Jeff Peters at Marketplace in Los Angeles.

"Our own voices with our own tongues" —CORIOLANUS (2.3.47) In one of two podcasts on Shakespeare and the African American experience, "Our Own Voices with Our Own Tongues" revisits the era when Jim Crow segregation was at its height, from a few years after the end of the Civil War to the 1940s and 1950s. Rebecca Sheir, host of the Shakespeare Unlimited series, talks about black Americans and Shakespeare in that time with two scholars of the period, Marvin MacAllister and Ayanna Thompson. The discussion ranges from landmark performances—Orson Welles's Depression-era all-black MACBETH and Paul Robeson's Othello— to powerful, though less familiar, stories from the Folger's hometown of Washington, DC. It also draws in later questions about African Americans and Shakespeare, including the role of race in casting choices to this day. Marvin MacAllister is an associate professor of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. Ayanna Thompson is a professor of English at George Washington University and a trustee of the Shakespeare Association of America. ----------------- From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. Produced for the Folger Shakespeare Library by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. Edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. We also had help from Dr. James Hatch, co-author with the late Errol Hill of "A History of African American Theatre"; Connie Winston; Anthony Hill and Douglas Barnett, co-authors of "The Historical Dictionary of African American Theater"; and Jobie Sprinkle and Tena Simmons at radio station WFAE in Charlotte, North Carolina.