MASTERCLASS 01

The Dramatization of African American Literature

A powerful, three-hour journey through the Black artistry and ts' representation in American theater, music, literature, and performance. Drawing from her residency at Texas A&M University and her traveling residency throughout California with the African American Educators Alliance, this masterclass traces the evolution of Black expression—from slavery, blackface minstrelsy, The Laughing Song, and the disturbing history of racial representation on stage to the emergence of groundbreaking Black artists and voices, including the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Marian Anderson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and James Weldon Johnson. Participants discover how these artists helped shape the Black arts landscape we know today, while examining the cultural forces that influenced their work and the ways Black artists transformed representation through their voices and creative genius. The experience is highly interactive: students are assigned dramatic stanzas from classic poetry, perform them before the group, and receive critique designed to deepen their understanding of voice, interpretation, character, rhythm, and the power of the spoken word. This is not simply a history lesson—it is an immersive masterclass in how Black literature and performance evolved, survived, and became a powerful force in American culture.