Author Description

Complicit Participation Is The Prevailing Framework Through Which White Liberal Allies, A Group In Which Preston Self-consciously Positions Herself, Participate In Theatrical And Other Institutional Efforts Associated With Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Initiatives. Preston Argues That The Current Trend Of Inviting Audiences To Participate In Antiracist Theatre Can Lead To Intense Emotional Experiences And Insight; But It Can Also Assure Participants That They Are An Enlightened Group Of Allies Who Are Battling Racism From Their Seats In The Theater - Without The Inconvenience Of Engaging In Activism Or Giving Up Their Privilege. The Book Addresses Immersive, Documentary, Site-specific, Experimental, Street, And Popular Theatre In Chapters On Jean Genet's The Blacks, Branden Jacobs-jenkins's An Octoroon, George C. Wolfe's Shuffle Along, Lin-manuel Miranda's Hamilton, Anna Deavere Smith's Notes From The Field, And Claudia Rankine's The White Card. Preston Analyses Her Own Complicit Participation And That Of Other Audience Members And Theater Professionals In Productions Of These Plays And Their Talkbacks Or Other Audience Engagement Programs. While White Allyship Is Often A Shallow, Even Defensive Performance That Enables White Supremacy, This Does Not Mean We Should Abandon The Work To Dismantle Institutionalized Racism And Advance Social Justice And Equity. Instead, Preston Argues That Recognizing The Contradictions And Complicities At The Heart Of Allyship, Inclusion, And Diversity Initiatives, As Revealed In Contemporary Theater, Can Lay The Groundwork For Full And Radical Participation In Antiracist Efforts-- Provided By Publisher.