A Heroine’s Journey Through History

November 24, 2020 Incite Institute at Columbia University

*A photo I recently took at a Detroit railroad underpass on Trumbull St. A colorful mural of “Black Lives Matter” painted into the geometric design on a division between the road and nature.*

After navigating Sarita Daftary-Steel’s East New York Oral History (ENYOH) Project, a current MFA dramaturgy student, Kate Foster, reflects on her journey to uncover and understand her family’s history in Detroit, MI. She remarks on the benefits of agency in learning history and discovers connections between the ENYOH Project and the elements of a documentary play.

Beyond and Before the Curtain: Oral History Theatre of Toronto Chinatown Women

November 1, 2020 Admin

Women of different ages, colors, and roles - in a circle, weaving the glittering web for a night sky. This artwork piece is inspired by a song to make a beautiful metaphor communicating how powerful women are, in constructing the world. (Photo: Moll… — Women of different ages, colors, and roles - in a circle, weaving the glittering web for a night sky. This artwork piece is inspired by a song to make a beautiful metaphor communicating how powerful women are, in constructing the world. (Photo: Molly Costello Art & Design)

What does an actor/actress look like when off-stage in the real world? The human drama goes on beyond the curtain fall. In this piece, OHMA student Yiling (Nina) Zhou draws from an interview she conducted studying the history of Cantonese Opera in Canada and reflects on her oral history project. This approach was inspired by the recent OHMA workshop with Nikki Yeboah, whose oral history performance project, “The (M)others, explores the stories of four women who lost their loved ones to police brutality. Her process of theatre-making shows an empowering way in storytelling of women.

Review: “The Lifespan of a Fact”

April 11, 2019 Incite Institute at Columbia University

Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones, and Bobby Cannavale star in The Lifespan of a Fact, directed by Leigh Silverman, at Broadway's Studio 54.(© Peter Cunningham) — Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones, and Bobby Cannavale star in *The Lifespan of a Fact*, directed by Leigh Silverman, at Broadway's Studio 54.
(© Peter Cunningham)

As oral historians we are taught to value personal truths and “mine for meaning” as Portelli once said. But in the era of “fake news” should we be so quick to dismiss facts? Current OHMA student ventured away from the library for a night at the theatre to watch this play out in “Lifespan of a Fact.”

Review: Say Something Bunny!

April 4, 2019 Incite Institute at Columbia University

Oral history and theatre have many natural intersections, performances crafted from interviews and then re-interpreted and embodied by actors. But what about a performance crafted from an unintentionally discovered piece of audio, whose narrators the creator has never met? In this post, OHMA student Caroline Cunfer considers how Alison S.M. Kobayashi implemented oral history-like practices in her groundbreaking performance, “Say Something Bunny!”

Music lesson: notes on doing a public interview

December 18, 2017 Admin

Bud Kliment, a part-time OHMA student, reflects on his recent conversation with composer Julia Wolfe, and some of the challenges (and benefits) of conducting a public interview.

From an act of listening to embodiment - a further step in the path of compassion

December 15, 2017 Admin

In this post, OHMA student Yiyi Zhang (2017) reflects on E. Patrick Johnson’s performative approach to story-telling and its relation to understanding and compassion between people.

Representation Matters

December 15, 2017 Admin

OHMA student Samantha Lombard (2018) reflects on E. Patrick Johnson’s theatrical representation of his narrators from oral history interviews he conducted as part of research for his book, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South – An Oral History.

An Oral History Toolbox: a methodology for immersive ethnography

December 13, 2017 Admin

In this post, Oral History Masters Student Alissa Funderburk discusses the methodology of self-interrogation mentioned by E. Patrick Johnson, oral historian and Carlos Montezuma Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University, in his recent talk for the OHMA Oral History and the Arts Workshop series.