Don’t Let Anyone Else Tell Your Story: Why We Need More Students of Color in the Theatre

Practicing her voice, Jennifer Asouzu enlightens us as to what it means to be a person of color in a major that does not accurately represent her. Bringing to stage a world many of us might not know much about, she relays what Theater means to her and how we can come to access a world of representations, voices, and performance. But first, by finding and owning our voices.

There are two things that are incredibly important to me: the arts and representation. As an African American woman in the College of Charleston Theatre Department, it is unsettling that I have been taking classes for what is now going on 4 years and I can confidently say that I have been cast twice out of necessity rather than talent, inevitably been the only person of color in my class, heard the phrase “colored people” shouted in a classroom, and seen absolutely no progress towards diversity. Of all these things, the last one is heart shattering. How can we claim to be an inclusive environment when we are taking the easy way out? Preaching to students and classmates that are already “in the Department” about how we need diversity will not change anything. You have to reach out beyond those four walls of CATO.

Please don’t get me wrong, I have had some of my proudest moments as a theatre major at the College. I have met some of the best friends, professors, and mentors that I have ever had. I have grown as an artist and overall human being. However, I want others to have the same experience I did.

Theatre is story-telling.

And, speaking to the African American community, we have an incredibly important story to tell.

A story of barriers, strength, and hope.

I do not want anyone else to tell that story for us.

Please do not let the stereotypical view of theatre turn you off. It is not just Shakespeare, accents, and dramatic deaths. However, as far as the College goes, it can be white-washed. Take a theatre class. Audition for a play. Direct a play! Tell your story. I do not think I have ever been more proud of a group of individuals than I have of our African American community at the College of Charleston. We have proven to be leaders, activists, role models, mentors, forces to be reckoned with. We need people like that in the theatre.