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EFC Lecture: Centennial Tensions in Theatre Arts - Kim Marra
Mar 24, 2022
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
210 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240
Centennial Tensions: A Wider Reckoning
with the History of the University of Iowa’s Theatre Arts Department
Kim Marra, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts and American Studies
How does an academic department commemorate its history amid this world-changing time of COVID-19 and ever more urgent need for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion? How can it muster remembrance to account for its past at a predominately white, Midwestern land-grant institution while engaging current perspectives and future challenges? This presentation reconsiders the historical record to mark the Centennial of the UI Theatre Arts Department dating from 1920-21. Given that theatre in the department’s early decades was a more socially prominent as well as quintessentially in-person public activity, and theatre classes and play productions happened in the heart of campus, the department’s history offers an especially resonant case study of commemorative reckoning for the wider university community.
~ Sponsored by the Emeritus Faculty Council and the Office of the Provost ~
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact in advance at