W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Somebody: Prof. Kathryn Bentley & The Du Theatre Tradition

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Somebody: Prof. Kathryn Bentley & The Du Theatre Tradition

Interview Conducted 10/16/2011

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."
~Zora Neale Hurston (Brainy Quote, 2011)

Kathryn Bentley's title is associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). She is also the director of SIUE's Black Theatre Workshop. She has taught at SIUE for 6 years under her current title and 2 years before as an adjunct professor. Whereas Prof. Bentley is an academic practicing her craft in a traditional accredited institute of higher learning, I am more of a grassroots educational maverick, operating my projects under an incorporated umbrella entity, The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc., where I operate as a consultant and community advocate within as well as outside the traditional educational paradigm. Prof. Bentley has been interested for awhile in exploring the history and tradition of the enslaved African theatre in North America. However, most recently she started research that focuses on a form of theatre done in Suriname, South America, called "Du Theatre" which was originated by slaves. She was introduced to her current research project by Dr. Aminata Cairo. She met Dr. Cairo a few years ago at a mixer for new black faculty. Dr. Cairo's family is from Suriname, but she was born and raised in the Netherlands. Suriname is a former Dutch colony and was formerly known as Dutch Guyana. She saw this as a golden opportunity because Dr. Cairo told her that there was nothing written in English about the Du Theatre tradition. "I became very interested because I am very interested in the slavery theatre of North America just never thought about the possibility of looking at theatre created by enslaved Africans in South America so last summer (2010) I traveled with her to Suriname and stayed for a few weeks where I was able to do some initial interviews with some of the purveyors of the theatre tradition and I taught some acting classes to some young people."
Read More:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2012/01/we-all-be-somebody-prof-kathryn-bentley.html


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Category:

Education

Tags:

• kathryn bentley
• du theatre
• black history
• zora neale hurston
• suriname
• theatre
• katherine dunham
• Aminata Cairo