You Know You Have the Power, Right?

Our thirteenth installment features Dr. Daphnie Sicre, with our host Courtney J. Boddie from the Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie Podcast, who fights for a Social Justice Arts Education (SJAE) curriculum where artistic expression, representation and public policy are at the forefront. If it does not have a social justice component, count her out. 

“I cannot separate who I am from my practice,” says Dr. Sicre. Who for the past 20+ years has used her LatinX heritage and focus in Black theater to question issues surrounding race, which led towards a doctoral journey. Dr. Sicre believed graduate school was the necessary aid in the investigation of theater arts curriculum, specifically questioning the lack of diversity. 

Why are resources not holistically representing all students? How do we organically influence curriculum? What techniques can aid us in dismantling the White Eurocentric canon? 

Late Spring was the catalyst that demanded individuals to speak about race. For example, the Black Lives Matter Statements we have seen populate with arts organizations nationwide. What we find, however, is that people dabbling in social justice are not having enough pointed conversations with outsiders: A sense of ease occurs speaking amongst the like minded, but poses difficulty with others. Why? Perhaps the sense of trust, the weight it takes convincing people daily about proper humanity, etc. Yet, an urgency to integrate these difficult conversations exists because intent must be analyzed. If a Predominately White Institution (PWI) wants to invest in SJAE but has no traces of diversity in their makeup, that is suspect. Fortunately/Unfortunately, funding trends have an impact, and right now Diversity/Equity/Accessibility/Inclusion (DEAI) is hot. This means that we have to be wary of both mission creep and inauthentic operations from arts organizations. 

For individuals that desire authentic transactions in the arts world, such as Dr. Sicre, the time to create “ripple effects'' is now. Arts practitioners must embed anti-racist practice into the curriculum to plant seed of racial justice into newer generations, this way the future sprouts individuals who demand progressive action from organizations. Currently, we have a generation of individuals who acknowledge their robbed education. This type of behavior from the educational system cannot continue to transpire. 

There is beauty in COVID-19, because it forces individuals to rethink everything. 

Join us next week when Courtney interviews Takiema Bunche Smith and Jody Drezner Alperin. Takiema Bunche Smith has worked as an executive leader, education professional, and parent activist, for over two decades. By providing culturally responsive leadership at the intersection of theory, policy and practice, she envisions and builds a culture of anti-oppression and racial equity for children, adults and communities at large. Jody Drezner Alperin is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Off The Page, an arts education and theatre company. Off The Page works with young people in and outside of school, exploring issues they are most passionate about and creating new works of theatre with them and for them.

Dr. Daphnie Sicre is an assistant professor of Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches directing, solo performance, Latinx theatre and theatre for social change. She shares a deep passion for discovering multiple Latinx and African-American perspectives in theatre. Focusing on Afro-Latinx performance, she completed her Ph.D. at NYU. Her latest publication is a co-authored article entitled “Training Theatre Students of Color in the United States” in the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Training journal and a book chapter in The Routledge Companion to African American Theatre and Performance entitled, “Afro-Latinx Themes in Theatre Today”. Other publications include, “#UnyieldingTruth: Employing the Culturally Responsive Pedagogy” from the book Black Acting Methods and “Bilingual Storytelling and Puppetry with Head Start Children” from the book, The Arts and English Language Learners. Currently she is working on two book chapters, “A Time of Protest; Exploring Activism through Theatre of the Oppressed and Hip-Hop Pedagogy” in Dynamic Bodies, Emerging Voices- Racializing and Decolonizing Actor Pedagogy and “Romeo y Julieta; Staging Shakespeare in the Park in Miami” for Latinx Shakespeare: Performance, Appropriation and Pedagogy as well as a journal article entitled, "Afro-Latinidad: Being Black and Latinx in Theatre Today in Theatre Symposium. During the pandemic, she helped compile the document, "Teaching Theatre Online: A Shift in Pedagogy Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak" which has been used across the country, as well as in England, Australia, and Ireland.  

Engaging in anti-racist and cultural competent theatre practices, Daphnie facilitates Theatre of the Oppressed workshops remixed with Hip Hop Pedagogy to teach about equity, diversity and inclusion in theatre. She also co-created We Are the Canon, anti-racist theatre pedagogy workshops.  When she is not writing, teaching, or conducting workshops, she can be found directing or serving as a dramaturge. She recently directed the following Zoom production: Talking Peace by France-Luce Benson (Fountain Theatre, a stage reading of Waiting for Godinez by Daniel Olivas (Playwrights’ Arena) and podcast reading of Ash & Feather by Sharon Francis’s. Her LMU debut was In the Heights and next year she will direct Diversity Awareness Picnic by Leah Nanako Winkler at LMU. Select New York City directing credits include: Jose Casas’s 14, Shower Me at the FringeNYC, Stranger for Stage Black, where she won Best Director and the AUDELCO nominated Not About Eve.

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