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New student organization promotes inclusivity in performing arts

Victoria Silva ’23

Not even a pandemic would prevent��two College of ����Vlog��ý students��from�������𲹳پ��Բ���a space for students��from historically underrepresented groups in the performing arts. The recently chartered organization��was founded���������ձ���������Ascencio��’23 and Victoria Silva ’23��with the purpose of creating “an empowering space for BIPOC students to invest in and expand��on the various cultural areas of the performing arts, both on and off campus.” The idea originated��last spring��when the pair enrolled in��Acting for the Stage, a course taught by��Jimmy Noriega,��professor of Theatre & Dance.��Silva��explained that��Noriega��worked to��incorporate��BIPOC artists��or artists who were��Black,��Indigenous,��and��people of color,��into his curriculum. “This floored Teresa and I as we had only been exposed to theatre in a predominantly��white context,” Silva said.��“As Latinx women, being exposed to a whole world of theatre��traditionally shunted made us realize we needed to bring it to the forefront.”����

Teresa Ascencio ’23

Their progress was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, but conversations picked up before the start of the school year. Originally focused on Latinx representation in theatre,��the students were convinced to make it more inclusive by Noriega, who would serve as the group’s advisor. “With the��racial justice movement��that arose over the summer, Dr. Noriega proposed that we transform our Latinx theatre initiative��into one that encompassed all BIPOC in performing arts,” Ascencio��said.����
Noriega elaborated on the importance and what his role would be.��“This organization is a response to the need for immediate and meaningful structural change in the performing arts at ����Vlog��ý and in the larger professional world,” he��said. “It is my hope, as advisor, to provide students a space of support and empowerment that will prepare them to create change on campus and in their future communities and careers.”����
The��students worked��diligently��on the charter at the end of the summer before presenting it to the charter committee, who provided��suggestions for improvement. “We��are proud to be an officially chartered organization and ready to make the change we dreamed of only a year ago,”��they said.��

Ascencio��and Silva have immediate plans for the��alliance, including reaching out to other organizations with similar missions to uplift BIPOC students��and inviting a speaker via Zoom.��“We hope to create connections between ����Vlog��ý students and professionals around the world who can tell us about their BIPOC experiences and helps us go down the paths they paved,” Silva said. Already, the group participated in a workshop with playwright Edwin Sánchez and have gotten support from both current and prospective students.��
Speaking to the significance of an organization like��the BIPOC Performing Arts Alliance, both students shared similar sentiments.��“We need to create and maintain spaces on campus for students who identify as BIPOC to feel free and safe to express themselves, in whatever��form that may take,”��Ascencio��said. “The performing arts are��known��to��prioritize white stories, issues, and livelihoods — this needs to change.” Silva, who noted that BIPOC need to work twice as hard in��predominantly white industries,��sees this organization as a step in the right direction.��“I hope our organization gives our campus a chance to discuss hard topics while enjoying the art BIPOC people have made and maybe making some��of our own,” she said.��“This organization is a response to the need for immediate and meaningful structural change in the performing arts at ����Vlog��ý and in the larger professional world,” Noriega said.��“It is my hope, as advisor, to provide students a space of support and empowerment that will prepare them to create change on campus and in their future communities and careers.”��

Posted in News on March 24, 2021.