ArtsEmerson to host free public dialogue series

Besides innovative productions like An Audience with Meow Meow, ArtsEmerson will present a new public dialogue series this season.

ArtsEmerson has announced a new public dialogue series for its 2015–2016 season, titled “Naming Ourselves: Provocative Conversations on Identity and Representation.” The five free public conversations will feature discussions with artists and community leaders about various aspects of identity, including the physical body and race.

The conversations will be held at the Paramount Mainstage and Jackie Liebergott Black Box theaters at 559 Washington Street. Registration for the free events is required via 617-824-8400 or artsemerson.org.

An overview of the discussions follows:

Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 pm

Dialogue One: Exploring the Difference Between Real and Imagined Bodies on Stage

Moderator Polly Carl, ArtsEmerson creative director and HowlRound director, will lead a discussion with three artists about how performance can expand our sense of selfhood. The panelists are Tangela Large (of Daniel Beaty’s current ArtsEmerson production, Mr. Joy); artist and playwright David Adjmi; and Meow Meow (of the ArtsEmerson production An Audience with Meow Meow).

Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 pm (Part 1)

Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 pm (Part 2)

Dialogue Two: Interrogating Whiteness

In Part 1, novelist Walter Mosley will interrogate the notion of “Whiteness” and expand upon his call for a systemic transformation of the world’s racial, cultural, and economic assumptions. His talk will be followed by a discussion moderated by Future Boston Alliance.

In Part 2, Emerson College’s vice president for diversity and inclusion, Sylvia Spears, will lead an exploration of the themes found in the ArtsEmerson/Company One co-production of An Octoroon.

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 pm

Dialogue Three: Curation and the Politics of Listening

The ArtsEmerson leadership team will talk with moderator Abe Rybeck, artistic director of the Boston-based Theater Offensive, about how they choose what art to bring to audiences. They will also discuss how their curatorial practice is influenced by their own identities and the identity of the perceived audience.

Tuesday, May 10, 7:00 pm

Dialogue Four: “Some Other Race”: Exploring the Diversity Within the Latino Story

Tufts University Assistant Professor of Drama Noe Montez will moderate a discussion about the diversity of the Latino experience and how artists and communities create stories inside this breadth of identity.