In “Diversifying Approaches to Acting” Sharrell D. Luckett gives a new perspective on actor training, while also providing a historical overview of the field of “black acting methods,” the Luckett Paradigm, and the book that has further mobilized the most recent wave of advocacy work to diversify actor training programs. Q&A included.
Sharrell D. Luckett, PhD, is founding Director of the Black Acting Methods Studio and Director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama and Playwriting at the University of Cincinnati (UC). At UC, she is also a Drama and Performance Studies professor in the Department of English & Comparative Literature, affiliate faculty in the departments of Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and collaborates with the Acting and Musical Theatre concentrations in the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). A sought-after artist and speaker, Luckett has had residencies at renowned institutions, such as the Lincoln Center, Harvard University and 92Y. She is lead editor of Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches, author of YoungGiftedandFat, author of Transweight, editor of African American Arts: Activism, Aesthetics, and Futurity, and co-editor of Tarell Alvin McCraney: Theater, Performance, and Collaboration. Always on the cutting edge, upcoming projects include a book about Luckett’s methodology (The Luckett Paradigm) and a book about the historical significance of the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta.