UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre Statement on Black Lives Matter and Racial Injustice
The Faculty and Staff in the Department of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte condemn the brutal murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police and other citizens. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement as voices around the world are raised in grief and outrage in pursuit of justice and equality.
Like you, we have different experiences, different journeys. Some of us are intimately familiar with what is happening, while others are just beginning to process the full effect of systematic racism. Though our personal responses might vary, as a department we all share an unequivocal care for you, our students, for your physical and mental health, and for your safety. As we see you fight and engage in dialogue, we are inspired.
We understand that standing in solidarity is not enough. To this end, we pledge to confront the ways in which white supremacy has insidiously taken hold in all aspects of our shared American Life, in our classrooms and our department. We vow to identify and combat systemic racism by doing the work to stand with those who have been most maligned by this terrible reality, and also with other communities that have experienced horrific acts of dehumanization and prejudice. We will examine actionable steps within our department.
As individuals and as a department, we have made mistakes, and we will likely make more, however we will be more vigilant and learn from those mistakes. We are taking a stand to hear you, but not put the labor solely on you. To those students who have spoken up and spoken out, we see you and we hear you. To those continuing that hard work, we see you and we hear you.
~The Faculty of the University of North Carolina Department of Theatre
A message to Niner Nation from the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
About the Department of Theatre
The Department of Theatre strives to inspire students to expand their vision of the world and themselves through the study and practice of theatre, preparing them for leadership as practitioners, educators, and artists. Our students engage with the theory, history and material conditions of performance and broaden their personal horizons as they encounter a range of aesthetic, social and political ideas and issues embedded in various theatrical forms. From this broad-based grounding in the fundamentals of the medium, students then opt to concentrate in one of the following areas: Performance; Design/Tech; Directing, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Writing; Applied Theatre; and Theatre Education (with the possibility of obtaining a North Carolina teaching license).
We offer a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Theatre and a Minor in Theatre. Coursework in the Department of Theatre is available to all students enrolled at the University, as are the auditions for our productions.
"My favorite thing about The Department of Theatre would be the staff and professors. Not only do these professionals care about their artistic craft, they genuinely care for us students and our personal, artistic, and professional development. If not for the faculty and staff at UNC Charlotte, I wouldn’t have found my calling as a future arts administrator or the confidence to pursue it." - Alex Gomes, BA Theatre Performance, BS Health Systems Management '21
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