Diversity Statements…Hear Us
Sign Up for April 28
Sign Up for April 30
The UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance will present Diversity Statements…Hear Us, a choral documentary drama, on April 28 and 30 in the Arena Theatre, Wright Hall. Performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free.
Directed by Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp and written by Kemp in collaboration with students in DRA: 199, the project is composed of interviews, conversations, and material written by students. In Hear Us students tell their stories of the intent and impact of the Diversity Statement policy at UC Davis. The interwoven narratives expose the complexity of DEI policies, their impact on students and the afterlife of the policies in society.
The performance is the result of students, faculty and staff who have a year-long engagement with Ping Chong and Company to create a fact-based performance (choral documentary drama) and film about the issues and impact of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Statements on students. This project was conceived by Kemp.
Hear Us was created through interviews and workshops with the cast members and members of the UC Davis academic community. The theatrical format of the presentation is based on and inspired by Ping Chong and Company (PCC)’s Undesirable Elements series. Kemp participated in training with PCC in 2018 and PCC artists Sara Zatz, Christina Bixland, and Jesca Prudencio led multiple workshops with the students in 2022-2023, and served in an advisory role and as creative consultants on the project’s development.
Additional creative collaborators on the project included Joyce Lu, PhD, and Oona Hatton, PhD, co-artistic director of Davis Repertory Theatre.
Ping Chong and Company (PCC) creates theater and art that reveal beauty, invention, precision, and a commitment to social justice. Originally founded in New York City in 1975 by leading theatrical innovator Ping Chong, today the company is a highly adaptive and supportive home base for multigenerational, interdisciplinary artists with generative theater practices. The company’s work is centered on innovation, collaboration, and community engagement.
The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
