Abstract
There are several unique pressures that exist for students of color that enter the historically white campus. Those entering such a space, one established and defined by action to uphold a standard of whiteness, will seek spaces for themselves where the implicit characteristics allow for some relief from these pressures. Vanderbilt University, University of Georgia, and Emory University are all such institutions located in comparable settings, all have a history of resisting integration or, at one point, being an all-white space. The legacy of these histories continue in the pressures that persist. Student theater, defined as that which is run by and for students, independent of faculty input, and with students organizing at all levels, can be one of those many extracurricular spaces where students of color may seek a space of acceptance, belonging and community within their historically white institution. It has those qualities of collaboration, identity exploration, creativity and expression that could provide unique ability to respond to the needs of students of color. To evaluate and characterize these student theater spaces, semi-structured interviews were conducted with undergraduate students from the aforementioned universities that participate in student theater, regardless of major or background. First, a review of current literature was gathered on the challenges of navigating a historically white institution, the properties and benefits of space being created and the qualities of theater that may alleviate those pressures that exist for students of color. This review was used to generate several questions through which the interview responses were gathered. After conducting the interviews, their responses were synthesized for common threads and interesting trends. The result of the analysis showed that student theater acted as a space for students of color to be vulnerable and authentic outside of the way they were expected to be navigating a historically white institution. Casting and tension with roles was a pressure alleviated by identity-specific student theater spaces, but the factors that drew students to different spaces varied based on identity. Community and mentorship were major benefits to identity-specific spaces, and non-specific spaces could improve their internal diversity efforts.
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