Monday, November 15, 2010


Hi Everyone: I am headed to Texas to present a paper at the American Studies Association National Conference. This should be a very exciting year at ASA. My panel is entitled Pro Forma: Balancing Vested Interests of Blackness in Performance and includes papers by Anne Dotter (KU), Deborah Najor (USC) and myself. My paper,entitled "Chitlin and Caviar Binaries: Tyler Perry and the Building of a Folk Play Empire," discusses the impact Tyler Perry has had on African American theater and performance. My friend Imani K. Johnson from NYU is chairing the panel and should have some great commentary for us all.

The panel and paper titles are listed below. I will post commentary and papers after the conference. Have a great weekend-NHP


Pro Forma: Balancing Vested Interests of Blackness in Performance
San Antonio Convention Center: Room 206A

CHAIR:
Imani K. Johnson, New York University (NY)
PARTICIPANTS:
Deborah Najor Alkamano, University of Southern California (CA)
Iraq Is Not the New Black: Racial Acrobatics and Ethnic Narcissism
Anne Dotter, University of Kansas (KS)
America Pro Forma: Performing America in Translation
Nicole Hodges Persley, University of Kansas (KS)
Chitlin' and Caviar Binaries: Tyler Perry's Remixing of a Folk Play Empire

Monday, August 9, 2010

Show and Prove: Hip-hop Studies Conference NYU September 18th



Hi Everyone- I am a featured scholar/performer at the forthcoming conference at NYU on the future of Hip-hop Studies. I am presenting excerpts from my forthcoming book on Hip-hop Theater and Performance. The line-up is fantastic so check it out if you are in the NYC area. Check out the fresh conference description so eloquently written by my colleague and friend Dr. Imani Kai Johnson, who organized this one day event. See all my NYC people in a few weeks. I am sure you observed my vintage Hip-hop vernacular. Word.

Show and Prove: The Tensions, Contradictions, and Possibilities of Hip Hop Studies in Practice
A day-long symposium featuring new work in the burgeoning field of Hip Hop Studies through panels, discussions, performances, and more.

In Hip Hop performance communities, the “show and prove” attitude is one... that privileges action over words or the demonstration of skills over merely talking about them. “Show and prove” can also be read as an indirect critique of academics whose role, in the simplest of terms, is to write on the actions of others. But with a growing number of practitioner-scholars and generations of those raised on Hip Hop taking classes, writing, and publishing work on the culture, today’s Hip Hop scholars feel as accountable to the academy as they feel to their own cultural communities, seeking to give back in meaningful ways through their scholarship. From negotiating the academy alongside varied Hip Hop audiences, these scholars must show and prove themselves in ways that may be conflicting or contradictory while simultaneously struggling against the trappings of academic institutions that have historically objectified and even exploited such communities rather than recognizing them as active subjects in collaborative projects.

It centers recent work in Hip Hop Studies by a new generation of scholars. Hip Hop Studies is an interdisciplinary field, relevant to issues and themes including but not limited to culture, politics, religion, race, sexuality, gender, class, creative production, social change, identity formation, education, and history. Hip Hop’s propensity to push the boundaries of different genres persists when it enters the academy. All students and lovers of Hip Hop—whether they come out of the classroom, the studio, the stage, or the streets—are invited to participate.

*Co-Sponsors include the Performance Studies Department of NYU, the Center for Multi-Cultural Education and Programs, the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, the Hip Hop Theater Festival, and the Office of LGBT Student Services.
September 18, 8:00am - 8:00pm
Location: NYU Performance Studies
721 Broadway, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10003
'Show and Prove' is FREE and open to the public.

Schedule and registration information coming soon!


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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

KU's Diversity Outlook features Nicole Hodges Persley

Living in a hip hop nation - Oread, the KU employee newsletter

Living in a hip hop nation - Oread, the KU employee newsletter

NAACP ACT-SO Competition 2010


I was selected as a judge for national NAACP ACT-SO competition in playwrighting this July during the NAACP National Convention here in Kansas City. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how many amazingly talented young playwrights there are on the horizon. It was such a hard process to decide the gold, silver and bronze medalists. I feel very proud to have been a part of this and to be able to give back to the youth in my community.

Hodges Persley directs Sister Cities: Expanding opportunities for women in the theater


In June, I had the formidable opportunity to direct my dear friend Colette Freedman's beautiful play Sister Cities. The play was part of The University of Kansas's Summer Theatre season. I worked with wonderful actresses from KU as well as the inimitable Jeanne Avril, a fantastic actress from Lawrence, KS. The play ran from Jun 25-27 and July 1-3rd. Audiences had a great time and the feedback from audiences was fantastic. Here I post a link to an article from the university newspaper, The Daily Kansan,http://www.kansan.com/news/2010/jul/01/university-summer-theatre-promotes-women-theater which focused on our participation in the national initiative to establish parity for women in the American Theatre called "50/50 by 2020." Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Welcome to Nicole Hodges Persley

Welcome to my blog. Please bookmark or subscribe to my site to receive updates about my work, public speaking engagements, and upcoming events.

I am an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Kansas. I completed my Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity at The University of Southern California in 2009. My book project, Sampling Blackness: Performing African Americanness in Hip-hop Theater and Performance is the first study to examine the artistic practices of non-African American artists in theater, conceptual art and dance.

My research and teaching interests include African American Theater and Performance, Hip-Hop Studies, solo performance, popular culture, Performance Studies, and Improvisation Studies and Cultural Studies. I am currently teaching courses in Acting, Hip-hop in Popular Culture and African American Theater. I have received numerous fellowships and awards including a James Irvine Foundation Fellowship and an a Mellon Foundation undergraduate teaching award.

As an actress and director, I have professional credits in theatre, film and television. As a solo performer, I have performed at The UCLA Hammer Museum, The World Stage, UC Riverside Hip-hop Theater Festival, Harvard University, CUNY and The University of Kansas.