Assistant Professor of Acting Kaja Dunn was recently interviewed for an article in American Theatre, a publication of the national organization, Theatre Communications Group. The article, “You’ve Got to Be Taught: Cultural Competency in Theatre Training,” addresses growing efforts to address racism and bias and incorporate cultural competency and equity into theatre education .
Dunn’s research targets reshaping pedagogy for theatre students of color as well as decolonization and issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in theatre and their application in academic, professional, and corporate settings. She has presented her work on “Training Theatre Students of Color” at the University of London Goldsmiths, Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) and SETC Theatre Symposium, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and The Association of Theatre in Higher Education, among other places.
She has also been invited to consult or present on issues of equity and diversity for Blumenthal Performing Arts, Actor’s Equity Association, Spelman College, Emory University, The Women’s Theatre Festival, MICHA, North Carolina Theatre Association (Keynote Panelist), George Mason University (keynote July 2020), Children’s Theatre Charlotte, as well as for schools and private corporations.
Recent publications include the essay "Hidden Damage: When Uninformed Casting and Actor Training Disregard the Effect of Character Embodiment on Students of Color," in Volume 27 of the Theatre Symposium Series, and the article “Training theatre students of colour in the United States,” co-authored with Sharrell D. Luckett and Daphnie Sicre and published in the peer-reviewed U.K. journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.
Earlier this month, Dunn served on a panel on “Anti-Oppression” hosted by the Voice and Speech Trainers Association.