Joanne T. Dempsey Memorial Lecture: Ayanna Thompson "The Future of Shakespeare, Race, and Performance"

Location

Manchester Hall, Auditorium

Free

Please join the Department of English in welcoming the distinguished Shakespeare scholar and theatre practitioner Ayanna Thompson to the University of San Diego on Thursday, April 4, at 4 p.m. in the Manchester Hall Auditorium. Ayanna Thompson’s Dempsey Lecture is titled The Future of Shakespeare, Race, and Performance.

Ayanna Thompson is a Regents Professor of English at Arizona State University and the Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). In 2021, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Thompson is the author of numerous books, including Blackface (Bloomsbury, 2021), Teaching Shakespeare with Purpose: A Student-Centered Approach, co-authored with Laura Turchi (Arden Bloomsbury, 2016), and Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America (Oxford University Press, 2011). As a supporter of collaborative endeavors, she founded the RaceB4Race symposia and networking series for scholars who specialize in premodern critical race studies. Through this collective, she has received just under $5M in grant funding to work with numerous colleges, universities, and archives to create collaborative programs and events. Thompson is also known for her public-facing work with theater companies. In this capacity, she serves as a Shakespeare Scholar in Residence at The Public Theater in New York and currently serves on the boards of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Parks Arts Foundation, and Play On Shakespeare. She is a past president of the Shakespeare Association of America.

Created in memory of the late USD Professor of English Joanne T. Dempsey, this biannual lecture brings renowned scholars of Renaissance drama, literature and culture to the University of San Diego.

This event have been approved for 1 Compass/Connect/Passport point in the Career Readiness Program.

For more information, please contact the Dempsey Lecture faculty coordinator, Dr. Maura Giles-Watson, at mgileswatson@sandiego.edu.

This Joanne T. Dempsey Memorial Lecture is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English, Department of Theatre, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program, Department of Ethnic Studies, and the Humanities Center.

Parking and Campus Map:

When visiting USD, please plan ahead and allow yourself ample time to park your vehicle, pay at a pay station, and take the tram to your desired destination or event.

Campus map: www.sandiego.edu/maps/

Parking: visitors may park in the West Parking Structure/West Lot.  Vehicles must have a valid USD parking permit OR pay at a pay station or on the ParkMobile app between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, including vehicles displaying an ADA placard. After 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day on Saturdays and Sundays, payment is not required to park on campus, and guests may park in any non-reserved space. The pay stations on campus accept coins as well as Visa & Mastercard credit/debit cards. They do not accept cash or American Express cards. The rate for parking in metered areas is $2.50 per hour.

All paid parking areas at USD operate as pay-by-plate. This means that a license plate number is required when making a payment at the pay station. It may be helpful to take a picture of your license plate after you park your vehicle. Once you have made your payment, there is no need to display your receipt on your dashboard. Payment at all metered space locations above may also be made from your smartphone.  Download the Parkmobile App: parkmobile.io/.

Tram Service: a Tram service is offered free of charge from West Parking Structure up to the main campus. Take the “West Campus Loop” tram to the top of the hill. Manchester Hall will be straight ahead, third building on your right. The tram runs every 5 to 7 minutes. A complete tram schedule is available on the Tram Services Website.

Live Map of the USD Trams: on the PassioGo app https://uofsandtram.passiogo.com/ you can view a live map of each route displaying the vehicle's location.