Anita Gonzalez

Last updated
Anita Gonzalez
Education Florida State University (BA) University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD)
Occupation(s)Writer, Director, Educator
FatherCambell Gonzalez
Website https://anitagonzalez.com/

Anita Gonzalez is an American writer, director and educator. She is most commonly known for her works that discuss human identity, highlighting experiences based on race, ethnicity, and gender. [1] She has received a number of awards for her works, including the Shirley Verret Awards [2] in 2022 and the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, from the University of Michigan, [3] [4] and in 2023 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [5] Since 2021, Dr. Gonzalez has been a co-founder of Georgetown University's Racial Justice Institute and is the director of the Woodshed Center for Art, Thought, and Culture there.

Contents

Early life and education

Gonzalez was raised in New Jersey, and resides in Washington, D.C.. [6]

In 1977, Gonzalez began attending Florida State University, where she pursued a degree in theater. She graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. [7] In 1994, Gonzalez began attending University of Wisconsin–Madison, and graduated in June 1997 with a PhD degree in theater and performing arts.

Career

Productions

Gonzalez has written and directed numerous theatrical productions, including a number of pieces that discuss a common theme of human experiences through identity. These productions include Blood Wedding in 2009, [8] performed in April 16 to April 26, The Hunting of The Snark, first performed in January 2013, [7] Ybor City the Musical, first performed in May 2015, [7] Sun & Shadows, first performed in June 2015, [9] The Living Lakes, first performed in May 2015, [7] Zora on My Mind, first performed in September 2019, [7] Sunset Dreams, first performed in September 2021, [9] Waterflow, first performed in November 2022, [9] Courthouse Bells, first performed in January 2023, [9] Kumanana, first performed in June 2023, [9] and Faces in the Flames, first performed in June 2023, [9] for which she and Nathan Felix received an IDEA opera grant from Opera America in 2024. [10]

Publications

Gonzalez also is a published author. Her publications include Jarocho’s Soul: Cultural Identity and Afro-Mexican Dance, published in 2004, [9] Afro-Mexico: Dancing Between Myth and Reality, published in 2010, [11] Black Performance Theory, published in 2014, [12] and Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World, published in 2021. [9] She has also published journal articles, an interactive website, conference proceedings, and blogs. [9]

In addition to writing publications, Gonzalez also edits writing works in the Women's Innovations in Theater Dance and Performance: Leaders Volume. [13] She has edited academic sources, including Performance, Dance, and Political Economy, published April 22, 2021. [14]

Teaching

Today, Gonzalez works as a professor of both performing arts and African American studies, at Georgetown University. [7] She also has experience being an Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and a professor of Theater at the University of Michigan. [7] She is also a member of the Dramatists Guild, [15] the National Theatre Conference, and a founding member of the Urban Bush Women, with her work supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, NYFA, the Rockefeller Foundation the Mid-Atlantic Arts Association, the Bellagio Center, and the Fideicomiso for the United States and Mexico Arts Exchange. [16]

She also offers two online courses entitled Storytelling for Social Change [17] and Black Performance as Social Protest, [18] reaching over 50,000 students to date [9] and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a US honorary society and policy research center. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Alexander, Taifha (25 July 2022). "Black Women Scholars on Identity, Research, and Black Women's Studies: A Roundtable with Anita Gonzalez and Taifha Alexander". Medium. National Center for Institutional Diversity. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  2. ↑ "10th Annual Shirley Verrett Award Ceremony". Center for the Education of Women+ | University of Michigan. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  3. ↑ Kepler, Johanna. "Anita Gonzalez". The Power of The Performing Arts. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards". Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Professor Anita Gonzalez". American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  6. ↑ Finlay, Kiara (August 22, 2022). TRANSCRIPT WAG_20220822_GonzalezAnita.pdf (PDF). Georgetown University Library Repository.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gonzalez, Anita. "Anita Gonzalez (She/Her)". LinkedIn.
  8. ↑ "Putting an American perspective on Federico Garcia Lorca's play Blood Wedding – SUNY New Paltz News". 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Gonzalez, Anita. "Anita Gonzalez - Writer/Director/Educator". WordPress.
  10. ↑ "OPERA America Awards Fifth Annual IDEA Opera Grants to Three Projects by Nathan Felix and Anita Gonzalez, Danielle Olana Jagelski and Rhiana Yazzie, and Jorge Sosa". Opera America. July 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Download Cover Image Download book flyer Afro-Mexico Dancing between Myth and Reality by Anita González". University of Texas Press. Supadu. December 1, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Black Performance Theory". Duke University Press. 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Anita Gonzalez". Academia. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Performance, Dance and Political Economy In Conversation". Bloomsbury UK. Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Anita Gonzalez". Dramatists Guild. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Anita Gonzalez". Georgetown University . Washington DC. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Storytelling for Social Change". Michigan Online. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Black Performance as Social Protest". Michigan Online. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
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