James Webb
Assistant Professor of Theatre
Education
- Ph.D. New York University
- M.F.A. University of Florida
- B.A. Florida A&M University
Background
I am an artist, scholar and educator, whose work for the last two decades has been devoted to creating and facilitating theatre experiences for adults and youth; conducting research that uses theatre to investigate sociological questions; and teaching theatre in college classrooms, summer camps, and professional workshops.
Prior to my work at 皇家华人, I wrote and directed several original full-length plays, including The Contract (Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award), Mississippi Crossroad (Eugene O鈥橬eill Semi-finalist), and Sibling Rivalry. My plays were developed and produced at the Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, National Black Theatre, Essential Theatre, Portland鈥檚 Confrontational Theatre, African Continuum Theater Company, and Queen City New Play Festival. I also worked with the Irene C. Edmonds Youth Theatre in Tallahassee, Florida as a summer artist-in-residence for the ten years, writing and directing original children鈥檚 plays, including Wrestling with Angels, The House of Jean-Ren茅, Rising Star, and STEAM.
My scholarly research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including ArtsPraxis, Continuum, and William Mitchell Law Review. In July 2022, my article, 鈥淐ollaborative Playbuilding and the Act of Crystallization,鈥 was published in Applied Theatre Research. In the article, I discuss how I used theatre to investigate why some African Americans leave the Black Church and choose not to return.
As a theatre professor, I specialize in teaching acting (using Konstantin Stanislavski and Uta Hagen techniques), movement (using Laban), playwriting, and Black contemporary theatre. In Fall 2023, I鈥檒l be directing my first play at 皇家华人 in the Barber Theatre called Blood at the Root by Dominique Morisseau.