Staging Lydia: Contextualizing the African American experience through the lens of Art and Scholarship., Northwestern University Press, introduces Lydia Diamond, a Broadway and award-winning African American woman playwright to a broader academic and professional audience. This anthology will be a resource for institutions that serve undergraduate students and professional practitioners interested in a comprehensive examination of Lydia Diamond’s works. Not only does this book examine all of her plays, but it centers Black people within Black stories. This body of work speaks to the systematic racism that has contributed to the elitism that exists in American Theatre and American society. Staging Lydia includes chapters from both scholars and professional theatre practitioners: such as Kenny Leon, Chuck Smith, and Shirley Jo Finney. Staging Lydia positions the work of Lydia Diamond as an important African American playwright making a significant contribution to the diversification of the American Theatre canon. The volume includes an in-depth interview with Lydia Diamond discussing her work and experience as a woman and African American navigating through the American Theatre. Diamond’s plays explore the multifaceted realm of class, race, gender, and the ramifications of identity within the American landscape and serve as a witness for the need for equity versus inclusion in this country.

Diamond is the author of several published plays and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships. In addition to being produced in regional theatre houses, her play Stick Fly was produced on Broadway by Alicia Keys in 2012 and commissioned by HBO. 

The anthology will examine Lydia Diamond’s work through the lens of dramaturgy, directing, and design. Authors are encouraged to form essay topics that spring from their specific interest in and relationship to Diamond’s work. There may also be some opportunities to interview theatre practitioners as well. Please contact Dr. Shondrika Moss-Bouldin, if interested.

Submission 

Authors are invited to submit an abstract on the following plays: Voyeurs de Venus, The Gift Horse, Smart People, Toni Stone, Harriet Jacobs, The Bluest Eye, and Stick Fly. Abstracts are due no later than May 9, 2022. 

Each proposal submission must be in Microsoft Word format and include the title of the paper; abstract (250 words maximum), author’s affiliation(s), CV, and email address.  

Email your submission to: s@scworks.tv

Breakdown of Manuscript 

• 12 chapters (essays) ranging from 5000 to 6000 words in length  

If you have any questions please contact Dr. Shondrika Moss-Bouldin at s@scworks.tv

Important Deadlines:

Abstract Submission: May 2, 2022

Notification of Acceptance of Abstract: June 1, 2022

Final Manuscript due: November 20, 2022