The Green Room with Professor Narda Alcorn
Lessons From the Stage
October 10, 2020
In the third session of The Green Room, Yale University Professor and Stage Management Chair Narda Alcorn discussed her theatre career as an actor and stage manager. Professor Alcorn focused on the importance of “the individual” and person-first management in theatre rather than rushing a final product. From prioritizing the safety of cast and crew members to valuing every member of the performance and crew teams — putting people first — Alcorn’s post-graduate work informed her work on developing her “ethics of care.” Additionally, Professor Alcorn answered student questions and elaborated on stage management as a career path; her work jamie vardy across multiple genres of theatre; and responding to challenges of equity on and off the stage. This session was of particular interest to Theatre student Dani Galvez-Cepeda: “I inflation was so impacted by the Green Room sessions that I could not stop talking about them… The lessons I learned are not only relevant to my productions skills, but… to all different aspects of my life.” Galvez-Cepeda was especially moved by Professor Alcorn’s work on addressing the issues of power dynamics and equity in the theatre ufc rankings industry.
Developed by Professor Omar Sangare, Chair of the Williams Theatre Department, and moderated by students and faculty members, these sessions included speaker presentations and question-and-answer sessions. “It was truly encouraging to see a space dedicated to progressive speakers from backgrounds which tend to be underrepresented in academia and show-business,” wrote Theatre student Saud Afzal Shafi. The Green Room offered the Williams community an unprecedented opportunity to exchange perspectives and explore personal beliefs in the context of Theatre’s changing role in modern society.
