Theater | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Sharon McCune has had a lot of roles in the Pittsburgh theater community, both on stage and off. Most recently, she starred in Quantum Theatre’s production of An Odyssey, and previously worked with Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bricolage, and other local theater companies. She also instructs future performers as a part-time faculty member at Point Park University.
2 comments:
I think it's so important for us to rethink how we look at classics, and I think this theatre is doing a great job with that. Classics are so restricted to a white male gaze because those were the only people accepted at the time of their creations. Amazing works that could have easily become classics in the theatre were hidden for a reason. The history of racism and sexism in the theater not only limits us in the current age but also limits our look into the history of theatre. It's so important at this time as we continue to expand the accessibility of theatre to retrace the mistakes we have made. To simply recognize the existence of “Black female playwrights in the late 1800s” is a huge step in a new direction to actively seek the things we have lost in theatre due to prejudice. The mix of the old and new that PICT has but together is commendable.
Sharon McCune, who last starred in Quantum Theatre’s production of An Odyssey, is working onc urating the ‘Expand the Canon’ reading series as an associate producer with PICT Classic Theatre. In the literary canon, the theatrical canon, even the academic canon, a lot of what is considered brilliant and prolific comes from white, male authors. There is not a lack of work by members of the global majority or members of marginalized groups, it’s just that the construction of the canon is another way to exclude them, particularly from academic, artistic, or theatrical legitimacy. With this new program by PICT theatre, which is described as presenting new and existing plays that “amplify the stories of women and People of Color”, this may be an opportunity to introduce new works to audiences and like the program is called, expand the canon.
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