Suzanne Burgoyne, KNFP-2, Professor of Theatre, University of Missouri/Columbia.
This article was originally published in the March 2003 issue of the KFLA Newsletter.
Quick Fact: Suzanne has been editor of Theatre Topics, is currently Professional Development Chair for the Association of Theatre in Higher Education, and has published articles on directing and American drama in Theatre Journal, American Drama, Theatre Topics, and Text and Performance Quarterly. Burgoyne is a 2000/2001 PEW Carnegie Scholar and is currently conducting research related to the scholarship of teaching and learning in theatre.
How have you, through your leadership, made a difference in one of your communities?
I have served two consecutive two-year terms as vice president for professional development for my national professional association, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). In that role, I’ve inaugurated a writing mentorship program. Since I was selected for a Carnegie fellowship for the scholarship of teaching and learning (2000/2001), I’ve worked with ATHE to engage my profession in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
ATHE joined Carnegie’s program for professional societies in 2001. Since then, we received a Carnegie grant to revise our white paper on scholarship in theatre (I served on the task force to revise the white paper), and I organized a plenary session on the scholarship of teaching and learning for our 2002 conference, a session that was well attended. The ultimate goal of encouraging a scholarship of teaching and learning, of course, is the overall improvement of teaching–a worthwhile goal.
I’ve also become more and more involved in working with a participatory theatre form, Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), which was founded by Augusto Boal. Brazilian theatre director, writer, and politician, Boal drew upon the work of Paolo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) in developing TO, a political and therapeutic form of interactive theatre As an engaged artist struggling against the Brazilian dictatorship in the 1960s and early 70′s, Boal was arrested, tortured, and exiled. Boal’s TO techniques transform theatre into a democratic arena where the spectator becomes ”spect-actor,” contributing ideas, taking over roles, and using theatre to confront problems such as sexual harassment, racism, poverty, homophobia, and all forms of exploitation or oppression. I’ve taught a course on the topic, done workshops in a number of venues, and helped organize a Peace Camp for middle-schoolers at my university.
What sustains you in your practice of leadership and your commitment to change?
Friends and community. I used to say I’d go to Kellogg seminars to get my ”idealism fix.” Now I have a Carnegie network, as well. I also find inspiration in some of my students. I’ve been fortunate to find some idealistic students on my path, and we encourage each other.
What is your passion?
My passion is theatre. I believe that theatre can contribute to making a better world. For instance, this fall I directed a new play by one of our doctoral students, ”Survival Dance,” which deals with domestic abuse. We held a special benefit performance for the Columbia Women’s Shelter, followed by a talk-back session with the audience. It was a moving experience for both cast and audience.
In a letter, the director of the shelter responded: ”In my fifteen years of working with the societal problem of domestic violence, I have had opportunities to see different artistic media about the issue of intimate violence. . . . This subject is rarely portrayed with an understanding of the overall breadth and depth it deserves. ’Survival Dance’ is the exception to the rule.”
One resident of the shelter said, ”The play triggered in me the need to do the work of integrating the girl I lost.” Another said, ”I have tried and tried to explain what goes on. I wish my parents could have seen the play.” Student response papers written for classes also revealed audience members relating the play to their own lives, in a variety of ways We’ve been invited to bring the production to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional festival this month, where about 1,200 people from around our eight-state region as well as a panel of national respondents will see it I think that this powerful and empowering play could make a significant contribution to awareness and understanding of the issue of domestic abuse.
How do you practice good self-care?
I do water aerobics three times a week. I schedule a monthly massage and also a monthly energy balance.
If you had to give an aspiring leader one piece of advice, what would it be?
Be both intuitive and reflective. Be yourself AND be open to change. Follow your heart, even though you don’t know where the path may lead you, but be willing to work on yourself as you go.
How are you different or what do you do differently as a result of your experience as a Kellogg Fellow? Why?
For one thing, I have more self-confidence. My Kellogg experience encouraged me to march to that different drummer, to trust my instincts. For another thing, I’m more involved with interdisciplinary projects. I know the value of being a ”generalist,” and I look for colleagues in different fields whom I can draw into projects of value to both disciplines.