A Hidden Figure: Beth Turner and Black Masks at the Crossroads of Art, Pedagogy, and Innovation

Abstract

This interview, with an introduction, chronicles Beth Turner's introduction to theatre, her work as a playwright, and her founding of Black Masks magazine. Like many periodicals, Black Masks, too, is a documentary magazine, thus capturing the people, plays, and moments that have shaped Black theatre and performance within the African Diaspora. As a result of its lengthy history and journalistic approach, Black Masks has traced the evolution of Black theatre for over 35 years. In particular, Black Masks has spotlighted pioneering and innovative theatre artists and practitioners, theater founders and administrators, and trailblazing teachers and scholars, who have received limited attention (and in some cases no attention at all) in other periodicals as well as in more traditional scholarly journals and collections.