Faculty & Staff: Faculty

Contact Info Dept. of Drama & Dance Aidekman 9 Medford, MA 02155 Phone: 617-627-6541 Email Professor

Drama

Monica White Ndounou, Assistant Professor
Theatre History, Dramatic Literature and Criticism, Acting

Monica White Ndounou, Ph.D. Theatre, Ohio State University;
M.A. English, University of Florida, Alumni Spelman College and University of North Florida.

Monica was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow (2004 - 2007) and an OSU Presidential Fellow (2006). Her interdisciplinary research projects span a broad range of topics. Her dissertation, The Color of Hollywood, discusses the cultural politics controlling the production of African American original screenplays, stage plays and novels adapted into films from 1980 to 2000. Her most recent publications include: "The Paradox of Acting for an African American Actress" in Consciousness, Theatre, Literature and the Arts, "The Nice-Nasty Politics of Fragmenting August Wilson's Legacy" in the New England Theatre Journal, and "Encountering Black Culture in Acting Classrooms and Beyond" in Theatre Topics. Monica has presented the findings of her work at the following national and international conferences: The Comparative Drama Conference, the African Literature Association Conference, the Mid-America Theatre Conference, the American Society for Theatre Research Conference, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the Black Theatre Network conference, the August Wilson Conference at the University of Maryland, and the Conference on Consciousness, Theatre, Literature and the Arts in the United Kingdom.

Professor Ndounou directed Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf in Spring 2010. Please see the following for a behind the scenes look at the production or for more information about the show see 'Voices of Redemption'.

Monica is also affiliate faculty for the American Studies and Africa in the New World programs. She teaches the following graduate and undergraduate level courses:

Courses Taught:
DR 10 Introduction to Acting
DR 48/DR148 African American Theatre and Film
DR 93 Performing American Identities
DR 50 Introduction to Film Studies
DR 294 Adaptation: The Cultural Politics of Storytelling
DR 293 Theoretical and Historical Development of African American Theatre

For more information please contact: Professor Ndounou at monica.ndounou@tufts.edu