Pandemic Panels
Theatre Activists Respond to a Year of Protests and COVID

We are living through unprecedented times in the midst of a global pandemic. Even as public health restrictions around the world have sought to isolate and physically distance us, we are finding new ways of reshaping collectivity and sharing presence. The pandemic has further laid bare the inequities of our social systems. In many parts of the world this has also been a time for reimagining equality. There have been mass protests in various countries in the last twelve months, concerning the fate of democracy and justice for all people.
In a year-long series of intimate, online conversation, we explore how arts communities are using a series of strategies to address the idea of collectivity in the present moment. From Minneapolis, New Delhi, Santiago, Nairobi, Wellington and Hong Kong, theatre activists share how their ongoing work has been transformed under the current moment. Together we think through how the arts can reshape our future world. Pandemic Panels, curated by Prof. Shayoni Mitra, brings together faculty from the departments of Theatre, Architecture, Religion, and Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures across Barnard College to join in these conversations as part of our ongoing exploration of how to be a more engaged, empathetic and informed citizen of the world.
2020-2021 Pandemic Panels Schedule
Panels held at 12 noon ET, except where noted
Zoom Meeting ID: 992 5790 1410 – Attendees will be prompted to register to get passcode
PP #1: September 25
Minneapolis and BLM
Moderated by Paige Johnson, Department of Theatre
Faye Price, Pillsbury House Theatre
PP#4: January 29
East Africa and Decolonizing Arts Spaces
Moderated by Anooradha Siddiqi, Department of Architecture
GoDown Arts Centre
PP# 2: October 30
India and the Migrant Crisis
Moderated by Shayoni Mitra, Department of Theatre
Anurupa Roy, Katkatha Theatre
Choiti Ghosh of TRAM Theatre Trust
PP# 5: February 26, 4:00 p.m.
Indigenous Theatres and Native Practices
Moderated by Tiffany Hale, Department of Religion
Tānemahuta Gray, Taki Rua, New Zealand
PP# 3: November 20
Chile and the Revolutionary Promise of 2019
Moderated by Eduardo Pavez, Department of English, CU
Guillermo Calderon, playwright
Hector Morales, director Teatro Chileno
PP# 6: March 26
Hong Kong and Umbrella Movement
Moderated by Nick Bartlett, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures
Wen Yau, performance artist

