The American Anthropological Association and The Anthropologists, a New York-based theatre Group, are pleased to announce an opportunity for an AAA member to collaborate with the theatre Group in the initial development phase of a new work that will focus on the history and embodied wisdom of doulas and midwives, celebrating the traditional knowledge held in the Black birth worker community, and examining maternal mortality.
Initial research will begin in February 2023, with a workshop and public presentation scheduled for summer 2023.
Thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous donor, the individual selected for this Anthropologist-in-Residence position will receive a $5000 stipend from the AAA. They will need to be available for regular in-person collaborations with the Group in New York City, on a schedule yet to be determined. As part of the initial development phase, the Group will be hosting a series of Community Action Workshops for theatrical brainstorming.
About the theatre Group: The Anthropologists (the Group) is dedicated to the collaborative creation of investigative theatre that inspires action. Fusing research, expressive movement, and rigorous dramaturgy, the company creates dynamic plays rooted in social inquiry. The Group uses theatre to engage with challenging questions, to re-contextualize the present and reimagine our collective future. The Group’s working process creates original, ensemble-devised theater using improvisation, composition, and highly stylized movement inspired by found text, source material (letters, transcripts), and artifacts (paintings, songs, poems, and so forth), and guided by rigorous dramaturgy. (www.theanthropologists.org)
About the Anthropologist-in-Residence work: the individual selected for this position will be asked to participate in the following ways:
Research:
- Pre-research conversations with creative team
- Collecting and sharing relevant research
- Co-curating the research to be used in the rehearsal room
- Consulting on ways to utilize research in the rehearsal room
- Participating in the community-driven dramaturgy of the play-making process
Skills Share:
- Sharing anthropology tools that can be adapted for use in the research or devising process
- Consulting on ways to archive, save and also share the Group’s research and source material
Public Facing Activities:
- Contribute content to the Group’s blog: Field Notes
- Participation in community action workshops, co-hosted by cross-sector partner organizations
- Participate as a panelist on a livestream roundtable conversation
Application Process:
This opportunity is open to AAA members only. Please send a resume or CV (5 pages maximum) and a letter of interest highlighting (a) your experience you have bringing anthropology to the public square, (b) your familiarity with reproductive healthcare, midwifery and doula practices, and maternal mortality, and (c) your availability to work with the theatre Group in NYC, to AAA Executive Director Ed Liebow (gro.orhtnanacirema@wobeile) no later than February 10, 2023. Applications will be reviewed together by the Group and AAA. We hope to interview finalists by February 17, and make a selection that day. Please direct any questions to Ed Liebow.