Rhodessa Jones, co-artistic director of the San Francisco performance company Cultural Odyssey and creator of the award winning “Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women,” will be in residency at Denison from March 26 to 31, during which she will share her work through a myriad of events on campus.

Jones will give a lecture, “Theater for the 21st century: the arts as a healing process,” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, in Slayter Auditorium (200 Ridge Road). She will present a “Performance as Activism” workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, in the Doane Dance Studio (231 West College Street). And wrapping up her stay, Jones will give a performance with her collaborator Idris Acakmoor on their show, “The Love Project and Other Stories,” at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 31, in the Burke Black Box (240 West Broadway). All of the events are free and open to the public. The workshop requires pre-registration with JoAnne Henry, assistant professor of religion.

In addition to being a performance artist and a scholar of art for social change, Jones is an actress, teacher, singer and writer. She has a lengthy resumé that ranges from a starring role in the “Vagina Monologues” to serving as artistic director for the San Francisco International Theater Festival. Jones is most recently a recipient of a 2007 United States Artists Fellowship of $50,000. She will return to South Africa to conduct residency activities inside women’s correctional institutions for the Urban Voices Festival.

Ackamoor is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor, tap dancer, director, videographer and producer. He is Jones’ business partner and founder/co-artistic director of Cultural Odyssey.

Jones’ talk is sponsored by the Goodspeed Lecture Series and the Laura C. Harris Lecture Series and supported through the women’s studies and black studies programs and the religion and theater departments.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville—Lecture, “Theater for the 21st century: the arts as a healing process” by Rhodessa Jones, 4:30 p.m., Thurs., March 27, Slayter Auditorium (200 Ridge Road). Free and open to the public. For further information, contact JoAnne Henry at 740-587-8603.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville—Workshop, “Performance as Activism” by Rhodessa Jones, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat., March 29, Doane Dance Studio (231 West College Street). Free and open to the public, but requires pre-registration. For further information, contact JoAnne Henry at 740-587-8603.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville—Performance, “The Love Project and Other Stories” by Rhodessa Jones and Idris Ackamoor, 8 p.m., Mon., March 31, Burke Black Box (240 West Broadway).  Free and open to the public. For further information, contact JoAnne Henry at 740-587-8603.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

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Barbara Stambaugh

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