Faculty Spotlight: Bentley Uses Theater, Black Studies Programs to Shed Light on Important Topics
February has been a busy month for Kathryn Bentley. The associate professor in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Theater and Dance and director of the Black Studies program has been actively involved in planning and hosting many of the University’s Black Heritage Month events. Additionally, Bentley, who is the artistic director of SIUE’s Black Theatre Workshop (BTW), is gearing up for the opening of “XTIGONE,” a collaborative production by BTW and the SIUE theater program with shows on Feb. 19-23.
“’XTIGONE’ is a very contemporary look at gun violence, which is something I think is important for us to talk about because it is still so relevant in the world and in our country,” said Bentley.
Written by award-winning playwright Nambi Kelley, “XTIGONE” is an adaptation of “ANTIGONE,” a tragedy written by Sophocles in or before 441 BCE. SIUE students will perform Kelley's adaptation, under Bentley’s direction, using hip-hop poetry, dance and dialogue to shed light on the issue of gun violence in the U.S.
“Gun violence is something that is very close to home for some of my students, but they are understanding of how important it is to deal with these issues,” added Bentley. “They also realize how powerful it can be to put this on stage, knowing that a lot of folks coming to see the show have also dealt with gun violence in their families.”
Several of the students involved in this year’s BTW are also working with Bentley and Avalon Palmer, BTW student director and Bentley’s URCA assistant, to create impactful events during SIUE’s celebration of Black Heritage Month. Through her role as director of the Black Studies program, Bentley serves as a member of the Black Heritage Month Committee. The Black Studies program is co-sponsoring several events on campus throughout February, including a recent reading of slave narratives performed by members of BTW.
With such a busy schedule, Bentley is thankful to have the support of her graduate assistant, Eloho Unufe, and four undergraduate assistants, Ariel Combs, Lyric Tyus, Kiara Ulmer and Jade Woodard, in the Black Studies program. These students have taken on roles in planning and hosting many of the program’s Black Heritage Month events.
“I’m happy to let my students take the lead,” said Bentley. “I want them to have as much experience with planning, coordinating and facilitating as they can before they graduate. You don’t take a class to learn those skills, but they will be really important to have when they leave here.”
During the past two decades, Bentley has not only been using the arts as an educational tool at SIUE, but she has also made significant investments in the broader community. For her efforts, Bentley is a recipient of the 2020 Saint Louis Visionary Award in the Outstanding Working Artist category. This annual awards program celebrates the contributions and achievements of women who work in or support the arts in St. Louis.
“I am humbled to win this award,” said Bentley. “There are so many phenomenal women artists in St. Louis, so being recognized in this way is significant to me. I am grateful to the fellow artists with whom I collaborate on a regular basis.”
“I have committed the last 20 years of my career to educating through theater,” she continued. “It’s important to me that I utilize the arts to impact change whenever I can. There is not a more powerful way to effect change than through heart-centered interactions. Theater challenges us to go past the intellect and make personal connections to difficult topics.”
