ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines Performance of Identity as a foundational practice and discusses approaches, methods, and techniques that are used to enliven and empower personal narrative for the stage. Professor Ramirez Downing outlines her creative research, focusing on poetic exercises and the development of a summer arts program. Through the Performance of Identity process, actors and artists construct performance pieces inspired by their identity, including heritage, ethnicity, gender identification, and political, social, and cultural aspects. Through the practice, the stories of under-represented identities are unearthed, reclaimed, and envisioned.
