Samia La Virgne

Doctoral researcher

Birmingham School of Acting

Email:: samia.lavirgne@mail.bcu.ac.uk

Originally from California, Samia La Virgne is a black actress, director and theatre arts practitioner with a B.A. in Theatre Studies and M.F.A. in Acting. She is interested in the improvement of the representation of marginalized groups in the performing arts industry, especially black actresses.

Areas of Expertise

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Research

Lust and Disgust: Reimagining Injurious Representations and Experiences of Black Actresses in the U.K. and U.S.

This thesis contributes to the broader discussion of representation within the performing arts industry, recently illuminated by the Black Lives Matter and Representation Matters movements; popularized by the United States. Specifically, it is a contemporary analysis of the ways womanhood and the social stigma of blackness influence the representation, and performative nature, of black actresses in the educational and professional sectors of the performing arts. Both the United Kingdom and the Unites States are examined due to their historical colonial links and reputation.

Film, stage, and television are considered as this research draws upon an interdisciplinary framework that includes: reception, feminist, and post – blackness theories, as well as, performing arts and black studies. The primary aim is to highlight the effects the representation of black women in the performing arts industry has on black actresses, and issues that have arisen for black actresses as a result.

A historical exploration of the social stigma of blackness and stereotypes of black women are combined with a practice-based theoretical framework. The research begins by examining the colonial history of the UK and US via the transatlantic slave trade. Laying the foundation for the establishment of a white hegemonic normative system that dominates a majority of institutions, including the performing arts industry.

The development of the social stigma of blackness and origins of stereotypes of black women are further explored. Casting norms that perpetuate limited and negative representations of black women are scrutinised through the analysis of colour-blind casting.

Utilising the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2017 production of Coriolanus, American television show How To Get Away With Murder, and renowned stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as examples. Robin DiAngelo’s concept of ‘white fragility’, and Touré’s discourse on post – blackness in the twenty-first century, guide a pragmatic contextualised approach through a series of four practice-based case studies in the areas of: audience reception, actor perception, theatre making, and immersive black actor training.

My contention is that colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade laid ground for the present-day white hegemonic normative system in the performing arts industry, and the negative representations and stereotypes of black women. As such, black actresses are placed in a precarious position of perpetuating said representations and stereotypes within their drama school training and professional acting jobs.

Therefore, I argue that a dual pronged approach in the educational and professional sectors of the performing arts industry divergent of the white hegemonic norm, can provide more authentic representations of black women and less traumatising experiences for black actresses. The data presented in this thesis should not be read as an endorsement for segregation within actor training or productions, but rather a focused and structured investigation of the ways current representations of black women and drama training of black actresses can be challenged. My aim is to open new avenues of discussion, and furnish future possibilities for positive representations of black women within the performing arts industry, and improved performative experiences of black actresses.