Djola Branner

Biography
Djola Branner is an associate professor of theatre at Hampshire College. His interdisciplinary work, which combines music, movement and text as language, explores the broad gray area between performance art and theatre, and gives voice to individuals historically absent from the stage. He has presented throughout the US and abroad, and published in such anthologies as Voices Rising, Colored Contradictions and Staging Gay Lives. He has taught dance, acting and dramatic writing at Macalester College, University of Minnesota and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

Education
Djola received his BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz, his MA from San Francisco State University and his MFA from The New School for Drama (formerly known as Actors Studio Drama School).

Teaching Philosophy
Whether my curriculum is grounded in acting, directing or crafting new dramatic literature, my goal is providing each student with a new lens for viewing themselves and the world. Ideally, that artist develops tools for practicing his/her craft, for appreciating and analyzing some of the social, cultural and political complexities of the world, and for better understanding and identifying his/her own unique voice as an artist.

Fall 2011
IA-0192 DIrecting Contemporary American Drama

IA-0291 Opening the Instrument: An Introduction to Acting

Jan Term 2011
IA-0243-1 Performance of Biography

Fall 2010
IA-0291-1 Opening The Instrument

IA-0324-1 Ensemble Production

Spring 2010
IA-0170-1 Out of Character: Writing and Performing the Monologue

IA-0215-1 Hip Hop Theatre - UMASS

January 2010
IA-0243-1 The Performance of Biography

Fall 2009
IA-192T-1 Directing Contemporary American Drama

   IA-0320-1 Acting Contemporary American Drama

Spring 2009
IA-0187-1 Let's Talk: Designers &amp; Directors in Collaboration

               (Co-taught with Prof. Wayne Kramer)

   IA-0268-1 Making A Scene

January 2009
IA-0243-1 The Performance of Biography

Fall 2008
IA-0170-1 Out of Character: Writing and Performing the Monologue

   IA-0192-1 Directing Contemporary American Drama

IA-0291-1 Opening the Instrument

Spring 2008
IA-0198-1 &lt;a href="Staging Original Drama IA-0198"&gt;Staging Original Drama&lt;/a&gt;

IA-0268-1 &lt;a href="Making A Scene IA-0268"&gt;Making A Scene&lt;/a&gt;

&lt;a href="Djola Branner's Office Hour Sign Up"&gt;Djola Branner's Office Hour Sign Up&lt;/a&gt;

Additional Information
Link to Djola's website