Tensions and Contradictions: Puerto Rican Theatre and US Colonialism
For Briana Beeman, a PhD candidate in theatre historiography, there were many reasons to join the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, including its esteemed faculty and Midwestern location. An especially important factor was the department’s support of her research, which explores how Puerto Rican theatre reflects and is affected by US colonialism.
What brought you to the University of Minnesota?
Two of my undergrad theatre professors at Michigan State recommended I apply to the theatre historiography MA/PhD program at the University of Minnesota because of the reputation of the faculty and alumni. Our faculty have a wide range of backgrounds and research interests, and one of my favorite scholars (Patricia Ybarra) is an alumna of this program.
When it came time for my interviews, I felt instantly welcomed and encouraged to pursue my research interests (which were/are, broadly, Puerto Rican theatre in response to US colonialism). The faculty seemed excited about my perspective and excited to support my future dissertation project. I also found that the other students in the program created an extremely supportive environment, which I think I have carried on now that I've been here for four years. I had heard of some PhD programs having a "competitive" atmosphere, but that has not been my experience with this program at all.
Geography also contributed to my decision to attend the University of Minnesota. I grew up in Michigan, so Minnesota wasn't too much of a culture shock, but I had never lived in a major city before. I like that the Twin Cities have a very homey "Midwest" feel while still offering access to big-city artistic and cultural events (and food!) that I didn't have growing up. Between the location, broad faculty expertise, and encouragement to “choose your own research adventure,” the theatre historiography MA/PhD program was and is a great fit for me.
Tell us about a current or recent project you've been working on
I recently completed a five-week trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico to research two theatre companies, Broadway Illusions, Inc. and Teatro en 15, for my dissertation project. I originally thought I would focus on studying theatre companies whose work is explicitly critical of US colonialism in Puerto Rico, but I discovered that I am interested in the myriad of ways Puerto Rico's relationship to the US emerges in theatrical production.
One way is exemplified through Broadway Illusions, Inc., which is a community theatre that produces Broadway and Disney musicals with young performers (typically ages 6–25). During my trip, I observed Broadway Illusions' rehearsal and performance process for Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical and was able to learn about how the organization provides opportunities for musical theatre training, community belonging, and the joys of artistic creation to Puerto Rican youth.
At the same time, there are other theatre companies who find the replication of the "commercial" or "American" aesthetics of Broadway and Disney musicals harmful, and use other styles of performance, but still rely on institutions with ties to Broadway (like Lin-Manuel Miranda's foundations) out of financial necessity. The historical facts and contemporary harms of US colonialism create all kinds of tensions and contradictions, not just between theatre companies, but within theatre companies themselves.
I am still in the midst of "collecting data," so I cannot make a single conclusion, but from what I have learned so far, I believe these tensions and contradictions are indicative of the many ways Puerto Ricans (in and outside of the theatre industry) navigate the impacts of US colonialism. Broadly speaking, I hope my dissertation project is able to convey the nuances of Puerto Rican theatre artists' political attitudes and methods of survival, and counter the hegemonic discourses in the US that are more preoccupied with Puerto Rico's potential status than what it would take to secure the well-being of its people.
Have you received any notable awards or financial support? What has that meant to you?
I have received the Jesús Estrada-Pérez Memorial Graduate Fellowship from the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies twice. First of all, it is humbling to receive a fellowship that honors the memory of Jesús Estrada-Pérez, a graduate student whose scholarship and activism was focused on queer, Latina/o/x justice. Second, being awarded the fellowship in 2024 allowed me to go on the five-week trip to San Juan, which I will write about in my dissertation. I still have leftover funds that I will use for a future trip in January of 2025. I don't believe that these trips would have been possible for me without this fellowship, and being able to go on longer-term trips will ultimately support the quality and integrity of my dissertation.
What's next for you? Any exciting upcoming endeavors?
I am on a department fellowship this school year, so I am looking forward to being able to dedicate more time to writing my dissertation. I also have a couple of publications in progress: an essay about the New York Young Lords and an article about a little-known Broadway musical, The Capeman. I am also on the bargaining committee for the graduate labor union, GLU-UE, and I always enjoy working with my colleagues from different departments on ways to improve working conditions for all graduate assistants.
About the Jesús Estrada-Pérez Memorial Graduate Fellowship
This fellowship is intended to provide additional summer funding for graduate students. Fellowships have been awarded to students whose projects engage some aspect of queer Latinx artistic production, subjectivity, epistemologies, cultural studies, social justice issues, and all relevant interdisciplinary theories and/or methods.
Estrada-Pérez was a graduate student in the Department of American Studies and was awarded his PhD posthumously in 2016. An instructor in the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies, Jesús belonged to a number of formal and informal student organizations as well as nationally recognized professional associations. He enthusiastically participated in activist movements and was passionately involved in social justice work. Thus, he often challenged conventional practices and questioned existing policies. He was widely known and loved by students and faculty across the University and in social and political circles throughout the Twin Cities. Estrada-Pérez was at the vanguard of Queer of Color theory. At the time of his death, he was conducting a groundbreaking and important analysis of the work of Gay Chicano Artists.
This fellowship is sponsored by the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies with generous gifts from family, friends, and colleagues.
This story was edited by Max Pritchard, an undergraduate student in CLA.
