Forever Evolving

Forever Evolving is a play inspired in part by Anna Deavere Smith’s “Fires in the Mirror”. I love the way she integrates her identity into her performance and how she implements interviews in her work. I also used interviews to gather stories from other Black Queer Men whose stories correlated with mine. With these interviews I was able to pull different aspects from each of these Black men and build the play combining my story with theirs. My goal with this play was to not only give Black Queer Men a voice but also to show that we are more than just our Queer identity. We are athletes, psychologists, fashion designers, educators and more, and I’m tired of the same stereotypes of Queer Black Men that are pushed in the media and I wanted to break that stereotype with this performance. Pushing the boundaries of any societal expectations is what I’m passionate about and this is what fueled my desire to create this body of work. 

Ayeraye Akosua H. (@ayeraslay), a THP Purchase grad of ’22, combines film, screenwriting and Global Black Studies. Alongside acting: For Colored Women (Nov 2021) and Love Thyselves (May 2023), Ayeraye writes and directs for Sankofa Medias with the mission of displaying and centering Black Joy, Black Beauty, and Black Victories. Ayeraye accounts her success to all her friends and family’s love and support that makes it possible to shine her light through theatre, film and music visuals.

Isabel Shanahan is a practicing Drama Therapist in New York City in private practice. She is passionate about using theatre as therapy and has been devising theatre based on life with Tim since he was 13 years old. She is honored to be supporting this personal and important work.

In our teaching and art, the Conservatory values inclusiveness, equality, and excellence. Upholding all of our training is our aim to train and graduate citizen artists: multifaceted people with a strong sense of purpose in approaching an arts education.

What is a citizen artist? Citizen artists seek to discover how their unique voices can contribute to our world. They understand what it means to be an artist, and what they are here on earth to say and do and make.

The Conservatory trains future citizen artists in three degree programs:

+ BFA Actor Training. The BFA is an intensive professional training program offered to a highly select and diverse group of students. The professional training is anchored in four years of study in acting, voice, speech, and movement, complemented by offerings in dramatic literature and analysis, history of the theatre, stage combat, improvisation, mask work, acting for the camera, and the business of acting. As one of five schools in the Consortium of Professional Theatre Training Programs, Purchase is one of a handful of colleges in the world capable of training artists at this level—and of drawing a faculty from the ranks of professional theatre

+ BFA in Theatre Design/Technology. Emphasizing studio and classroom training, our professional training program in theatre design/technology gives students the guidance and support of established and theatre industry professionals. Many of our alumni are recognized at the top of their field, and have received Tony, Emmy, Obie, and Drama Desk Awards, among other honors. Quite literally, Purchase grads are working in or have worked in every theatre on Broadway, in all tristate venues, and with countless touring productions

+ BA program in Theatre and Performance. From traditional theatre to cutting-edge interdisciplinary work, the theatre and performance major encourages creativity, intellectual curiosity, social engagement, and critical thinking. The core requirements combine scholarship and practice to provide students with a strong foundation in theatre history and dramatic literature, with mandatory stagecraft/production courses. Theatre and Performance majors are encouraged to expand the scope of their education by studying abroad, as well as pursuing coursework in other programs of study within the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Purchase College