Ayanna Thompson is Regents Professor of English at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

and Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). She was the 2018–19 president of the

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Association of America. She specializes in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and issues of race in performance.

Education

Thompson graduated with an A.B. from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1994, where she was a

Kluge Kluge (, ) is a German-derived surname. In German, capitalizing, and adding a final to, the adjective (meaning "clever"), creates a noun meaning "clever one". Although the adjective is a feminine form, the noun can be feminine, neuter or masc ...

scholar, and was mentored by

Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political activist. As a professor of literature at Columbia University, he was among the founders of Postcolonialism, post-co ...

. She won a

Marshall Scholarship The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is considered among the most prestigious scholarsh ...

to study at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, receiving a Masters in 1995. She received her PhD from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 2001. Her doctoral dissertation was ''Depicting Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage''.

Career

Thompson was previously an investment banker at

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1850. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merril ...

. Thompson was Professor at Arizona State University 2004-2013 before her appointment at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. Thompson returned to the Phoenix Arizona region after five years. Thompson served as a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

Visiting Scholar, 2017-2018. She was previously

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Shakespeare Association of America (2018–19). She currently serves on the boards of the journals ''Shakespeare Quarterly, Renaissance Drama,'' and ''Shakespeare Bulletin''. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Marshall Scholars. In 2021 she was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. Thompson is an Associate Scholar and the Chair of the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

's Research Board, and is a member of the

Folger Shakespeare Library The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materia ...

Board of Governors. Thompson gave the keynote speech on "Shakespeare and Blackface" at the Shakespeare and Social Justice conference held at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

in association with the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

and the Shakespeare Association of Southern Africa in 2019. As Director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Thompson is the creator of RaceB4Race, an ongoing conference series and professional network community by and for scholars of color. In 2021, Thompson's center and RaceB4Race received a $3.5m grant from the

Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, commonly known as the Mellon Foundation, is a New York City-based private foundation with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969 merger ...

. Thompson has been described as 'a world-class scholar', an 'accomplished leader', a 'true innovator', and 'a major force'.

Theater work

Ayanna Thompson serves as a consultant and dramaturg for many theater companies and is a Shakespeare Scholar in Residence at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

in New York.

Productions

* Dramaturg and text consultant for Sam Gold's 2022 production of ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' on Broadway starring

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. His accolades include two National Board of Review Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards. ...

and Ruth Negga. * Dramaturg for the 2022 musical ''Suffs'' written by

Shaina Taub Shaina Taub is an American actress, singer, musician, and Tony Award-winning composer. Early life Taub was born in Waitsfield, Vermont and attended the theater camp Stagedoor Manor. Taub's interest in social justice started at a young age. At 16 ...

. * Dramaturg for ''Richard III'', directed by Robert O'Hara for

in 2022. * Shakespeare scholar in consultation for three productions directed by Saheem Ali: ''Merry Wives'' at The Delacorte Theater in 2021, ''Romeo y Julieta'' on WNYC's Free Shakespeare on the Radio, and ''Richard II'', also on

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

's Free Shakespeare on the Radio.

Bibliography

* ''Blackface'' – Object Lessons (Bloomsbury 2021) * (ed.) ''The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 202

* ''Shakespeare in the Theatre: Peter Sellars'' (London: The Arden Shakespeare, 2018) * ''Shakespeare, Race and Performance: The Diverse Bard,'' ed. by Delia Jarrett-Macauley (Abingdon: Routledge, 2017) * (ed.) ''Colorblind Shakespeare: New Perspectives on Race and Performance'' (London: Routledge, 2016) * (Co-authored with Laura Turchi) ''Teaching Shakespeare With Purpose: A Student-Centred Approach'' (London: Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2016) * Introduction to ''Othello'', edited by E. A. J. Honigmann (London: Arden Shakespeare, 2016) * ''Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, And Contemporary America'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011) * (Co-edited wit
Scott Newstok
''Weyward Macbeth: Intersections of Race and Performance'' (London: Palgrave, 2010) * ''Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage'' (New York: Routledge, 2008)

References

External links

* Arizona State University Staff Profile Page
Ayanna Thompson
* Interview with Professor Thompson
Alumnae Explore Race, Revenge in Shakespeare , Columbia College Today
* Interview with Professor Thompson
The Othello whisperer
* Ayanna Thompson's personal website
Ayanna Thompson
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Ayanna Arizona State University faculty Harvard University alumni American investment bankers American women investors American women bankers Living people 21st-century American educators Alumni of the University of Sussex Year of birth missing (living people) Columbia College (New York) alumni