Yufan Zhang
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Bethany Hughes
Research Mentor School/College/Department: American Culture / LSA
Program: CG
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Authors: Yufan Zhang, Bethany Hughes,
Abstract
This project looks at the history of Native American representation in American theatre by creating a digital database searchable by several terms. The plays in the database will cover the 17th-21st century though focus on the 19th and 20th. The plays must have Native American characters that appear on stage during the show, though they do not have to be named characters. The plays are written by non-Native Americans, primarily Euro-American playwrights though some Western European playwrights are also included. This stage of the project is transferring data already compiled into spreadsheets for easier export into the database.I am transferring the data to spreadsheets by using the basic analytical skills of Excel. I also check the data and compare them with what we have and secondary sources to ensure accuracy. I have created four spreadsheets covering a chronology of the plays, theatre companies that produced the plays, the geographic locations and theater buildings the plays were performed in, and non-dramatic performances featuring Native Americans concurrent with the plays. The database is a digital humanities project and will provide scholars and anyone who is interested with a platform to find out how Native Americans were represented in live, theatrical performance.
