The Department of Dance, Drama, and Film is committed to fostering a curriculum that reflects the richness of human expression. Each discipline offers students distinct ways of exploring stories, traditions, and cultural perspectives, while together they provide a broad foundation for understanding the arts as a vital part of society. Performing artists have always held up a mirror to audiences, reflecting both our current and past experiences. This statement recognizes the importance of examining how cultural experiences have changed throughout history, while also broadening the traditions we study and acknowledging the exclusion or harmful representations that have sometimes shaped artistic work. By engaging with a wide range of practices, examining how artistic works represent and shape experience, and encouraging students to create responsibly, we aim to prepare the next generation of artists and thinkers to contribute thoughtfully to both their craft and their communities.

Guiding Principles

  • We will create an environment that encourages respectful and safe artistic exploration with the goal of nurturing understanding of the experiences of everyone.

  • All voices in the department will be heard and valued.

  • We will not avoid discomfort; we will all show up for challenging conversations.

  • We will take a “Yes, and…” approach to the arts. This includes recognizing the problems in historic works and practices, but not discarding what is of value.

  • We will continue to provide opportunities for conversations between faculty and students that foster mutual respect, listening, and learning from one another.

Shared Curriculum Commitments

The Department of Dance, Drama, and Film is dedicated to offering a curriculum that reflects the richness and variety of artistic expression. Our teaching and creative work should provide students with opportunities to engage with a wide variety of traditions, voices, and practices while also developing the critical tools to analyze representation and meaning.

Course Content and Selection

  • Courses across all programs should include works from a wide range of creators and traditions, both domestic and international. Students should encounter multiple perspectives, styles, and approaches to artistic practice.

  • Works that rely on harmful stereotypes or denigrate groups of people — whether related to race, gender, orientation, culture, or background — should be carefully considered before inclusion and avoided when other options serve the same teaching purpose. If they are included, instructors should provide appropriate context and dedicate time to discussion of their impact.

  • New courses should be designed with these principles in mind, ensuring that our collective curriculum remains expansive and inclusive.

Teaching and Classrooms

  • Instructors should create space for open discussion about representation and difference, when appropriate, and facilitate these conversations constructively without placing undue responsibility on any individual student or colleague.

  • Production and performance courses should use examples of work that demonstrate a range of artistic techniques and viewpoints, drawing on a variety of creators.

  • Student projects that present problematic or insensitive content (especially portrayals that demean individuals or groups) should be addressed directly. Faculty should guide students with compassion, helping them recognize why certain ideas or portrayals may be harmful and encouraging more thoughtful alternatives. While Kenyon supports freedom of expression, it must also ensure that all students are protected from harm. Students should be taught that artists must take responsibility for the work they create and its potential impact.

Performance and Casting

  • Casting and participation opportunities will be open and welcoming to all students.

  • Flexible casting is encouraged as a way to challenge assumptions and expand artistic inquiry, while still respecting playwright or creator requirements unless permission is granted to do otherwise.

Faculty Hiring Practices and Support

  • New faculty positions in the department will be used to strengthen our programs and to support a wide range of artistic and scholarly traditions.

  • Adjunct and guest artist opportunities will likewise seek to include practitioners and scholars who contribute varied experiences, perspectives, and approaches.

Our Shared Vision

As one department, we embrace the breadth of artistic practice across dance, drama, and film. We aim to prepare students not only as skilled artists but also as thoughtful participants in a diverse world. By engaging with a wide range of creative traditions, examining how art reflects and shapes human experience, and holding ourselves accountable for the impact of our work, we seek to cultivate a culture of respect, openness and responsibility.