Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Cheryl Thompson
Performance at The Creative School is lucky to have so many industry professionals in our midsts and among our faculty. This summer, we're taking the time to focus on what creative projects and research our faculty work on throughout the summer months (and beyond!).
This week our spotlight shines on writer, researcher, and creative Dr. Cheryl Thompson. Cheryl is part of the Performance faculty and is well known for teaching courses like Timelines of Performance History, and Research Methods, as well as her newly developed open elective course, Black Creative Practices.
Cheryl spent this summer writing her fourth (you read that right, fourth) book and takes us on a stroll through some of her processes.
"When I was 23 I said to a friend that I was going to write a book by the time I was 30. It took 12 years longer than I had planned, but it happened. This summer, I wrote my fourth book. I really can’t say “how” I did it, but part of my process involves surrounding myself with the things that I love, foods I love, and removing the things I don’t love – like emails! I was off email for about 6 weeks and as I write this I’m still replying to those emails. But such is the work.
When I write I learn at the same time, and the book I wrote this summer was essentially a journey into the history of vaudeville as it migrated North and all the issues, politics, tensions, and innovations of a period in history (1890s to 1910s) that in many ways we are still trying to sort out in our time.
When teaching in the fall, I will bring a little bit of this, and my historical knowledge in general (which happens to span about 300 years!) into the classroom. Another fun fact about me is that I started my undergraduate career as a history major, but I left the field as I found it incredibly boring. And today, I write the kind of history I wish existed when I was a student. That’s the message I hope resonates with students. Anything is possible when you believe in yourself."
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Here is me reading up about Bert Williams, one of the most known and controversial Black actors/dancers in the early 20th century, and I had to remove my glasses - students should take note of the stickies! We use them too
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Tacos from a spot in my neighbourhood, no shameless plugs here but it's right at the corner of St. Clair and Vaughan Road - highly recommend!
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It looks like I was in some exotic place but really I was out in Scarborough with a good friend enjoying lunch at a Greek restaurant and this was their decor!
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One of my favourite cafes in the city - Mofer on St. Clair - and this is me working there doing some editing, enjoying a croissant and an iced green tea but also about to get into some heavy reading - Ida B. Wells as quite possibly the most fearless Black woman of the 19th century, through her writings, she took on a system of vigilantism and terror head on!
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I was strolling on the Danforth and stumbled upon this really cute cafe. I have no idea where it is, but I am also an astrology person so noted the tarot night. I didn't attend though.
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A look at some of the books I read and worked with to write my book, and my repurposing of a colourful rug as a cover for my very old ottoman!
My desk set up, more books, and me finding a cheeky way to cover up my copyrighted work!!!
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When I was a kid I was often accused of "having my head in the clouds" and it's really true. I love clouds.
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Water is life for me so I took a nice day trip to Niagara Falls with family and this is a shot of the American falls, not as nice as the Canadian side but still a world wonder!
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Also in Cambridge, I just love relics from the industrial age, and this building/shot just about sums it up
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Another day trip to Cambridge and I just like this shot of the canal they have there, though the water is actually brown. Not good.
I’m really looking forward to teaching THF200 – Timelines of Performance History I. At first I was a bit intimidated by the idea (my residual anxiety about being a non-historian historian) but once I leaned into the fact that I know some stuff (Ok, maybe a bit more than “some” stuff) I realized that this could be an amazing opportunity to intervene into history from the perspective of making it fun. I approach history not as someone dragging you down a road you really have no interest in going down, but more so like someone opening a door into an entire experience you never knew existed. I’m really looking forward to sharing my enthusiasm for time traveling, as I think of it, with first year performance students in the fall!