Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Clark, Maribeth
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the United States and the Lower East Side of Manhattan is home to a community of many different backgrounds. Since the 1970s, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe has served as a space for the community to share their daily hardships in a way that is beneficial to the performer and the audience. At the Nuyorican Poets Cafe performances are those of survival, strength, and catharsis. Performers present their experiences in such a way as to incite positive change and activism in their audiences. The goal of this thesis is to show how the Nuyorican Poets Cafe became a safe space for marginalized identities by analyzing past and present performances and contextualizing them in the sociopolitical climate they were created under.
Recommended Citation
Geier, Tessa, "Performance as Survival: Art, Activism, and Identity at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe" (2017). Theses & ETDs. 5353.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5353