Cliff Odle Lecturer in Theater
The Department of Theater and Dance proudly congratulates Cliff Odle as he begins an important shift in his career. Starting in the 2021 – 2022 academic year, Cliff will begin a new tenure track contract as an Assistant Professor in Theater.
Cliff is an AEA actor and director whose specialty is playwriting. Cliff’s plays, for the most part, contain themes of history, social justice, and the lives of African Americans throughout the history of the country. Some of his plays include; “Lost Tempo” (Boston Playwrights Theatre) which is set in the late 50’s and early 60’s of the NYC jazz scene, “Our Girl in Trenton” (Boston University: New Play Initiative) follows the fictional campaign of an African American woman trying to run for Governor of New Jersey, “A Deerfield Homecoming” is set in colonial Massachusetts prior to the French and Indian war and tells the story of two women, an African American slave and a White woman kidnapped by Native Americans, who lives collide over the question of, “What is Freedom?” and “The Petition”, also set in colonial Boston, tells the story of an effort lead by Prince Hall to end slavery in the colony prior to the start of the Revolutionary War. Some of his short plays include, “Running the Bulls”, “Slamming the Bones”, “A Garnet in the Rough” and “The Ahrens Fox”. He is currently working on a series of plays focusing on African American’s in the run up to the Revolutionary War and he is also researching African American stage performers prior to World War I. His Bates classes currently include; Intro to Playwriting, Advanced Playwriting, Contemporary African and Caribbean Theater, Intro to Screenwriting, as well as Intro to Acting. He also researches and has taught various ethnic study classes which take a look at the impact and history of racial stereotypes developed against the backdrop of systemic racism. He has also written works in the “Theatre in Education” field for companies like Theatre Espresso and Deana’s Fund Educational Theater. As a performer he has been seen in a variety of works including; “Fences” (Up You Mighty Race, Jukwa Mazoa), “Brendan” (Huntington Theater), “Passing Strange” (New Repertory Theatre), “RACE” (New Repertory Theatre), “The Color Purple” (Speakeasy Stage), “The Good Negro” (Company One), “Baltimore” (New Rep/Boston University), “A Taste of Sunrise”, “Oliver”, “A Tale of Two Cities”, “Trumpet of the Swan” (Wheelock Family Theater). Some of his directing credits include: “Yellowface” (O.W.I Bureau of Theatre), “The Cook” (UMass Boston), “Two Ships Passing” (UMass Boston), “Running on Glass” (New Urban Theatre Lab), “Amadeus” (Stony Hill Players), “Agnes of God” (Stony Hill Players), “The Colored Museum” (Horizon Theater). Cliff was also the Managing director for the “Emancipated Century Readings” (2013) that focused on the works of August Wilson. He is also the founder of the summer festival, Jersey Voices which is celebrating 25 years producing short plays for New Jersey Playwrights.
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Education:
B.A. Communications, Minor: Theatre, Political Science – Catawba College (https://catawba.edu/)
M.F.A. Playwriting – Boston University (http://www.bu.edu/bpt/our-programs/mfa-in-playwriting/)
Website:
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