Finn, PatrickComer, Rebecca2018-09-202018-09-202018-09-14Comer, R. (2018). Conversations with my Sister: Beauty and the Black Female Voice (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32952http://hdl.handle.net/1880/107789How do we talk about race? This discourse often falls in the political and activist spheres, however, it has been ineffective in connecting the masses, so we must find a way to communicate with people who are “tired of hearing about race.” We must also find a way to stay whole in this political climate. Art has the ability of doing both. Our stories have the ability of doing both. This document explores the journey that I have taken in my discovery of my voice in the theatre that began with attempting to appeal to the people who are tired of hearing about race and ended with creating a performance that speaks to those who are not spoken to in the theatre. The first two chapters of this thesis document the foundational work needed in order to successfully complete this thesis project. Chapters 2 and 3 explore my newfound voice. The fifth chapter documents the creation and performance of my pre-thesis show, used as a test to verify the success of my first year of work. Chapter 6 then documents the creation of the remainder of Conversations with my Sister, while chapter 7 once again documents the creation of my final thesis show. Chapter 8 details the results of the final performance of my thesis show. Finally, Chapter 9 briefly details the discoveries that I made throughout this process. My journey led me to the discovery of my creative writing ability, my eagerness to be vulnerable, and my ability to find joy hidden by pain. This document details the immense progress I have made academically, creatively, and personally that enabled my ability to create the performance Conversations with my Sister.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.PerformanceRaceGenderFeminismPerformance-as-ResearchPerformance-Based-ResearchArtsDramaTheatreFine ArtsTheaterHistory--BlackHistory--CanadianEthnic and Racial StudiesWomen's Studiesmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/32952