Melissa Friesen, professor and chair of theatre and communication at Bluffton University, will discuss "Oppressor, Oppressed, Bystander, Ally: Theatre for Social Change and Identity” in a campus colloquium on Friday, Jan. 9. Beginning at 4 p.m. in Stutzman Lecture Hall in Centennial Hall, the presentation is free and open to the public.

Friesen will report on her participation in the directors’ symposium, “Theatre-makers: Theatre for Social Change and Community Engagement,” held last July near Spoleto, Italy. Sponsored by La MaMa Umbria, which is affiliated with the experimental theatre company La MaMa in New York City, the training program hosted her and 14 other participants who worked with internationally known theatre artists. The experience built on her interest in developing teaching and aesthetic strategies for addressing issues of social inequality