Episode 33 - Sonja Parks

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(Photo Credit: Joseph Brewton)

Sonja Parks speaks about staying true to her North Star, which she says is, “I want to be my wholeass Black self.” She says she has stayed true to herself by staying free, curious and expansively true to who she is professionally and in Life.

After being an outsider - as a Black person in prominently White spaces - Sonja is dedicating her work to decolonizing artistic spaces. She wants to make certain that the “entire artist” is taken care of and respected. As someone who is working for change Sonja says, “I know that one of the things that I am here to do is shake shit up through art.”

Sonja is the person that I have the longest history with as a collaborator. I first experienced her artistry in the early 90’s in Austin, TX where she was part of a fierce force of Black artists making work. At the end of our conversation Sonja layers her performance in with Stacey’s in the excerpt from “bull-jean & dem dey back/Dreaming”.

VIEW a short clip from our conversation HERE.

An accomplished actor/director/activist/educator, Sonja has been a featured performer with many notable venues including: The Public Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company-London, The Kennedy Center, Playwrights’ Horizon, & The Guthrie Theatre. She trained at UT-Austin & The National Black Theater under the direct tutelage of its founder and artistic director, the late Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. She is an NEA Fellow; a McKnight Artist Fellow; a 2-time Minnesota State Arts Board Fellow; a 2-time Minneapolis Ivey Award winner; a TCG-Fox Distinguished Achievement Fellow; a McCarter Theatre Center-Princeton/Sallie B. Goodman Fellow; has been a featured artist in Time Magazine and named “One to Watch” and one of “Seven Artists You Must See” by American Theatre Magazine.

More HERE.