According to Merriam-Webster, unity is “the state of being one; oneness,” while diversity refers to “variety, assortment or mixture.” Jamaas Britton (’24 MFA Drama) thinks there can, and should, be both. So, he created “Unity in Diversity,” an event for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) to showcase their talents. According to Britton:
“Diversity can mean a multitude of things. There’s diversity in the sense that this group of BIPOC students are here in the CVPA. You can also see the diversity in talent and the way we are bringing different arts disciplines together. I want to celebrate the richness and representation of our art in a way that is broad enough to not feel exclusive.”
Britton’s path to UNC Greensboro started in Fort Mill, South Carolina where a high school drama teacher made a lasting impact. Along the way, he has constantly sought and found or created ways to make connections:
“I was a high school football player. I dreamed of playing professionally. But a football career can end with just one injury, and everyone told me to have a back-up plan. I am good at math and tried some engineering classes, but that was not for me. I love art—ceramics, painting, digital design—but that wasn’t completely it either. I was still looking for something that made me feel whole.”
Britton found that when he took his first drama class:
“At first, I was nervous performing in front of people, but my teacher made the class a stress-free zone. Acting allowed me to be silly sometimes and show a side of myself that I’d never been able to reveal due to things I had to deal with growing up, plus this persona I had to put on as a football player. Theatre allowed me to let loose.”
Britton’s teacher saw something in him during that class and asked him to audition for the spring musical, Hairspray:
“I was a ball of nerves. At the dance call, I was the biggest student of anyone there. Everyone was looking at me like, ‘what’s that football player doing here?’ When we got to the singing part of the audition, I was up against this guy that everyone knew, and everyone cheered for when he got up on the stage.
“When my turn came, I was nervous, but when the music began, I just started singing and the whole room got quiet, and my teacher’s eyes got big, and it was at that moment something clicked. After the audition, my teacher said, ‘you never told me you could sing,’ and I said, ‘you never asked!’”
Britton laughs at the memory—his laugh is football player big and so is his enthusiasm for the stage:
“Being cast as Seaweed in Hairspray was a life-changing experience. The next show was The Little Mermaid. I played Sebastion. That solidified everything. I knew then I was meant for acting. I thought, ‘this is it!’ I love the way it makes me feel. I love the way I make other people feel.”
Britton continued playing football in the fall and doing theatre shows in the spring. But while at Limestone College, he had to make a choice between sports and the stage:
“It was the toughest decision of my life—another life-changing moment. I had to find myself in this new setting as a full-time musical theatre student and not as an athlete.”
He tackled it full-on. In addition to roles on stage, Britton worked on shows as a carpenter and got cast in some commercials. And then, just as he was about to graduate, the pandemic hit:
“That was a true test of my career choice. I was so lost and so depressed. Everything was shut down. My creativity came to a standstill. And again, I had to figure out another level of ‘who am I?’”
As the pandemic’s grip began to loosen, Britton was able to start auditioning again. He did some roles at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte and backstage work with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. He was auditioning for an off-Broadway production when his mentor, Limestone College professor and UNCG alumna Vandy Scoates (’14 MFA Theatre), called to talk with him about auditioning instead for UNCG’s School of Theatre.
Britton is now in the final stretch of earning his graduate degree, but he wants to continue to make an impact:
“Our cohort of eight MFAs got very close very early. That’s been my group, my family, my people for two years. But I’ve always looked for other ways to be connected.”
Britton joined Alpha Psi Omega theatre honor society. He also joined the School of Theatre’s Scaffolding Change committee, which is where BIPOC, Latinx, and Neurodivergence affinity groups originated. And he created the “Unity in Diversity” event:
“I feel like there are still disconnects—between undergraduate and graduate students and across the schools. I also wanted to put together something that celebrates representation in the arts. That’s my mission. It’s great that we have a CVPA, but we still need to find more ways to partner between the schools.”
Working with Rachel Briley (Professor of Theatre for Young Audiences), Britton applied for an IBelong grant:
“I used the grant to do an event that is open to the whole CVPA that demonstrates BIPOC students showcasing their art.”
“Unity in Diversity” was held on February 23rd in the Sprinkle Theatre with students performing theatre scenes, opera, musical theatre, and other vocal performances. Britton says he hopes the event will continue:
“I wanted to get it started, and I hope future students can keep it going—that we can establish this connection and hold strong with it. I just want to bring people together, and I think representation is so important, especially in the arts. Seeing makes things real. If you see a BIPOC artist, you’re going to believe you can do this, too. You don’t have to limit yourself. I’m living proof.”
But Britton cautions against diversity for diversity’s sake.
“I think we must be careful in this conversation about diversity. You always want to get the most qualified person for anything, despite how they look. And as artists, we need to remember to celebrate who we are, but not let that define us. There’s so much going on in the world, and sometimes people focus too much on the bad. I’m not saying we shouldn’t think about that because that allows us to continue to move forward and make the right changes, but there is time for celebration, too!”
Story by Terri W. Relos