We were thrilled to welcome the wonderful Tiffany Vega-Gibson recently as a guest artist, sharing with our students a preview of the five-day-long Hip-Hop Theatre Workshop she will offer next year at Loyola.
Before the workshop, Tiffany shared this synopsis with us:
“When most folks think of Hip-Hop Theatre, they think of the Broadway musical Hamilton. However, Hamilton is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this art form. This 2-hour workshop taught by Hip-Hop Theatre producer, Tiffany Vega-Gibson, is just a taste of the full 5-day Hip-Hop Theatre workshop that will be taught in Spring 2021. This workshop will focus on the five elements of Hip-Hop (the Breakdancer, the Graffiti Artist, the DJ, the MC, and Consciousness), how to bring them all together to create unique, inspiring theatre works, and the history of Hip-Hop Theatre, which began 30 years ago.”
Students happily took advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about the specialized type of theatre, saying:
“Tiffany's workshop taught us the authenticity of Hip-Hop, the origins of the art form. When theatre lovers think Hip-Hop, their minds immediately go to Hamilton. To fully appreciate the art of Hip-Hop, we must know its history. Tiffany broke down the 5 Elements of Hip-Hop: emceeing, deejaying, breakin', graffiti, and beatboxing. This was coined by black and brown people in the West Bronx and Spanish Harlem. It later became an art of resistance, a true epitome of political art.” - Breland Leon, TAD Senior
Tiffany Vega-Gibson works as an independent consultant through her performing arts management company, La Vega Management, which has worked with dozens of performing arts organizations in New York, Washington, DC, and New Orleans. She most recently served on the Steering Committee for the New Orleans based theatre company, No Dream Deferred, and currently serves on the National Board of the Parent Artist Advocacy League and the Board of Directors for Kyoung’s Pacific Beat. She is a trained Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion facilitator through artEquity. Previously, she was the General Manager at Hi-ARTS (Formerly Hip-Hop Theater Festival). Tiffany is experienced in organizational management, fundraising, fiscal development, and community relations. She has worked both on the presenting and producing side of performing arts as well as tour management and holds an MFA in Theatre Management & Producing from Columbia University and a BA in Theatre Performance from the University of Maryland-College Park.