Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
By Beth Osnes
Single-Authored Books
Osnes, Beth. (2017). Performance for Resilience: Engaging Youth on Energy and
Climate Through Music, Movement, and Theatre. London: Palgrave
Pivot.
---. (2014). Theatre for Women’s Participation in Sustainable Development. New York: Routledge.
---. (2011). The Shadow Puppet Theatre of Malaysia-A Study of the Wayang Kulit with
Performance Scripts and Puppet Designs. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &
Company, Inc.
---. (2001). Acting: An International Encyclopedia. Denver: ABC-Clio.
Refereed Journals
Osnes, Beth, Chelsea Hackett, Jen Walentas Lewon, Norma Baján & Christine
Brennan. (2019) “Vocal Empowerment Curriculum for young Maya
Guatemalan women” Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 10 (3), 313-331. DOI: 10.1080/19443927.2019.1637371
Osnes, Beth, Max Bokoff, & Patrick Chandler. (2019). “Good natured comedy to enrich
climate communication.” Comedy Studies. 10(2), 224-236, DOI:
10.1080/2040610X.2019.1623513.
Boykoff, Max and Beth Osnes. (2019). “A Laughing Matter? Confronting climate change
through humor.” Political Geography. 68(1), 154-163. DOI:
doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2018.09.006
Osnes, Beth. (2018). “Youth Shine in Performance for Resilience.” Theatre Topics. 2(3),
191-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/tt.2018.0043
---. (2018). “Youth Shine in Musical Theatre for Sustainability.” The Journal of
Sustainability Education. March 2, 2018.
http://www.susted.com/wordpress/content/youth-shine-in-musical-theatre-for-sustainability_2018_03/
---. (2016). “Mothers empowering their voices for activism.” Voice and Speech
Review. 4(1), 1-15. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2016.1228796
Hackett, Chelsea and Beth Osnes. (2016). “The Hammer and the Carpenter:
Lessons from the Field for Effective Professional Development by Teaching Artists.” Teaching Artist Journal. 14(1), 41–45, DOI: 10.1080/15411796.2016.1155909
Osnes, Beth, Adrian Manygoats & Lindsay Weitkamp. (2015). “A Framework for
Engaging Navajo Women in Clean Energy Development Through Applied
Theatre.” RIDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. 20(2), 242-
257. DOI; 10.1080/13569783.2015.1019445
Anne U. Gold, David J. Oonk, Lesley Smith, Maxwell T. Boykoff, Beth Osnes & Susan
B. Sullivan (2015). “Lens on Climate Change: Making Climate Meaningful
Through Student-Produced Videos,” Journal of Geography, 114(6), 235-246.
DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2015.1013974
Osnes, Beth, and Angela Hunt. (2014). “Solar-Powered Shadow Puppetry in High School Science Classroom ‘Illuminates’ a Navajo Student Energy Forum.” Applied Theatre Research, 2(2), 165-181, DOI: 10.1386/atr.2.2.165_1
Osnes, Beth, and Mark Gammon. (2013). “Striking The Match: A Web-Based Performance To Illuminate Issues of Sustainability and Ignite Positive Social
Change.” Sustainability: The Journal of Record. 6(3), 167-170. DOI:
10.1089/sus.2013.9864
Barbara C. Farhar, Beth Osnes, Priyadarshini Karve, Long Seng To, and Nicole Speer.
(2012). “Engaging Women in Clean Energy Solutions Workshop at the World
Renewable Energy Forum (WREF2012), 13 May 2012, Denver, Colorado, USA.”
Gender & Development, 20(3), 616-617. DOI: 10.1080/13552074.2012.731759
Osnes, Beth. (2012). “Voice Strengthening and Interactive Theatre for Women’s
Productive Income-Generating Activities in Sustainable Development.” Journal
of Sustainable Development. 5(6), 49-56. DOI: 10.5539/jsd.v5n6p49
---. (2010). “Empowering Women’s Voices for Energy Justice.” Colorado Journal of
International Environmental Law and Policy, 21(1), 341-354.
---. (2008). “Remembering the Price and Worth of Freedom: The Story of Two Burmese
Comedians.” South Asian Popular Culture. 8(1), 75-79.
---. (2004). “Mothers Acting Up: A Political Force to be Reckoned With!” Journal of the
Association for Research on Mothering. 6(1), 109-111.
---.(1992). "The Evolving Shadow Puppet Theatre of Malaysia,” Asian Theatre Journal.
9(1), 112-116. DOI: 10.2307/1124252
---. (1990). “Creating a Dramatic Script for Dynamic Classroom Learning," Education.
(Spring), 283-288.
Contributions to Books for peer-reviewed presses
Osnes, Beth. And Sarah Fahmy. (Forthcoming). “Green Suits: Embodied Public
Spectacle Greening Our World.” In Zoie Mcneill and Martin Zebracki (Eds.),
Politics as Public Art: The Aesthetics of Political Organizing and Social
Movements.
Osnes, Beth. Chelsea Hackett, Sarah Fahmy, and Lianna Nixon. (Forthcoming).
“Young Women’s Voices for Change.” In Lisa S. Brenner, Chris Ceraso, and
Evelyn Diaz Cruz (Eds.), Applied Theatre and Youth. New York: Routledge.
Chandler, Patrick., Osnes, Beth, and Boykoff, Max. (2020). “Creative Climate
Communications: Teaching from the Heart Through the Arts” In J.
Henderson & A. Drewes (Eds.), Teaching Climate Change in the United
States (pp. 172 -185). London: Routledge.
Boykoff, Maxwell. Beth Osnes, Rebecca Safran. (2018). “Contando historias sobre la
ciencia del cambio de climatico: Dentro del Invernadero.” In G. Gomez and B.
Leon (Eds.), La Communicación Audiovisual de la Ciencia. Madrid: Editorial
Sintesis.
Osnes, Beth, Max Boykoff, and Rebecca Safran. (2017). “Student Content
Production of Climate Communication.” In Peter Berglez, Ulrika Olausson, and Mart Ots (Eds.), What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism (pp. 93-112). New York: Peter Lang.
Osnes, Beth. (2015). “Kids Aren’t Cute.” In Nadya Burton (Ed.), Natal Signs: Cultural
Representations of Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting (pp. 317-320). Toronto:
Demeter Press.
Farhar, Barbara, Beth Osnes, and Elizabeth Lowry. (2014). “Energy and Gender.” In
Antoine Halff, Benjamin Sovacool and Jon Rozhon (Eds.), Energy Poverty:
Global Challenges and Local Solutions (pp. 152-179). New York: Oxford
University Press.
Osnes, Beth. (2014). “Mud Bath.” In Sheena Wilson and Diana Davidson. (Eds.), Telling
Truths: An Anthology on Mothering (pp.248-251) (Eds.). Toronto: Demeter Press.
Osnes, Beth, and Jason Bisping. (2014). “Theatre for Energy Justice.” In Lawrence Frey
and David Palmer (Eds.), Teaching Communication Activism: Communication
Education for Social Justice (461-484). New York: Hampton Press Inc. This book
awarded the 2015 Distinguished Edited Book Award from the Applied
Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Osnes, Beth, and Juliana Forbes. (2011). “Mothers Acting Up.” In Andrea O’Reilly (Ed.),
The 21st Century Motherhood Movement (pp. 732-745). Toronto: Demeter Press.
Contributions to Books for non-peer-reviewed presses
Osnes, Beth. (2009). “Maternal Autobiography in Performance,” In Andrea O’Reilly and
Silvia Caporale Bizzini (Eds.), From the Personal to the Political: Towards a
New Theory of Maternal Narrative (pp. 124-139). Selinsgrove: Susquehanna
University Press.
---. (2009). “Performing Mother Activism.” In Shari MacDonald (Ed.), The Maternal is
Political: Women Writers at the Intersection of Motherhood and Social Change
(pp. 280-284). Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
---. (2005). “Mothers of All the World’s Children.” In Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans
(Eds.), Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism
(pp. 80-82). San Francisco, California: Inner Ocean Publishing.
Published Curricula:
Osnes, Beth, and Shira Dickler. (2018). Shine- Mini climate change musical. Open
Educational Resource (OER) available through Climate Literacy & Energy
Awareness Network (CLEAN), funded by NOAA, NSF, NASA, and the
Department of Energy, CLEAN’s collection of climate and energy educational
resources are rigorously reviewed to ensure scientific accuracy,
pedagogic effectiveness, and classroom readiness for k-12 to university
teaching. 19 pages. https://cleanet.org/resources/56028.html
Osnes, Beth and Chelsea Hackett. (2020). SPEAK: Young Women’s Vocal
Empowerment Curriculum and Training Manual. This is an evidence-
based and field-tested curriculum for mentors, teachers, community
workers, parents, or anyone who is regularly meeting with groups of young
women for the purpose of empowerment. It is active, student-centered,
and creative. It invites students to use their voices for self and civic
advocacy, and guides facilitators in creating opportunities for their groups
to use their voices for change. 282 pages.
https://speak.world/speak-curriculum
Non-refereed Journals:
Osnes, Beth. (2012). “Engaging women’s voices through theatre for energy
development.” Renewable Energy, 3. 2012.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.036.
---. (2001) “Report from Burma: Fear of Laughing,” Turning Wheel: The Journal of
Socially Engaged Buddhism. 6 (1), pp. 71-75. DOI: 10.1080/14746680701878570
Encyclopedia Entries:
Osnes, Beth. (2010). “Mothers Acting Up.” In Andria O’Reilly (Ed.), The Encyclopedia
of Motherhood (pp. 851-2). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
---. (2007). “Dance: South and Southeast Asia.” In Vinay Dharwadker (Ed.), World
Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (pp. 40-53). Westport, CT: Greenwood
Publishing Group.
---. (2007). “Theatre: South and Southeast Asia.” In Vinay Dharwadker (Ed.), World
Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (pp. 320-334). Westport, CT: Greenwood
Publishing Group.
---. (1999). “Paul Meredith Potter.” American National Biography (pp. 749-750). Oxford
University Press.
Popular Press:
Osnes, Beth. (2020) “It Starts with Us: Young Women’s Reflections on Performance
Intersecting with Climate.” Howl Round Theatre Commons. Part of the
Theatre in the Age of Climate Change series, edited by Chantal Bilodeau,
https://howlround.com/it-starts-us
---. (2011). ”Mother Tour Inspires Mothers for Social Action.” Mother Warrior Voice
(20-22).
---. (2007). “What Remains in Shadow.” Evoke Journal. 1, 13-21.
---. (2005). “Social Responsibility.” In Connie Correia Fisher and Joanne Correia (Eds.),
Mothers Know Best (pp. 330-333). Collingswood, New Jersey: Small Potatoes
Press.
---. (2005). Twice Alive: A Spiritual Guide to Mothering Through Pregnancy and the
Child’s First Year. Boulder, Colorado: Woven Word Press.
---. (2003). “Walking Tall for Children’s Rights.” Mothering Magazine. (September-
October), 26.
---. (2002). “As a Preschooler” Parabola: Myth, Religion, and the Search for Meaning.
(Winter), 123.
---. (2000). “Cornucopia.” Mothering Magazine. (September-October), 76.
Reviews:
---. (2018). [Review of the book Women in the Shadows: Gender, Puppets, and the Power of Tradition in Bali, by Jennifer Goodlander]. Theatre Survey. 59 (1), 125-127.
---. (2009). [Review of the performance The Objectification of Things, by Michelle Ellsworth]. Theatre Journal. 61(3), 489-90.
Keynote Addresses at Conferences
2019-- Engagement Scholarship Consortium National Conference, Denver, CO, Keynote Speaker on Green Suits BVSD, participatory photography project with the Boulder Valley School District for creative climate communication, Presented on location at the National Center for Atmospheric Research where the Green Suits BVSD photo exhibit was on display, Oct. 7, 2019
2017-- Texas Educational Theatre Association Higher Education Section, Galveston, TX, Keynote Speaker on Performance for Young Women’s Empowered Voices, Academic Symposium, January 27, 2017
2016-- Engagement Scholarship Consortium National Conference, Omaha, NE, Keynote Speaker on Performance as a Tool for Supporting Community Voices for Outreach and Engagement Practitioners Network (OEPN) Pre-Conference, October 10, 2016
2008-- National Association of Mothers’ Centers Conference, New York City, Keynote Speaker on Empowering Mother Voices for Advocacy Thinking Beyond Ourselves and Beyond Today, April 12, 2008
2005-- Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) Conference, Boulder, CO, Keynote speaker on activating communities to advocate for women’s health issues, and facilitated a public presentation/celebration of midwifery on the same day to provide experiential learning of techniques for educating and engaging the community through public expression, October 2, 2005
Presentations at Conferences:
2020—Canadian Association for Theatre Research, online due to pandemic, presenter for a roundtable on Theatre and Climate Change, July 6, 2020
2019-- Drawdown Learn Conference hosted by the Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY, with Project Drawdown, Presented workshop Drawdown, Act Up! Performance-based Spectacle as a Methods for Youth Engagement and facilitated a plenary intergenerational performance of Drawdown, Act Up! October 20, 2019
2019-- Engagement Scholarship Consortium, Denver, CO, Presented Integrating Science and Musical Performance to Create Action-based Curriculum, October 8, 2019
2019-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Orlando, FL, Presented Staging Political Transformation: Exploring Liminal Performances of Social Change, Aug. 11, 2019
2019-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Orlando, FL, Presented Collaborative Models of Applied Theatre, August 11, 2019
2019-- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Presented a Power of Stories Workshop, June 20, 2019
2019-- Anthropocene Resonance: Interdisciplinary Approaches Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Presented Drawdown, Act Up! Good Natured Comedy for Communicating Top Climate Solutions, February 8, 2019
2017-- Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference, Sacramento, CA, Invited to participate in the Art and Climate Change panel, October 18, 2017
2017-- Imagining America National Conference, University of California, Davis, CA, Co-presented a workshop Great Partnerships: What does it take? Oct. 14, 2017
2017-- Women in Solar Energy Forum at the American Solar Energy Society National Conference, Denver, CO, Invited to present on my research and creative work using theatre for women’s participation in clean energy, October 11, 2017
2017-- Colorado Climate Retreat, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Presented Youth Shine in Performance for Youth Engagement, September 8, 2017
2017-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Las Vegas, NV, Moderated and coordinated session Graduate Students Grounding their Applied Theatre Work in Theatre History, August 6, 2017
2016-- Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (A2RU), Denver, CO, Presented Inside the Greenhouse: Interdisciplinary Initiative for Creative Climate Communication, November 5, 2016
2015-- National Conference for the American Alliance for Theatre Education, Milwaukee, WI, Presented Vocal Empowerment for Young Women, August 6, 2015
2015-- Conference on Communication and Environment, at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Presented Utilizing Media to Creatively Communicate Climate Challenges, June 13, 2015
2014-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, Presented Solar-powered Shadow Puppetry for Raising Awareness about Clean Energy in the Navajo Classroom for a panel on Puppetry as Practice for Social Change, April 25, 2014
2014-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, Presented Activating Framework for Applied Theatre Used to Form the Navajo Women’s Energy Project, August 26, 2014
2014-- Research Justice Symposium, UC Berkeley, CA, Facilitated a roundtable presentation on framework for activating communities on social issues, April 24, 2014.
2013-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Orlando, FL, Session coordinator and moderator for Graduate Students Finding Their Place in Asian Scholarship: Combining Existing Passions with New Terrain, August 3, 2013
2013, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Orlando, FL, Presented Using Play to Create Change through Sustained Student Theatre for Social Change, August 3, 2013
2012-- Assessment in the Arts Conference, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver, CO, Presented Striking the Match: Performance to Ignite Positive Social Change, July 21, 2012
2012, World Renewable Energy Forum, Denver, CO, Presented Interactive Theatre for Engaging Navajo Women and Students in Solar Energy, May 13, 2012
2010-- World Renewable Energy Congress, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Presented Engaging Women’s Voices Through Theatre for Energy Development, (awarded honorable mention for paper presentations), September 25, 2010
2010-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, Los Angeles, CA, Moderated the panel Building a Supportive Writing Community for Academic and Creative Success, August 5, 2010
2010-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, Los Angeles, CA, Moderated the panel Intercultural Performance: Asia and the West, August 5, 2010
2010-- Presented Theatre for International Development: Engaging the Voices of Communities at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, Theatre, Media and Survival, Los Angeles, August 4, 2010
2010-- 100 Years of Women at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Presented on the panel on maternal studies, April 15, 2010
2010-- Energy Justice Conference, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, Coordinated a student performance Methods for Using Theatre for Energy Justice, November 5, 2010
2009-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, New York City, NY, Presented Performance and the Global City: Performance in Practice, August 9, 2009
2009-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, New York City, NY, Presented Orang Putihs Teaching Southeast Asian Theatre in American Classrooms, August 9, 2009
2008-- Association for Research on Mothering, York University, Toronto, Co-presented with Juliana Forbes, A Magnificent Revolution, October 24, 2008
2008-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, Denver, CO, Co-presenter on the panel, Straddling a Century of Feminist Performance Can Be Revealing! July 31, 2008
2006-- Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference, Chicago, IL, Presented An Owner-Operated Portrayal of Mother, on a panel From Displacement to Reclamation: Theatrical Portraits of Mothers and Motherhood, August 4, 2006
2006-- Women and Creativity Conference, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Presented a talk on mothers and civic participation, March 23, 2006
1990-- Conference on Women and Humor, CU Boulder, Boulder, CO, Presented Good Gracious Miss Kummer: A New Kind of Humor for the Early American Theatre, March 20,1990
1990-- Facing East: Facing West Conference, University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI, Presented Western Influence on Traditional Malaysian Performing Arts, September 15, 1990
Performances at Conferences:
2019-- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference, University of Colorado, CO, Performed ‘Good Natured’ Stand Up—solo performance of original comedy based on climate change, June 20, 2019
2018—She’s the First Conference, New York City, NY, Created and facilitated a plenary participatory Moving Mural performance to give a framework for 150 participant voices on supporting young women who are the first in their families to graduate from high school, performed in Union Square Park, August 4, 2018
2017-- Cultivating Ensembles in STEM Education and Research Conference, Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, Presented original performance Shine, a musical for youth-engagement in resilience planning with Chicago youth with talk-back after, September 16, 2017
2015-- Conference on Communication and Environment, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Plenary Performance of Shine, an original musical written and directed by Beth Osnes for youth-led community engagement in city planning for resilience (in collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research), June 12, 2015
-
2015-- Urban Thinkers Campus: The City We Need, The New School, New York City, NY, Conference in connection with the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in preparation for Habitat III, Plenary Performance of Shine, an original musical written and directed by Beth Osnes for youth-led community engagement in city planning for resilience, October 24, 2015
2010-- Motherhood: Reclaiming Our Past, Transforming Our Future Conference, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Denver, CO, Plenary Performance of (M)other, a one woman show written and performed by Beth Osnes, and workshop for Empowering Mothers’ Voices, March 12-13, 2010
2010—100 Years of Women Conference at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Performance of original one-woman show, (M)other, April 15, 2010
2009-- Energy Justice Conference, CU Law School, Boulder, CU, Presented an interactive theatre presentation, Theatre for Energy Justice & Development: Panama and Guatemala, and facilitated a plenary workshop, Empowering Voices for Advocacy: An Interactive Session, October 23, 2009
2007-- Women and Theatre Program Pre-conference, (a part of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference), New Orleans, LA, Presented performance of original one-woman show and workshop on using theatre as a tool for empowering women to be effective advocates, (M)other, July 24, 2007
1993-- Conference on Multicultural Storytelling, University of Colorado at Denver, School of Education, Denver, CO, Presented a performance/presentation on the Traditional Shadow Puppet Theatre of Southeast Asia, March 20, 1993
Workshops at Conferences and for Academic Institutions:
2019-- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, Invited to lead a Green Suits UWM embodied workshop hosted by Kate Nelson, Chief Sustainability Officer at UWM, to guide student sustainability group in participatory photography project with embodied expression by students in full-bodied green suits with leafy sashes, part of the larger CU Inside the Greenhouse Green Suits project, Sept. 19, 2019
2019-- Barnard College, New York City, NY, Invited to lead a Green Suits Barnard embodied workshop at hosted by Leslie Raucher, Associate Director of Sustainability to guide student sustainability group in participatory photography project with embodied expression by students in full-bodied green suits with leafy sashes, part of the larger CU Inside the Greenhouse Green Suits project, Oct. 20, 2019
2018-- National Park Service (NPS), Climate Change Response Program, Climate Communication, Fort Collins, CO, Invited to lead a Drawdown Act Up! workshop for invited guests of a national team identified by the NPS two-day working group, engaged participants in performance-based activities and scenes designed to convey practical actions to enact climate solutions, April 24, 2018
2018-- Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations, New York City, NY, Presentation of Vocal Empowerment Program at the Non-Governmental Organization side event, March 20. 2018
2017-- Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations, New York City, NY, Presentation of Vocal Empowerment Program at the Non-Governmental Organization side event, March 20, 2017
2016-- University of East London, England, Designed and facilitated a week-long residency for the Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance program at University of East London to mount an original musical Shine written and directed by Beth Osnes for youth-led community engagement in city planning for resilience (in collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities Initiative), worked with 19 UEL students who then, in turn, facilitated a performance experience for 125 secondary students at Riverside Primary School in East London for a public performance with students, parents and city officials, January 12-22, 2016
2016-- Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations, New York City, NY, Presentation of Vocal Empowerment Program at the Non-Governmental Organization side event, March 24, 2016
2012-- Rio+20, United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development, at the “Partnerships for Advancing Gender Equity and Sustainability,” Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brief Presentation of the Voices for Change Workshop (developed by Osnes), June 21, 2012
2008-- University of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Designed and facilitated workshop for vocal empowerment, July 20, 2008
2008-- Teachers College, Hanoi, Vietnam, Designed and facilitated workshop for vocal empowerment, June 14, 2008
1999-- University of Cork, Cork, Ireland, Guest Performer\Teacher for weeklong workshop on puppetry, May 12-20,1999
1990-- Naropa Institute, Boulder, CO, Presented day-long workshop on Shadow Puppet Theatre of Southeast Asia, October 19,1990
Applied Performance Work: designed and facilitated experiences with communities that use performance as a tool for social change
2014-2019—Cumbre Summit, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Co-design and co-facilitate an all-day workshop with youth for the Cumbre Summit- a day of leadership and empowerment training for Latina women (and gender expansive youth) in Boulder County, approximately 40 young people participate each year (ages 14-19, youth are leading the way in helping this traditionally women-led movement grow in their understanding and enactment of gender expression and inclusion) training and expression in vocal empowerment specific to the theme of resilience, September 27, 2014 and Oct. 10, 2015, September 10, 2016, September 23, 2017, September 22, 2018, September 21, 2019
2015-2017-- Created and toured an original musical Shine written and directed by Beth Osnes for youth-led community engagement in city planning for resilience (in collaboration with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities Initiative), This show was performed by local youth (facilitated by Osnes) in seven different communities, five of which were cities that are a part of the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative-- Boulder (2015), New York City (2015), London (2016), New Orleans (2016), Chicago (2017), and three that were not—Tuba City, Arizona within the Navajo Nation (2015), Malope, South Africa (2016), and Brookfield, CT (2016). Music composed by three-time Grammy winner, Tom Wasinger, choreography by master teacher with the New York City National Dance Institute and former Broadway performer, Arthur Fredric. Primary scientific advisors with production include Dr. Paty Romero Lankao with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Dr. Joshua Sperling with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
2016-- Maji Safi (‘Clean Water’ in Swahili), Shirati, Tanzania for their Female Hygiene Young Women’s Empowerment program, Designed and led two-week “training of the trainers” workshop for this Non-Governmental Organization on vocal empowerment for young women, trained local community health workers in how to use theatre as a tool to support young women in empowering their voices for self-advocacy and civic participation, facilitated a group in creating and broadcasting live a radio show to invigorate a call-in conversation about the stigma young women face in public because of menstruation, radio broadcast reached over 70,000 listeners, May 15-31, 2016
2014-- Grupo Fenix’s Solar Center in Totogalpa, Nicaragua, Designed and led two workshops for, a one-day workshop for women to empower their voices for participation in their own sustainable development for the 20 members of the Solar Center, and a two-day workshop for the Solar Center Youth Group (ages 18-25), training members to use the artistic medium of solar-powered shadow puppet theatre to communicate about clean energy issues relevant to their community and experience, culminated in a performance created by workshop participants for community members, January 4-9, 2014
2013-Present-- Co-designed and co-facilitated a multi-year Vocal Empowerment Curriculum with the Non-Governmental Organization, MAIA Impact, (formerly Starfish One by One), in Sololá, Guatemala, and their newly created MAIA Impact School, the first in Guatemala to be designed and led by Maya women for young Maya women, With my research partner Dr. Chelsea Hackett, I co-designed and co-conducted “training of the trainers” workshops for mentors, teachers, and staff of MAIA program that supports young women’s access to a quality and culturally-inclusive education to become leaders of their communities and the nation. Week-long sessions with MAIA occurred at least twice a year, with frequent visits and creative sessions occurring in Guatemala and the United States as we partnered closely in the development of the SPEAK Vocal Empowerment approach and the resulting curricula for grades 6-12 (still in development for grades 10-12), (online visits and sessions only since the pandemic has occurred), from 2013 to the present
2013-2017-- Navajo Women’s Energy Project, formed in Tuba City, AZ Navajo Nation (bordering and inclusive of the Hopi Nation participants), Co-designed and co-lead three all-day workshops, February 9, April 19, and September 21, 2013, with Adrian Manygoats and Lindsay Weitkamp. Together we co-designed a process using performance as a tool to include Navajo women in authoring their own clean energy future, participants created a new group they formed and named Navajo Women’s Energy Project, From 2013-2017, this project was in partnership with Eagle Energy, a subsidiary of Elephant Energy, Manygoats and Osnes worked together to fulfill the wishes of the group which were to get women’s voices as part of the public conversation on clean energy (created NWEP radio show for Native Voice 1--a national syndicate for native radio programming), clean energy awareness and education for youth (created youth-performed musical about clean energy, Shine, first performed in the Navajo Nation), and women’s income-generating enterprise selling solar technology (led by Manygoats), NWEP continues to be led by Manygoats from her new position with Diné College in Window Rock, AZ
2013-- Elephant Energy, Katima Mulilo, Namibia, Developed and facilitated a week-long Vocal Empowerment Workshop for women sales agents of solar-powered lights for using performance as a tool for women to empower their voices to advocate for renewable energy within their communities, facilitated the creation of two radio public service announcements by participants for airing on Namibia Public Radio, May 5-10, 2013
2012-- American Association for the Care of Children (AACC), Managua, Nicaragua, Facilitated 2-day Vocal Empowerment Workshop for 25 women, January 6-7, 2012
2011-- Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI), Pune, India, Developed and presented a week-long “training of the trainers” for the Vocal Empowerment Workshop for 35 ARTI staff members, training to use performance as a tool to include the voices of local women in developing clean energy technologies through ARTI, March 9-14, 2011
2010-- Population Media Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Facilitated Vocal Empowerment Workshop, July 12, 2010
Applied Performance: combined live performance with applied performance workshop:
2007-2010-- Mothers Acting Up (MAU), International Non-Governmental Organization co-founded by Osnes, headquartered in Boulder, CO, The MOTHER tour consisted of a performance of a one-woman show, (M)other, written and performed by MAU by Beth Osnes, and an Empowering Mother Voices workshop (also developed by Osnes). The tour was hosted in the following cities:
- Denver University Sturm School of Law, Denver, CO, March 2010
- Marquette University, Weasler Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI, April 2010
- United Methodist Women International Conference, Experience Hall,
America’s Center, St. Louis, April-May 2010
- (workshop only) Population Media Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July
2010
- (workshop only) University of Colorado, Boulder, UMC, Martin Luther King Celebration, Jan. 2009
- First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, OH, March 2009
- (workshop only) Peace Corps Project, Comarca Ngabe, Panama, April
2009
- The Gathering Place Community, Denver, CO, May 2009
- (performance only) Antigua, Guatemala, performance for English-
speaking NGO workers, hosted by WINGS, July 2009
- (workshop only) Limitless Horizons Ixil, Chajul, Guatemala, July 2009
- (workshop only) Starfish One by One, a NGO in Guatemala, in
Chicacao, Santiago, and Panachel, July 2009
- Colorado State University Theatre Dept. Main Season, Fort Collins, CO,
Oct. 2009
- Colorado Rocky Mountain School, CRMS Theatre, Carbondale, CO,
Oct. 2009
- Fort Lewis College Main Stage, Durango, CO, October 2008
- Center Stage Theatre, Evergreen, CO, April 2008
- Palmerston Library Theatre, Toronto, April 2008
- Long Island Sheraton in Hauppauge, New York, for the conference MOTHERS '08: Thinking Beyond Ourselves and Beyond Today, April 2008
- Hot Mama Café Theater, Austin, TX, May 2008
- (workshop only) STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention Center, Hanoi, Vietnam,
June 2008
- (workshop only) Teachers College, Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2008
- (workshop only) University of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 2008
- (workshop only) Penang Players Theatre Company, Penang, Malaysia,
July 2008
- First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, co-sponsored by the
Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project. Nov. 2007
- Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, Sept. 2007
Creative Performance—Live and Mediated:
2019-- Colorado Public Radio, Denver, CO, Performed climate-related ‘Good Natured’ Stand-up Comedy at Colorado Matters Live Event, The Climate Change Variety Hour, April 8, 2019 at the Newman Center for Performing Arts at the University of Denver, segment aired on Colorado Public Radio Earth Day, April 22, 2019
2016-- Native Voice 1, Albuquerque, NM, Produced, co-narrated, and co-wrote radio program entitled Indigenous Women Telling a New Story of Energy in collaboration with Adrian Manygoats and the Navajo Women’s Energy Project, distributed by Native Voice 1, the national syndicate for USA indigenous radio stations, featuring Winona LaDuke, Earth Day in April of 2016
2013-- Moondance International Film Festival, Mystic, CT, Official Selection and Honorable Mention for three short story pieces performed and written by Beth Osnes: Powertools (2 minutes), Finding Her Own Way Home (2 minutes), and Hey, Dirt (4 minutes), all from the web-based performance, Striking the Match, Sept. 27, 2013
2011- ATLAS Black Box, CU Boulder, CO, Created and Performed Striking the Match: Performance to Ignite Positive Social Change, a web-based performance of 27 brief, mostly funny solo-videos by Beth Osnes that illuminate social issues, launched through a live feed on Nov. 5, 2011. A ten-week “Video of the Week” study (sponsored by the Philanthropiece Foundation) of the effectiveness of these videos to illuminate social issues on 100 participants was conducted February-May 2012 (results published in article in Sustainability: The Journal of Record)
2011-2012-- Wrote and performed in Energy Justice: The Musical, an original live action and solar-powered shadow puppet performance about humanity’s relationship with energy and how we can work together towards a more equitable clean energy future, music composed by three-time Grammy Award winner, Tom Wasinger, This was performed in the following places:
-Thoreau High School, Thoreau, New Mexico (Navajo Nation) and Bacca Elementary (Bureau of Indian Education School), Four CU students and five Navajo high school students performed, reached over 500 students, September 2011
-Castillo Theatre, 543 W. 42nd Street, New York City, NY, as part of the Performing the World Conference sponsored by the Eastside Institute, 3 youth performers with two CU graduate students, October 2012
2011-- Women + Film Voices Film Festival, Denver Film Society, Denver, CO, Co-created with Janet Robb five Public Service Announcements entitled "Voices: Share Your Voice" that encouraged women to act on the social issues presented through the films, March 8-13, 2011
2011-- Tiroir A Films, Louisville, CO and Marguerittes, France, Featured as one of the two “human threads” in the documentary film, Mother: Caring For 7 Billion (2011), which features Osnes’ mother activism work and personal life, Awarded “Best Film from Colorado” at the Boulder International Film Festival 2011, awarded Best Social-Issues Documentary at DocuFest 2011, and awarded Best Film from The Population Institute’s 32nd Annual Media Awards
2010-- Mothers Acting Up and Channel 8, Boulder, CO, Co-host for a television program, The Moment Show, 2010- 2011, Also created short, comic, solo performance pieces entitled “Internal Monologues” for this program, 2009-2011
1991--While on Fulbright in Malaysia, learned Dalang Muda (opening ceremony for traditional shadow puppet theatre) and performed it for Dalang Hamzah bin Awang Amat, my puppet master teacher, in Kelantan, Malaysia, in Kelantanese dialect, November 1991
2002-2007--Wrote and performed The Mother Load, a one-woman performance that shows mothers moving outside traditional roles into roles of spirited civic participation. The role of mother—as defined by society—scripts mothers not as agents of change, but as nurturers, witnesses and supporters (always second billing, never the lead role), The Mother Load seeks to inspire mothers towards an internal transformation necessary for stretching outside traditional roles in order to take public action, performed in the following places:
- Mayflower Church, Oklahoma City, March 2007
- Fair Grinds Community Performance Space, New Orleans, July 2007
- Marquette University, Milwaukee, at a conference by the Women’s
Studies Department on Women and Creativity, March 2006
- Thunder River Theatre, Carbondale, Colorado, Sept. 2006
- York University in Toronto, Canada, for a conference by the Association
for Research on Mothering, Oct. 2006
- Regional meeting of Move On, Democracy Now and
UNIFEM, Orange County, CA, Nov. 2006
- Stockyards Theatre Project 5th Annual Women’s Performance Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, Oct. 2004
- Mercury Café Theater, Denver, May 2003
- Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, Oct. 2002
2007-- What Price Passion? a 23-minute video by Cecilia Pang about mothering and art, One of the three featured performing artists/mothers
2002-- Cambodia: The People and the Performing Arts, shot, edited, and narrated a 24-minute video about the performing arts in Cambodia set within its rich cultural context, public screening at the Boulder Public Library and the Denver Art Museum, included in several library collections
1996-2001-- Frequent Flyers, Inc. Boulder, CO, Wrote script and performed in Theater of the Vampires, a dance-theatre production involving low-flying trapeze, Boulder Theater, Denver Auditorium, and Macky Auditorium, on Halloween weekends 1996 through 2001
1997-2002-- Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO, Wrote, directed, and performed in Stone Face Theatre: The Black Pearl, a show involving stone-faced puppets and live shadow play, funded by the Arts and Humanities Assembly of Boulder, June 1997, the script was also produced in the main season at Fort Lewis University in Durango, CO Fall, 2002
1999—Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO, Wrote, directed and performed in The Only Sound, a live human shadow play that began and ended with a silent film created for this performance, with music by Art Lande, April 1999. Aired on Channel 8, Boulder, CO 1999-2000
1993-- Performed and wrote Ezra and Icebaby, a shadow puppet performance combining newly created characters with traditional Southeast Asian shadow puppets. Sponsored by the Boulder Commission for the Arts, Two outdoor performances near Boulder Public Library, Sept.-Oct., 1993
1991-- Old Main Theatre, Boulder, CO, Directed and performed in Shadow Play, a multi-media production incorporating text, performance and innovative shadow effects, sponsored by Neodata Foundation for the Arts and Humanities, April 1991
1989-- The Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO, Directed Habits, a play by Scott Beehner, sponsored by the Boulder Theater and the Boulder City Arts Commission, April 14, 1989
1988-- Boulder Museum of Contemporary Arts, Boulder, CO, Directed original dramatic work, Time in My Pocket, sponsored by the Boulder City Arts Commission and the C.U. Graduate School, September 20, 1988
1986-- Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Directed Jacque or The Submission, by Eugene Ionesco, Fall 1986