Erin Scheidegger-Menendez, a 2024 graduate of the PhD in Leadership and Change program, has written and published her dissertation titled Anne, Martin, Emmett, and Harriet: Plays About Anne Frank and Historical African American Personages.
Scheidegger-Menendez’s central question is why the playwrights of Harriet and Anne: An Original Narrative, Janet Langhart Cohen’s Anne & Emmett: A One-Act Play and Letters from Anne and Martin, unite Anne Frank and African American historical figures. What were the playwrights’ intentions with this linkage, and how were they fulfilled? Scheidegger-Menendez’s dissertation intends to fill this research gap in theatre history.
The playwrights were interviewed using a prepared questionnaire completed by mail, email, telephone, or Zoom to discover the reason(s) for writing the three works. The writers answered using their preferred methods, and results were compiled within the work’s question/answer format. The research found the plays to be works of remembrance/cultural trauma written by playwrights who shared seminal experiences regarding Anne Frank and the African American icons. Scheidegger-Menendez found the writers were driven by intense feelings of social justice, inspiring their creative works, using Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King Jr. to communicate their thematic messages of social justice. They urged their audiences to keep these icons’ history from repeating itself and honor those entities.
With over 30 years of experience in the field of education, Scheidegger-Menendez has worked in the public school system, charter schools, and post-secondary institutions. She is a certified intervention specialist in mild to moderate disabilities, and her extensive personal and professional experience in Autism and Dyslexia is a cornerstone of her expertise. Erin’s research interests in theatre history and literature and the Holocaust reflect her intellectual curiosity and add a unique perspective to her professional profile.
Read and download Scheidegger-Menendez’s dissertation Anne, Martin, Emmett, and Harriet: Plays About Anne Frank and Historical African American Personages.
