Lisa B. Thompson

Lisa B. Thompson (Ph.D.) is a scholar, playwright, librettist and the Patton Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. She is also affiliate faculty in English, Theatre and Dance and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies. Her scholarship focuses on Black feminist theory, theatre, film, Black popular culture and literature. She is the inaugural Advisor to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts for Faculty Mentoring and Support. Thompson’s books include Beyond The Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class (2009); Single Black Female (2012) and her new play collection, Underground, Monroe, and The Mamalogues: Three Plays (2020). Her plays include Single Black Female (LA Weekly Theatre Award for Best Comedy nominee); Monroe (winner of the Austin Playhouse Festival of New Texas Plays); The Mamalogues (winner of the Broadway World Regional Awards Best Writing of an Original Work); Underground (winner of the Austin Critics Circle David Mark Cohen New Play Award) and Dinner (Ashland New Play Festival Semi-finalist). Her plays have been produced around the country, off-Broadway and internationally. Her public scholarship includes co-hosting and co-producing with Richard J. Reddick Black Austin Matters, a podcast and bi-monthly radio segment on KUT, Austin’s NPR station.

Her work has received support from several institutions including the American Council of Learned Societies; the W. E. B. DuBois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University; the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research; Stanford's Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity; Hedgebrook; the Millay Colony for the Arts; MacDowell and Texas Performing Arts.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of UT Theatre and Dance?

What is your favorite thing about Austin?

The delicious food (including grocery stores!), and the amazing Austin theatre scene.