Age: 48 Hometown: Chicago Current Residence: Rochester Occupation: Frederick Douglass professor and founding chair of the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester Rye old fashioned with extra cherries — a spirit-forward drink that balances spice and sweet, the pe rfect preamble for great storytelling.   That’s Jeffrey McCune’s drink order, and it mirrors the heart of his work.   Growing up in Chicago, McCune was a theater kid who loved math. He continued his studies in communication and performance, pursuing a career as a professional speaker before being drawn back into theater and academia. Currently, McCune is fostering a legacy that combines rhetoric and culture to curate spaces in which the voices of underserved communities can be heard and celebrated.   McCune arrived in the Rochester area five years ago, after accepting a position at the University of Rochester to design and execute a standalone Black Studies Department in conjunction with the Frederick Douglass Institute. The project required building a sustainable program of academic heft and rigor as well as the recruitment and development of staff. For the university, it would serve “as a dynamic center for the interdisciplinary study of Black life, thought, culture, politics, health, and expressive practices across the Black diaspora.”  Since McCune began, the University has received a Mellon Foundation grant of $3 million to further the efforts. While other institutions are pulling back from such efforts, McCune is able to push forward and grow  Black culture at the university. The development of this framework also includes working with the community, so given his background, McCune connected with the local arts scene to develop partnerships with Geva Theatre, The Avenue Blackbox Theatre and the Flower City Noir Collective, to name a few.   McCune also teaches courses in both the Black Studies and English departments that focus on Black culture, identity, and politics. He challenges his students to engage in disobedient reading in order to develop critical reading skills that assist how to read the world.   “These transgressive reading practices require a reorientation of sorts where we commit to seeking new knowledge,” said McCune, “I want readers to engage in an ideological gaze that intentionally attempts to read more than is evident and available within common knowledge.”  He believes live theater is another such platform.   “I’ve always been interested in the things that others think of as nonsense<” he said. “Nonsense is where the gems are because nothing is nonsensical especially when it comes to those who have been largely misunderstood. Seeking opportunities to make sense of what others think of as nonsensical and theater is one of those spaces that gives “nonsense” a stage and a voice.”   Through a partnership with Geva Theatre, McCune has found a stage for these voices; an opportunity to curate a more informed public outside the expertise of university professors.   “The dialogue with the art and community is where we get a real opportunity to know the text and know life, and know life through the text,” he said.   In addition to working as a dramaturg on past and upcoming performances, McCune has contributed to the post-show talkback series at Geva with previous productions of “Furlough’s Paradise,” “Baron Vaughn: Cycle Breaker” and will participate in the upcoming “Topdog/Underdog” and “Purpose.”   Geva’s artistic director, Elizabeth Williamson, said McCune’s involvement has elevated talkback opportunities particularly through his ability to connect so easily with students.  ‘He brings a breadth of knowledge and expertise that is extraordinary, and we’ve been thrilled to get to work with him,” she said.” Williamson is especially looking forward to McCune’s work with Geva’s artist-in-residence, Jeffrey L Page, adding that McCune is collaborating closely with Page on the development of a new musical about Frederick Douglass.   But first up is “Topdog/Underdog,” which runs October 13 – November 22.  “It’s a real complex performance of brotherhood, influenced by important historical black shifts and reflecting purpose, beauty of family, laughter and comradery,” said McCune.   “Purpose,” which runs in April 2027, will give even more perspective on Black family dynamics by shifting the impact of the social and cultural world by which their stories are entangled. McCune hopes both shows will “touch the audiences in ways that are at once universally human and yet so specific and complex.”   After five years of service to the Frederick Douglass Institute project, McCune recognized a natural opportunity to step down as the chair this year. In passing the baton, he will focus on more strategic creative endeavors and believes the program is well positioned, with his scaffolding in place, to continue growing.  “It’s in the right hands to develop our community … and promote the importance of Rochester artist scholars as stakeholders,” said McCune.   Aside from being inspired by many Rochester-area artists, McCune loves the heart of Harold Washington and Jesse Jackson Jr.; the minds of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison; and the witness of Reverend Otis Moss III and Howard Thurman. He hopes to leave a legacy that shows the good, important work there is to do “requires both heart and mind and you don’t have to leave either at the door.” —MARIA STOJANOVA-MONTOYA  The post Rochester Ten | Jeffrey McCune, Jr. appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less