My dream is to support the next generation of global learners

Jane Traynor is a PhD candidate in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in Asian theater. Jane grew up in Calgary, Canada, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta with a double major in Japanese language & literature and drama, and also earned a master’s degree in East Asian studies there. She earned a master’s degree in Japanese literature from Columbia University before coming to Hawaiʻi. Jane is a recipient of scholarships from the Center for Japanese Studies Scholarship Fund and the Dai Ho Chun Fund for Graduate Fellowships. This is an excerpt of her thank you letter to donors.

I came to the University of Hawaiʻi specifically for the Asian theater Program — the only one of its kind in North America — to pursue my PhD. The past academic year, my entire extracurricular schedule revolved around the English-language kabuki production of “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves” and its accompanying tour to Japan. This was not only humbling and rewarding in and of itself but was a critical opportunity for professional training as I learned the ins and outs of the logistical processes, from hosting guest artists from Japan to interpreting to planning international large-group travel.

With any luck, these are all skills I will use as an Asian theater-specializing professor at a post-secondary institution back in my home country of Canada. Being a professor of theater will provide me with the infrastructure to diversify the currently Eurocentric theater scene in Canada through teaching, welcoming guest artists, and producing performances.

This year, I will be focused on writing my dissertation and am particularly looking forward to getting back into a better work-life balance by reintroducing regular physical activity back into my daily life. In the spring, I will also be returning to Japan to continue fieldwork for my dissertation on traditional kyogen theater.

To my donors

My experience at UH has been life changing, as I have met so many other like-minded individuals who are also passionate about diversifying the theater landscape and who came to UH for precisely the same reasons as myself. In Hawaiʻi, I have found myself reflected and represented on stage in a way that I never thought possible and have been welcomed into the greater theater community with a kindness that has never been extended to me elsewhere. As an international student, funding my studies has always been an ongoing concern. However, through the generous sponsorship of donors, I have received the support necessary to pursue my dream of becoming a professor who will support the next generation of global learners.