Collaborative Arts Research Initiative

CARI-Supported Original Musical Performed in Rome, Italy

Dotts’ Moods: A New Biographical Musical, an original piece conceived by former CARI Fellows Dr. Luvada Harrison, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Voice, Dr. Claudia Romanelli, Associate Professor of Italian, Dr. Erin Stoneking, Assistant Professor of American Culture and Society, Dr. Yolanda Manora, Associate Professor of English, and Robin Behn, Professor Emirita of English, was performed on September 18, 2026 at “The Afterlives of Roberto Rossellini’s Paisan (1946): An Interdisciplinary Conference at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Via Tuscolana, the national film school in Rome, Italy. The conference was funded by a grant from the Ragusa Foundation and sponsored by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The musical is part of the CARI-supported “Dotts Johnson Project,” which researches the life of Dotts Johnson, who played one of the lead roles in Roberto Rossellini’s 1946 Paisà [Paisan], and was the first African American performer to star in an Italian film. Johnson’s long career in American theatre, TV, film, radio, and music has largely fallen out of the view of performing arts historians. Dotts’ Moods is inspired by and features Johnson’s musical compositions and is informed by archival research and family interviews. Centered around the story of Johnson’s granddaughter, UA’s Dr. Luvada Harrison, in her quest to discover more about her grandfather. Harrison is a featured performer in this production. The project responds to the need for a more robust history and public awareness of significant African American artists whose work has gone understudied and unappreciated. Dotts’ Moods has been supported by two National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects totaling $25,000, and a $6,600 Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) Project Grant. In addition to seed funding from CARI, the Dotts Johnson Project has received support from the Barefield College of Arts & Sciences Departments of American Culture and Society, Theatre and Dance, English, and Modern Languages and Classics.