Once again, Norman Allen, Renee Calarco and I served as mentors to young playwrights who had been awarded the 2013 Playwrights Discovery Award as part of The Kennedy Center's Department of VSA and Accessibility.

This year’s distinquished recipients were chosen from more than 350 applications nationwide and an excerpt of their work will be presented at the Kennedy Center as part the 11th Annual Page-to-Stage Festival. In my next post, I'm going to introduce you to the mentors and share their experience and the role of mentorship! For now, here's more information about the reading and the wonderful young playwrights!!!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
presents the
28th Annual Playwright Discovery Performance
Staged readings of four award-winning student scripts
Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. 
MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

I had a wonderful experience again this year, so wanted to check in with Norman and Renee. They were kind enough to share their thoughts. Please enjoy and I hope to see you on Sunday!

What excited you about working with VSA Playwrights Discovery Program again this year?
I had such a fantastic time working with the program last year that I jumped at the opportunity to return. The process itself is rather dramatic. You spend several weeks working with your young playwright by phone and email. You get to know them and their work and their goals. You share ideas about what it means to collaborate with actors and directors. Then suddenly the day comes when they arrive in Washington and you get to be in the same room together.

Last year, it was especially interesting to watch the young playwrights during the rehearsal process. I think it’s always difficult and complicated when a playwright lays their work before other artists. It takes a level of maturity to be open and flexible, and yet also hold fast to your central vision. A lot of adult playwrights I know have never mastered this. To watch young writers move toward it can be very moving.

Who is your playwright and why should audiences come experience his/her play?
Will Hedgecock is a brilliant young writer, with an incredibly mature comic sense. His play Bad Days is an exploration of depression, how it affects a person, and how that person is perceived by others. But he does this with a light, comic touch. It’s a very difficult line to walk – taking a very serious subject and dealing with it in a humorous way. Will walks that line brilliantly.

He also has a lot to say with this play. It touches on family relationships, on romance, on loyalty. It’s the portrait of a young man discovering his own strength, and I think audiences will discover some new perspectives by stepping into this story.

What are your thoughts on mentorship?
You know I can’t get through this interview without quoting The King and I. Mrs. Anna sings, “If you become a teacher, by your pupils you’ll be taught.” And she’s right. I spent the last year working as a mentor with the Center for Inspired Teaching, coaching teachers in DC public schools. I never left one of those classrooms without knowing more than I went in. It’s the same here. The key to mentoring is, actually, recognizing that it’s very different from teaching. You’re not there as the expert, or the one who holds all the knowledge. You’re there to enter into conversation with another artist who has similar interests and similar goals. There was definitely stuff I had to share with Will after working as a playwright for the last twenty years, but Will and I met as equals, and I think we both benefited from the experience.

What excited you about working with VSA Playwrights Discovery Program again this year?
Last year, I had such a great time—and learned so much from my mentee—that I absolutely jumped at the chance to work with VSA again. I love working with young playwrights because they’re still exploring and learning and doing astonishing things with their scripts. And their energy is contagious! Last year, after the weekend was over, I dove right back into a script I’d been struggling with. There’s something about the community of young writers that’s so inspirational.

Who is your playwright and why should audiences come experience his/her play?
Mickey Liebrecht is 16 and thinks big. Really big. Her play, BROKEN BODIES, has a cast of 13. Several characters speak American Sign Language. It’s a play about broken bodies…broken relationships…and the ultimate healing that comes with time. Also, Mickey’s got an amazing ear for dialogue, which is something you just can’t teach. Though her play has 13 characters, each one of them has his or her own unique voice. It’s quite an accomplishment. (A note: the excerpt we’ll be hearing at Millenium Stage does not involve all 13 of those characters!)  

What are your thoughts on mentorship?
I love it. We so often talk about “giving back” to our communities in one way or another, but I have to admit that I feel like I’m taking more than I’m giving. Again, it’s that energy and enthusiasm that inspires me so much. And I think we all need mentors—no matter how old we are or how many hours we’ve spent writing and revising. It helps to have someone to not only guide you,  but to also act as a sounding board and peer. It’s more of a give-and-take relationship, which I just love.

What excited you about working with VSA Playwrights Discovery Program again this year?
The mission of the program is what drew me back. Also, it’s wonderful to be a part of the professional experience that these young playwrights get to experience. It’s amazing to be at the beginning of a process with a young playwright. I get to all the things to her that I wish had been said to me in terms of honoring voice and vision for the play. Both years, I was in the process of writing my own play and I learned a lot from each meeting about coming back to the “What if?” and about remembering what originally drew me to the story and characters in the first place. What’s more, any and all advice I gave to my mentee, I turned back and gave to myself! Finally, there’s nothing like getting that late night text that says, “I finished the next draft! It’s only its way!” It’s beautiful to be able to celebrate that success with someone who understands that feeling.

Who is your playwright and why should audiences come experience his/her play?
Nicole Zimmerer is an extraordinary young woman and I am fortunate for having spent this time with her. She is a talented, passionate, smart and hardworking writer. In her play, Falling with Grace, we meet a teenager working to figure out the rest of her life. She has cerebral palsy, but doesn’t want to be defined or limited by her disability. She is quite independent, which makes it difficult to confront feelings of the loss and anxiety that comes with major transitions in life such as graduation. She lashes out at those she loves, when really she wants to hold on them and keep every still, everything in place. It’s a beautiful play, a brilliant journey of struggle, acceptance, and hope. What I love most about this play are the relationships between women. It’s a play about mothers and daughters, and also about best friends of two generations. It’s funny, insightful and unlike any play that I’ve ever before experienced.

What are your thoughts on mentorship?
When I think about mentoring, I think about this quote from Benjamin Franklin:

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” 

I completely agree with Norman that being a mentor different from being a teacher. It’s a process of engaging another person in rich, inspired and challenging dialogue about shared passions, thoughts and ambitions. This allows each person to come to the conversation at different points of entry, different levels of experience and different points of views. You meet in a place of respect and admiration. After reading Nicole’s play, I was excited to speak with her about the process of writing and about how we go deeper into our characters to make them bolder, richer and more realized. But this wasn’t about what I could teach her; it was about sharing what we each experienced in our lives and how that could manifest on the page. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of this experience.

JACQUELINE E. LAWTON
Jacqueline E. Lawton received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. Her plays include Anna K;Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water;The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade, Mad Breed and Our Man Beverly Snow. She has received commissions from Active Cultures Theater, Discovery Theater, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of American History, Round House Theatre and Theater J. Her play, Cinder Blocks, was published in Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project (University of Texas Press). A 2012 TCG Young Leaders of Color, she has been nominated for the Wendy Wasserstein Prize and a PONY Fellowship from the Lark New Play Development Center.

About VSA
VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, www.vsarts.org.

About Education at the Kennedy Center
As the national center for the performing arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is committed to increasing opportunities for all people to participate in and understand the arts. To fulfill that mission, the Kennedy Center strives to commission, create, design, produce, and/or present performances and programs of the highest standard of excellence and of a diversity that reflects the world in which we live—and to make those performances and programs accessible and inclusive.

It's on the rare occasion that I get a chance to leave the city. I spend many a holiday here in the Nation's Capitol and by far, Labor Day Weekend is one of my favorites. With it, comes the Kennedy Center's annual Page-to-Stage Festival. 

This year, for the first time in five years, I will not be presenting a play in the festival. This made me really sad until I remember that I'm doing something even greater: I'm mentoring a young playwright who will be presenting her work in the festival for the first time as part of the  VSA Playwright Discovery Award Program!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
presents the
28th Annual Playwright Discovery Performance
Staged readings of four award-winning student scripts
Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. 
MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

“We are inspired by the work and enthusiasm of these talented high school students,” said Betty Siegel, Director of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center. “These works tell important stories from a unique perspective, and we are proud to support the development of these young writers.”

This extraordinary, worthwhile and inspiring program is an annual competition that invites middle and high school students to take a closer look at the world around them, examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express their views through the art of playwriting. Young playwrights with and without disabilities can write from their own experience or about an experience in the life of another person or a fictional character. The program began in 1984, and has continued annually since. .

This year’s distinquished recipients were chosen from more than 150 applications nationwide and an excerpt of their work will be presented at the Kennedy Center as part the 12th Annual Page-to-Stage Festival. The award winning plays include The Broken Ornament by Margaret Abigail Flowers, Bad Days by Will Hedgecock, Sons of Atlantis by Nik Kerry, Broken Bodies by Mickey Liebrecht, Sertraline Lullabies by Elana Loeb, Cal Sheridan: Not Suffering by Cal Sheridan, Joanna’s Baby by Dimitra Skouras, Love Like Anything by Nathan Wilgeroth, and Falling with Grace by Nicole Zimmerer. The young playwrights will engage with seasoned professional playwrights, directors and actors to refine their work and developed their playwriting skills. 

I'm in the finest of company, as many of my esteemed colleagues are taking part including playwright and previous Playwright Discovery Competition winner Janet Allard; award-winning D.C. playwright Norman Allen; award-winning D.C. playwright Renée Calarco; D.C.-based director and actor Lee Mikeska Gardner; award-winning dramaturg and director Sonya Robbins-Hoffmann; award-winning Chicago-based theater artist Michael Patrick Thornton; and award-winning D.C.-based playwright Karen Zacarias will spend the weekend coaching, mentoring and working with the young playwrights.

In my next post, I'm going to introduce you to the mentors and share their experience and thoughts on the role of mentorship. For now, here's more information about the reading and the wonderful young playwrights.

The Broken Ornament by Margaret Abigail Flowers

Margaret Abigail Flowers, 17, originally hails from Houston, Texas, and has recently graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She is the winner of numerous regional and national awards for her poetry and playwriting, including The Blank Theatre Young Playwright's Competition and multiple Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She will be attending Stanford University in the fall of 2013 as an undergraduate student.

About the Play
When Sam returns to find his childhood home decorated as if it were Christmastime in the middle of July and that his sister has been lying to him about his mother's decaying mind, he begins to tear down the routine his family has established in order to achieve his own satisfaction. As he rips apart the Christmas tree, his familial bonds and own guilty conscience are put to the test and they each must look at who they are and what they won to each other and themselves.

Bad Days by Will Hedgecock

Will Hedgecock, 17, is a senior at Edison High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is an editor of Eyrie, the school's nationally recognized journal of creative expression, an active participant in his school's drama program, as well as an Eagle Scout. Will received the regional and state All-Star awards for the OSAI one-act competition for his role as Claudius. In addition, he has produced and directed two of his own one-act plays locally. He plans to major in theatre before pursuing a graduate program in playwriting program. 

About the Play
Due to a perceived suicide attempt and a diagnosis of depression, Carrol Jacobs is forced to confront the darkest parts of himself and the scorn and misunderstanding of his friends and relatives until he is "no longer a threat to himself or others." In this poignant, honest and surprisingly funny play, Carrol must face events in his past if he ever hopes to move on to his future. 

Sons of Atlantis by Nik Kerry

Nik Kerry, 19, is a recent graduate of Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio. Those that know him would describe him as energetic and enthusiastic about life. Born in Utah in 1994, he grew up in Ohio where he spent most of his time writing or playing musical instruments. Since being published in a poetry collection in fifth grade, Mr. Kerry’s work has been seen in the Teenink.com magazine, A Celebration of Young Poets magazine, Dark Gothic Resurrected magazine, and he is the self-published author of Nevermore, a book for Kindle. He currently resides in Utah.

About the Play
Henry was a creator of his own city, his own universe, and his own happiness all within his day dreaming and his obsession over Water worlds and shipwrecks due to his Asperger's Syndrome.

Broken Bodies by Mickey Liebrecht

Mickey Liebrecht, 16, is a junior at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado. She is currently enrolled in honors and AP courses. Her greatest love is the choir she is a part of, Young Voices of Colorado, where she has been taught to read and make music. More critically, she has also learned to use music as a tool for her own creative originality—a skill she truly values. She hopes to become a profiler with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

About the Play
A troubled youth has never been able to forgive himself after his father was killed and his sister made deph in a car-accident he believes he could have prevented. Three years later, he and his sister find themselves dragged off by their mother into a new town, with new faces--some old--and new discoveries of how life can go on after ANYBODY has been in ANY way, broken.

Sertraline Lullabies by Elana Loeb

Elana Loeb, 18, recently graduated from Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California. She is a big sister, a singer-songwriter, and an avid Shakespearian. In addition to Sertraline Lullabies, she has written two one-act comedies, an one-act musical, and a full length play. This fall Elana will begin her freshman year at Cornell University.

About the Play
In a parked car in a hospital parking lot, two teenagers worry about a friend of theirs who is under suicide watch.

Cal Sheridan: Not Suffering by Cal Sheridan

Cal Sheridan, 18, recently graduated from Boise High School in Boise, Idaho. For Cal, the stage is his life. Whether writing or acting, he loves being a part of the theatrical experience. He has written two plays: Chestnuts Roasting and Cal Sheridan: Not Suffering. His theater experience also includes working on stage crew as well as numerous acting credits. When not participating in theater, he enjoys writing scripts for cartoons and songs on Garageband. Cal studies under Dwayne Blackaller, a professional playwright at the Boise Contemporary Theatre.

About the Play
Cal, a young philosopher, shares with you the things you need to know but haven't been said. For the weight of the walker is less than the weight of words.

Joanna’s Baby by Dimitra Skouras

Dimitra Skouras, 18, is a recent graduate of Dallastown Area High School in York, Pennsylvania, where she was involved in the music and drama programs. Her lifelong involvement in community theatre fostered her love for all aspects of the performing arts. She enjoys literature, baking, and comedic television, and it is her dream to one day write for TV. Dimitra hopes to attend college sometime in the (hopefully near) future, as soon as she figures out how to pay for it.

About the Play
A woman must reexamine her beliefs and make a very difficult decision when she learns that her child will be born with a disability.

Love Like Anything by Nathan Wilgeroth

Nathan Wilgeroth, 18, recently graduated from Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, Texas. He was Vice President of the theatre department, having won multiple school- and district-wide acting awards. In addition, he was a member of the Texas All-State Mixed Choir and President of his school's choir department. In the fall, Nathan will attend Boston University and plans to major in English Literature.

About the Play
Love Like Anything is a story about Roger Bolden and Sylvia Harrell, two teenagers dealing with the turmoil of their own parents' divorces. To fight against the seemingly inevitable withering of relationships, they try to convince each other and themselves of the durability of lasting love, asking themselves, "Does love exist and, if so, must it always die?"

Falling with Grace by Nicole Zimmerer

Nicole Zimmerer, 19, just graduated from Westside High School in Houston, Texas. She was a member of the school’s theatre company for four years, as well as a member of National Honors Society. She has had cerebral palsy since birth and has written the words “non-progressive, non-contagious condition” on more college essays than she would like to admit. She is an avid writer and is very passionate about theatre, television, and film. Nicole will be attending the University of Houston in the fall, with plans to major in Playwriting and Dramaturgy. 

About the Play
A seventeen-year-old girl, Grace, has dealt with cerebral palsy, anon-contagious, non-progressive condition, her whole life. This is the story of her coming to accept her disability and herself.

About VSA
VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, www.vsarts.org.

About Education at the Kennedy Center
As the national center for the performing arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is committed to increasing opportunities for all people to participate in and understand the arts. To fulfill that mission, the Kennedy Center strives to commission, create, design, produce, and/or present performances and programs of the highest standard of excellence and of a diversity that reflects the world in which we live—and to make those performances and programs accessible and inclusive.

From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin: A Town Hall Meeting on Black Bodies and American Racism

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company was one of my first theatre homes. They taught me how to be a dramaturg, a craft which has served me well these past eight years. I have attended nearly every single production. I have stood in praise and enthusiasm of their programming, which reflects a commitment to diversity of form, gender, race, ability and sexual orientation. But I have never been more proud to be affiliated with them than I was this past Friday night when I took part in the town hall event.

From the beginning, there was an immediate sense that folks needed to be a part of this conversation. They needed a safe, but charged place to engage and process, to validate and confront all of what they had been feeling in response to the recent verdict in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida. With the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington upon us, now was the time for civic action and leadership. Woolly Mammoth took that the helm in our theatre community and executed it brilliantly.

When I walked into the theatre, the energy of the room was palpable. It was hungry, passionate and urgent. There was a radiant sense of expectation, curiosity, and hope. Howard Shalwitz (Woolly Artistic Director) and Jocelyn Prince (Woolly Connectivity Director and Town Hall Facilitator) welcomed the panelists, facilitators, volunteers and more than 100 guests. We were invited to channel what we were feeling into action and change for the betterment of our society. We were encouraged to engage in an honest, open, and challenging conversation with local activists, academics, artists, policy makers and each member in the audience.

In preparation for our convening, Jocelyn Prince worked with civic engagement expert, Michael Rohd, to shape our Goals and Rules for the evening:

Woolly Mammoth Town Hall Goals

• Process thoughts and emotions
  
• Hear from local activists and experts
  
• Connect with other concerned citizens in DC
  
• Collaborate on imagining and brainstorming some action steps
  

Woolly Mammoth Town Hall Rules

• We don’t interrupt when someone is speaking
  
• We try to listen actively, rather than think about the next thing we are going to say
  
• We assume the good intentions of everyone here
  
• We are conscious of the time we spend speaking, so that as many people as possible have the chance to express themselves.
  
• We do not attack anyone in the room
  
• We take responsibility for monitoring our own well-being.  If we feel heated or stressed by the conversation- we take a break, and try to channel our feelings in a productive way
  

Once these rules and goals were agreed upon, we were then led in an Interfaith Prayer by Reverend Carolyn Boyd, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ. Her prayer served as a reminder that we have come together in the service of work that is greater than us. Click here to her powerful, healing and uplifting words.

Then, poet and Woolly Claque Member, Ray Crawford delivered his beautiful, raw and captivating poem, Worthless. His poem was a reminder of how art can help us to contextualize an otherwise painful, disturbing and inexplicable experience.

Next, Jocelyn facilitated the discussion with panelists: Reverend Carolyn Boyd, Minister of Organizational Development at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; Louisa Davis, activist and Adjunct Professor of Religion and Ethics at Montgomery College; Jessica Frances Dukes, Woolly Company Member; Dr. Dennis B. Rogers, Lecturer in the Department of History and Government at Bowie State University; Gabriel Rojo, Site Manager, Identity Youth, Inc.; and Dawn Ursula, Woolly Company Member (and cast member in Woolly’s production of We Are Proud to Present…) 

These were the questions that were asked and the responses that really resonated:
How has the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial impacted you as a minister/activist/theater artist/academic? As a citizen? As a human being?

• Some on the panel were not surprised, but deeply disappointed.
  
• Many had watched the entire trial. One panelist said that he held his breath through the verdict, hoping for a different outcome, but not at all surprised by how it played out.
  
• For one panelist, young black men suddenly looked different. She explained that they looked like deer. Like deer you would see on the side of the road. Beautiful, graceful targets. You know they should be there, but you worry for their safety. Will the make it home alright?
  
• Another panelist shared, quite candidly, that the verdict, the entire experience, could have made her doubt or question God. To see young Black men made invisible, emasculated and disempowered, but instead the outpour of emotions gave her hope.
  

How would you situate the Trayvon Martin trail and verdict (as well as the ongoing national actions and dialogues in response to the verdict) within the context of the civil rights movement? Is there a linkage that you would draw between Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin?

• One panelist shared that this is an example of violence being sanctioned. It brought to mind the history of lynching in this country. Ida B. Well was writing about lynching in the late 1800s, Lynch Law in America. It’s a shame that we’re still seeing examples of it today.
  
• Another panelist drew a direct correlation between Till and Martin and concluded that what happened to them is a key part of the race problem in this country. In the 1950s and 60s, the violence against Blacks was overt. Now, it’s structural. More and more young Black men are dying because there is a system in place to manifest it. In this context, structural violence was defined as violence that happens due to racism, unjust laws, and systemic violence that are embedded in social norms.
  
• Another panelist cautioned us against making what happened to Trayvon Martin personal. What happened wasn’t specific to George Zimmerman nor was it an isolated incident. It is directly related to the legal system in our country. How can we take back the legal system?
  
• A panelist then spoke about our attitudes about race. What we have here, and in many of these cases, are young Black men who were where they were supposed to be, but our attitudes about race say that these young men have no right to be where they were. Whites can judge Black people out of place, but there are no checks in place to correct Whites of this presumption.
  
• There was a call to acknowledge and hold accountable the role of the news and other media outlets in informing attitude of race.
  
• Then two truths were shared: (1.) Ghetto and thug is a condition, not a state of mind and (2.) Stand Your Ground addresses the idea of property being protected. In Emmitt Till’s murder, the property being protected was a white woman. In Trayvon Martin’s murder, the property being protected was George Zimmerman’s white neighborhood. And the room erupted.
  

What implications do the case and verdict have for ongoing issues in the DC community (racial profiling, police brutality, criminalization of marijuana, race relations, prison and military industrial complex, etc)? What role can DC citizens play in changing the societal conditions that contributed to the death of Trayvon and the acquittal of George Zimmerman?

• A panelist observed that it’s easy in D.C. to avoid the other. We have pockets of communities that are still segregated. We don’t have to cross paths.
  
• A number of panelists asked: How do we keep this conversation going? How do we not hand this over to someone else to take care of? When it’s so hard and painful to talk about race, how do I engage in a conversation without offending, but still address the issue?
  
• In response, the panelists shared: We need more events like this one. We have to be more actively engaged and involved. We have to not be afraid. We need to have a serious conversation about the role, power and impact of white allies. We need to unify our movement so that we have synergy.
  
• A panelist advised us that in her anti-racism work, she advised us all to: (1.) STOP and listen to people who know, (2.) DROP the pretense that everything is fine, and (3.) ROLL with people, get into the groove to feel what’s going on.
  
• Another panelist urged us to hold business leaders and politicians accountable. We have to stop the prison-to-school pipeline and get guns out of the hands of ordinary citizens.
  
• A panelist encouraged us to use our economic power and bring back the Boycotts. Also, we need to challenge white privilege and recognize that the oppressed will also oppress and work against this cycle.
  
• It was acknowledged that we speak a language that divides us and that we need to find new language. Fortunately, Theatre Communications Group’s Diversity Institute is working with Diversity Consultant, Carmen Morgan, to provide these resources to the theatre community.
  

Towards the end of the panel discussion, an interesting, profound and shattering point was raised about our collective understanding of Race: Success is about moving toward whiteness. This bears repeating (and perhaps even saying aloud): Success is about moving towards whiteness. There is a disturbing, frightening and undeniable truth to this statement that I feel resonating in conversations around the risk of producing plays by playwrights of color.

From there, we had a brief group conversation where the audience had an opportunity to ask questions and share their own thoughts. What I found most valuable in this discussion was the sharing of essays, books and online resources:

• Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
  
• How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev
  
• How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America by Karen Brodkin Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity by Charles A. Gallagher Race and the Power of Illusion – PBS Series
  
• Feminist Crunk Collective - website 
  

From there, we broke out into smaller sessions for deeper investigation of these issues. We were tasked with identifying potential next steps and action plans for our own community. We were reminded to be patient, open, and generous with ourselves and others. 

Academics (Ray Crawford Jr.)

• The responsibility of Academia is one of intervention. We are tasked in our scholarship to hold the counter discourse.
  
• We need to be working with parents to engage with children.
  
• What is the responsibility of an academic institution to its community? It’s interesting to consider that a college like Howard University, which is a historically Black college, is situated in an ever changing community, which is now largely white. 
  
• Reality check: School is the most segregated place outside of church.
  
• Woolly must continue to host these conversations. 
  
• Perhaps theatre can have flash mob performances that bring scenes from upcoming plays into neighborhoods. That way people can know about the plays and see how they relate to what is happening right now in their lives and communities.
  
• Ultimately, we have to move beyond how we feel about race so that we can meet each other as human beings.
  

Activists and Policy Makers (Kymone Freeman)

• Young Black boy and men are afraid of the police.
  
• The outcry is against the sense of morality and injustice of the murder.
  
• There is a growing sense of youth apathy, which is directly related to economic disparity.
  
• All politics is local. What are we in D.C. going to do about the Living Wage Bill? Wal-Mart wants to be a part of D.C., but it is no secret that they are the largest distributor of ammunition and guns.
  
• We cannot forget the value of the drop in the bucket. 
  
• We cannot destroy ourselves arguing over the greater value of loss be it white on black crime or black on black crime. If a life is lost in a senseless and unjust manner, then it has to stop. 
  
• We were reminded of the key talking points for Saturday’s March on Washington, appropriately titled: “National Action to Realize the Dream March”: Jobs & the Economy, Voting Rights, Workers’ Rights, Criminal Justice Issues, Stand Your Ground Laws & Gun Violence, Women’s Rights, Immigration, LGBT Equality, Environmental Justice, and Youth.
  

Artists and Arts Workers (Jacqueline E. Lawton)

• Theater companies and artists need to plays and program community engagement events that help to foster dialogue. They need to go to the young people. Bring them to the theatre/to the program. Then step back and allow them the space to experience the work without judgment, protection or interference. 
  
• We have the resources to share with young people. We need to make it available to them and give them a reason to come back. But we also need to remember that the youth are organizing movements. 
  
• We need to acknowledge that there are some conversations that we can’t be a part of and that there some things you can’t tell someone else about themselves or their culture.
  
• When we’re not speaking the other person’s language, it will sound like screaming.
  
• We need to remember that civility and subversion are tools to build a movement. We need to understand when to modulate behavior and recognize that there is a range of normal behavior. By practicing normal behaving we are not compromising ourselves or our truth. More often than not, we are allowing ourselves to be heard. 
  
• As artists, we have to stay open, engage with the youth in our lives. Being an artist does not negate your role as a citizen.
  
• Ask yourself, what is the purpose of your life? What are you doing of value towards the betterment of your community? 
  
• How do we deal with other people of color who are not outraged? There seems to be a whole generation that is condition to not see that this is a problem and that they deserve better. In response, perhaps these folks do care, but they may not be in a situation or space to be able to share what they are feeling. 
  
• Remember that artists are creators of propaganda. We have to know the meaning behind the work we are creating.
  
• Where are our empowering figures? The prominent leaders, but also those working on a grassroots level? How are we honoring them?
  
• Where are the stories that tell of how you got to where you are, so that others don't feel so alone in their journeys and can see that the path to success isn’t straight or overnight? 
  
• How do we talk to our youth about race without continuing the oppressive conversation?
  
• How do we empower our young men to see their place, relevance and to remember that they came from kings and queens?
  
• Who is telling our stories? How are these stories framed? 
  
• There is a difference between your rights and your needs. There is a time and a place to exercise your rights and demand your needs. Be aware of the impact in your actions.
  
• You can’t change your lottery, but you can understand your legacy.
  
• How do we come together with a shared purpose that doesn’t negate each other’s individual experience? How does a white woman fighting the good fight in the feminist movement come to this conversation about race?
  
• There are a lot of things to be angry about. There is a need to produce angry art. We must learn how to process and shift that anger to passion so that the anger is well placed. Remember anger is the lowest vibration. Love is the most powerful. The law of attraction brings together common energies. We need to learn how to move from a place of love so that our work.
  

Youth and Youth Workers (Goldie Deane)

• After the George Zimmerman Verdict was announced, a young Black man turned to his father and said, “They gave them permission to kill me.”
  
• There is an urgency to address racism and breaking it down for young people to digest.
  
• How do we handle cross generational conversations?
  
• How do we address Black maleness and not just racism? How do we address status, socioeconomics and education for young Black men?
  
• There is a self-perceived notion that status undercuts racism and it simply doesn’t.
  
• How do we equip our young people with the ability to defend themselves?
  
• Allies need to be instrumental in the work. But how do we better define and understand privilege and access?
  
• There is a rite of passage between youth and manhood that for many Black males is not happening. 
  
• Ultimately, we need to move past feeling angry so that we can move past the barriers of racism.
  

I’m writing this blog as I listen to the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. So, I will end where we began with an inspiring quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."

More than anything, “the fierce urgency of now” was the real power of the Woolly Mammoth Town Hall event. We all entered the theatre that night for different reasons. We all came from different life experiences. We all have different beliefs for how to solve the problems of systemic racism and injustice. However, we all have a clear understanding that NOW is the time for this work to happen and that we can only achieve great success by coming together as a unified force.

Fifty years ago, Washington DC Wednesday morning, August 28 1963 - my mother turns to me and says "Heidele, go put on your shoes. We're going downtown to do something important. Don't tell your father"

We head downtown on the bus and make our way towards the Washington Monument, there is a huge crowd below, we manage to work our way near the far left corner of the Reflecting Pool and can go no further. 

There are thousands and thousands of people there, facing the Lincoln Monument, listening to sounds coming out of speakers which seem far away so it's a bit hard to hear. There is talking and singing…the men and many women around us, as dark or darker than my mother, are both serious and elated. Then a man starts to speak who has the crowd enraptured. I ask my mother is this is Moses? - somehow I got it into my head that we were at a big play, a pageant, and the women around us smile and laugh.

I can't understand much of what he is saying, but the crowd is getting more and more excited…I hear words "wa wa wa weem" and then "free" and the crowd shouts and surges and I half-topple into the Reflecting Pool. 

The women shriek and help pull me out and hug me and pat me and laugh with my mother. I have never seen her this happy. I will never see her this happy again. I perhaps have never been happier than that day of our shared secret and a feeling of a moment so filled with hope and love and a sense of what I would come to know as solidarity.

Years later someone pointed out that this was my baptism. Years and years later I realized my mother was happy because she, as a dark Italian/Croatian with probable Turkish blood woman, was for one time around people whom she looked more like, with whom she felt more comfortable than the people she was around who were part of my father's world…my father who would shout at her not to get too much sun because she'd look like a N……

I was going to go down to Washington today, in honor of that day…but I hear they have fenced off the Reflecting Pool, and Obama will take the time of the speech, and thinking about it I thought perhaps continuing to hold on to the memory and how it will shape future actions was more appropriate. So I got off the bus and am back home writing this.

Some things have changed since that day. Much has not. The issue of racism, jobs, poverty, inequity, a sham of democracy in this country has not changed.

I thank and honor you, Martin Luther King and all the people who marched and participated in that day and so many days before and after and who fought, and still fight, for justice and equality and the real US/American Dream. 

Mother, gone a few years later, I thank and love you.

I still have that dream.

-- Morgan Jenness, Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

About Morgan Jenness
Morgan Jenness spent over a decade at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, with both Joseph Papp and George C. Wolfe, in various capacities ranging from literary manager to Director of Play Development to Associate Producer. She was also Associate Artistic Director at the New York Theater Workshop, and an Associate Director at the Los Angeles Theater Center in charge of new projects. She has worked as a dramaturg, workshop director, and/or artistic consultant at theaters and new play programs across the country, including the Young Playwrights Festival, the Mark Taper Forum, The Playwrights Center/Playlabs, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Double Image/New York Stage and Film, CSC, Victory Gardens, Hartford Stage, and Center Stage. She has participated as a visiting artist and adjunct in playwriting programs at the University of Iowa, Brown University, Breadloaf, Columbia and NYU and is currently on the adjunct faculty at Fordham University. She has served on peer panels for various funding institutions, including NYSCA and the NEA, with whom she served as a site evaluator for almost a decade. In 1998 Ms. Jenness joined Helen Merrill Ltd., an agency representing writers, directors, composers and designers, as Creative Director. She now holds a position in the Literary Department at Abrams Artists Agency. In 2003, Ms. Jenness was presented with an Obie Award Special Citation for Longtime Support of Playwrights. 

Morgan Jenness has worked in various capacities from literary manager to associate producer at the Public Theater, New York Theater Workshop and LATC and as a dramaturg, workshop director, artistic consultant and teacher at theaters, play development programs and universities across the country. Formerly at Helen Merrill Ltd. she is currently creative consultant at Abrams Artists Agency.

Everyone, welcome to my new series, "In Conversation," which features stimulating, passionate, and honest social and racial discourse on relevant issues in theatre, television, film, recent events, etc. First up, D.C. performing artist Alexander Strain and I discuss the Netflix original television series, "Orange is the New Black." 

On Friday night, an article entitled "White is the New White" by Aura Bodago was sent to me in a private message. I read it and found that this quote resonated with me:

"Slave narratives became most fashionable among abolitionist circles in the mid-nineteenth century. These narratives remain deeply powerful, yet each one is framed by a white introduction, which authenticates the black experience. The white practice of verifying the lives of black fugitives who were skillfully plotting their own liberation has changed in circumstance and in medium—but the role of white people at its center has not. Today, its latest manifestation is playing out in the Netflix hit series, Orange Is the New Black."

I posted this quote and the link to the article on my Facebook wall. My long-time friend and respected colleague, Alexander Strain responded:

ALEXANDER STRAIN: Perhaps OITNB handles aspects of its portrayals imperfectly, but I disagree that the show's narrative functions successfully only through white validation. the show is structured in two very importantly distinct parts, one in which Piper experiences prison through her privileged (and usually unsympathetic) ignorance (which has less to do with simply her whiteness, as there are other white prisoners on the show who share neither her perspectives or background) and more to do with her specific story. But more to the point, the 2nd part of the show's narrative (that the author here majorly fails to mention) is the flashback sequences told entirely from the character in question's POV, which Piper has no influence over. While she perhaps remains ignorant of those details, to the audience the characters are validated of their own accord, not at all through the lens of Piper's whiteness, or anyone else's whiteness for that matter. It's because of this I feel the show is tackling something very important in current entertainment trends, because we now have a popular show where all the major characters are women, of diverse backgrounds, some perhaps feeding into stereotypes, but many of similar ethnicities and backgrounds who simultaneously do not fit into accustomed tropes. It is a show where women talk independently of their concerns that aren't centered on men or romance, and it seems a tad reductive on the author's part to walk away calling the show racist, when the well-documented public critical response is many wishing Piper wasn't even on the show as she is neither generally seen as the sympathetic character or the gateway that audiences need as this writer suggests. The women of color on this show have stories that stand on their own, not by virtue of Piper. Is OITNB perfect in tackling all of these messy and complex concerns, of course not, but I'm hard-pressed to think of a show that's tried with more sincerity to show that audiences can watch stories about women, and furthermore women of color, without guide posts, and be compelled, moved, and challenged.

To which I responded:
JACQUELINE LAWTON: The social and racial discourse around "Orange is the New Black" has been fascinating. The energy around this writer’s passionate response is explosive and inflamed, but worth the read for the complex and unsettling truth of how the Black experience has been framed, contextualized, made safe, eroticized, negated, exploited, etc. through the white lens over the course of our history. The writer’s deeply personal response in addition to her profound inability to see the beauty that so many see in this new series reminds of my response to "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot. 

Three people, who I deeply respect and admire and who are held in great esteem in the local, regional and national theatre community, told that I HAD to read this book and that upon reading it, I would absolutely have to adapt it. At the time, all of UDC was reading it as part of the Big Read and so, apparently, was the rest of the word. I got a hold of the book, carved out two days and commenced to read it. Only, I didn’t get past Chapter Two. 

After learning that Henrietta’s cousin-husband had ravished, abused and disrespected her body by passing on one STD after another through his extra-marital affairs, I became physically ill and emotionally disturbed. I had to put it down. It was too much for me. And I couldn't see how so many people had made it through Chapter Two to complete it. 

So this book, read the world over, sits unread on my shelf. 

I’m intrigued by all of this discourse, and most particularly, by our point of entry … our means of escape.

Which prompted Alexander's following response:

ALEXANDER STRAIN: I literally just picked up the book you mention Jacqueline to start reading it! That's amazing. How bizarre . . . I'm so intrigued now.

It felt strange to take a contrary view to what the author wrote in the article, because the show obviously struck such a personal and hurtful nerve. And truthfully, taken on its own, the point you echo about how black experience in entertainment is made palatable through a white lens is a deep complexity (something I for one hadn't considered very closely) which as you say makes the article worthy of thought.

It's unfortunate that something that seemed so astoundingly progressive could cause anyone such bitter frustration. A mainstream show giving voice to an African American transsexual woman (the role of Sophia Burset played by Laverne Cox) where the powers that be actually cast a transsexual African American actress was personally mind-blowing. Among many other moments of entertained incredulity at such drastic steps forward, it's hard to step back and see the show as anything but positive.

It's clear that it's deeper than that though, there's more at stake, and as I say all this, honestly how I view this show is irrelevant because I can walk away culturally, sexually, and racially unscathed, the show costs me nothing. So perhaps the author here is rightfully expecting ideals, and I sadly wouldn't even begin to pretend I know what that would be. Objectively, OITNB felt like it might be getting closer.

In the end I think people are moved by the show, not because a white girl helps an audience understand black girls, I don't actually think that’s the show's concern, but because the collective set of stories speak to a breadth of experience otherwise unexplored in popular culture. It's a worthy attempt, if not always covering every possible angle or always getting it "right".

At which point, I emailed Alexander to see if he would be interested in sharing this conversation on my blog as I felt it would be useful for folks, who are struggling to see the beauty of "Orange is the New Black" and for those who are celebrating how revolutionary it is. A few hours later, I started to watch the show.

I'm five episodes in and while I'm not ready to say "great," I enjoy the multiple narratives and find it to be a good, fun, clean, safe and entertaining women's prison themed television soap opera with a healthy dose of comedy, romance and drama. It's not perfect. There are plenty of stereotypes to go around, but they are painted with brushstrokes of humanity. If you listen to this cringe-worthy NPR interview with Jenji Kohan, the woman who created the show, you would rightfully be afraid to watch it. Then again, if you listen to this revealing NPR interview with Piper Kerman, the woman upon whom the show is based, you might still roll your eyes, but you'll have a deeper understanding of the spirit that drives "Orange is the New Black."

Here's the thing, Piper Kerman's foray into the international drug ring was out of boredom, misguided love and a sense of adventure. She had other choices, other opportunities and enjoyed many advantages offered to a middle class white woman. What makes this show problematic and a slap in the face for many people of color, is that while the choices that lead us into prison might also come out of boredom, misguided love and a sense of adventure, our choices are often limited, our opportunities few and far between, and the onslaught of disadvantages stem from a lifetime of systematic racism and injustice. 

Still. I find that having a television show, however flawed, that aims to give us a point of entry into both worlds, while highlighting the challenges faced by women, transgender women and men in this country, to be an extraordinary and worthwhile endeavor. 

I'm going to keep watching and encourage others to as well. Of course, I'm curious to know your thoughts?

Alexander Strain is a performing artist based in Washington DC, where he has acting in and directed numerous productions, narrated audio books under a contract with the library of congress, and worked as a teaching artist in local schools and juvenile detention centers. Nominated for 2 Helen Hayes awards for individual performance and been a part of 4 nominated ensembles, he is currently developing an independent arts initiative 'archipelago' centered on stories of Washington DC and working on his 1st novel. He is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and lives in Washington DC with 3 lovely ladies: his wife Natalia and two very needy cats. 

Jacqueline E. Lawton was named one of 30 of the nation's leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. Her plays include: Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful;The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade (2013 semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference), Mad Breed, and Our Man Beverly Snow.  Lawton’s work has been developed and presented at the following venues: Active Cultures, Classical Theater of Harlem, Folger Shakespeare Library, theHegira, Howard University, Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival, Rorschach Theater Company, Savannah Black Heritage Festival (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Shakespeare Theatre Company, Source Theatre Festival, Theater J, and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company. She is published in Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project (University of Texas Press). Ms. Lawton received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She participated in the Kennedy Center’s Playwrights’ Intensive (2002) and World Interplay (2003).  She is a 2012 TCG Young Leaders of Color award recipient and a National New Play Network (NNPN) Playwright Alumna. She has been recognized as a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference and the Playwright's Center PlayLabs, and as a SheWrites Festival finalist.  A member of Arena Stage's Playwright's Arena and the Dramatist Guild of America, Ms. Lawton currently resides in Washington, D.C.

NEXT UP: Critically acclaimed actress, Dawn Ursula and I discuss the relevance, impact and response to Bruce Nelson's Clybourne Park.

The following post is part of a blog salon series focusing on how theatre artists are responding to Trayvon Martin’s death, the trial and verdict, and the subsequent cultural response to those events. This series grew out of a series of discussion between myself, The New Black Fest’s artistic director Keith Josef Adkins, TCG's Associate Director of Communications August Schulenburg and TCG’s Director of Communications & Conferences Dafina McMillan. Please let us know if you'd like to contribute.

GUS SCHULENBURG: How has the outcome of the Trayvon Martin trial impacted you as a theatre artist? As a citizen? As a human being?
JACQUELINE LAWTON: As a theatre artist, it has cemented my desire to use each and every play that I write as a tool for social justice and change. Otherwise, the time and words were wasted. As a citizen, I am keenly aware that the struggle for civil rights is as much needed now as it ever was. What’s more, it is my duty, so long as I am alive on this earth, to do everything in my power to promote social awareness, race consciousness and compassion. I want to bring people together around these issues and encourage dialogue that moves us to a place of understanding, appreciation and respect for difference.  As a human being, to be perfectly honest, I feel quite broken. Gus, if I wanted to have children, they would be brown. God help me, if they are boys. And there’s nothing, I can do to keep them safe … to keep them beyond the reaches of racism.

GS: What actions are you taking, if any, to respond to that outcome?
JL: At first, it was very difficult for me to respond. All I could think about was my brother and how this could have been him. I remembered the conversations my father would have with him about his behavior and attitude in the presence of whites. We were raised in East Texas … not too far from where, in 1999, James Byrd Jr. was beaten, chained by his ankles to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged to his death for more than two miles.  Instead of responding, I read a lot of what was being written and listened to what was being said. I shared what resonated deeply with me on Twitter and Facebook. I connected with friends. The next morning in a fit of tears, I wrote a poem called, On the Morning After Not Guilty.

I’m trying to respond …
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond to what has happened to Trayvon Martin …
to his family …
to the mothers of boys born with brown skin …
to each of us across this nation.
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond to the fact that when I see young boys with brown skin on the street, on the metro, in the grocery store and in the classroom, I silently pray this prayer:

Bless you, stay safe, keep your cool, and may you live long enough to see your grandchildren and a time when strangers don’t silently pray this prayer.
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond without remembering the cautionary words my mother and father shared with my brother when they taught him that his actions, words, glance and gaze could get him killed … not just for their intent, but for his brown skin.
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond without tears of pain, sorrow and disappointment to this egregious crime and miscarriage of justice.
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond in a way that moves this nation forward.
But a gunshot and shouts of no justice, no peace ring in my ears.

I’m trying to respond …

But even that wasn’t enough…

GS: How have you engaged, or will you engage, with those who feel differently about that outcome?
JL: Yes, I have and am happy to continue doing so. Out of the blue, a woman I went to middle and high school with contacted me on Facebook. She accused me of hate mongering by sharing the articles and said that the only way race relations would improve in this country is if African Americans were taught not to make a distinction between the races. She said a number of other things as well and here this is what I wrote in response:

1. Awareness, acknowledgment, understanding, celebration and support of the complexities of race, culture, gender, and sexuality matter a great deal to me.
2. I don’t remember much of our interactions in middle and high school, but I recall that you were one of a handful of people who did NOT call me the N-word. I appreciated that then and I do now.
3. On behalf of your students, I hope that you will re-read these articles, which are speaking out against acts of institutional racism and not just at white people, and consider their perspectives alongside your own. They are essential and must be heard. Racism is a systemic issue.
4. As a racially conscious, socially aware advocate of freedom, justice and equality, I must stay informed on these issues, however, challenging and complicated they may be to hear, read and process. I use my Facebook as an extension of my professional work, which is why these articles and others are posted here. I understand if you need to hide my posts or remove me as a Friend.
5. We don’t have White History Month or an Ivory magazine or a White Television Network, because the world at large caters to whiteness. We need Black History Month, Ebony Magazine, and Black Entertainment Network (and others) as a way to promote, educate and allow for diversity and inclusion. However well-intentioned and however much you and I both would love to live in a world where such markers aren’t necessary for respect of others, the insensitivity of your statements are staggering.
6. Unfortunately, racism won’t end because black children are raised differently as you suggest. That’s not how racism works. Black children are raised with an awareness of how the world at large views them for survival. They must be educated and informed in order to survive. The onus of change is on the privileged class.

Then I went on to share a very personal story that I haven’t shared with anyone in a very long time:

I remember once in 6th grade, when a mutual “friend” and her crew walked over to me after I had taken a drink from the water fountain. This friend said to me, “You know there was a time when you couldn’t drink out of the same water fountain as us.” I looked at her and said, “Yes, I remember. My parents told me about that.” Then she said, ” Don’t you wish you were white? Don’t you think it would be easier?” Now, as much as I knew it would be easier, I didn’t want to give her that truth. Instead, I said, “I want to be white as much as you want to be black.” The look of horror and disgust on her face taught me everything I needed to know about issues of race in America.

We exchanged another round of emails and I responded with the following:

1. Privilege has to do with race, class and gender based access and denial of opportunities and social mobility. As someone with all of the markers you describe (white, heterosexual, Christian and middle class), you are indeed in a place of privilege and you were before you worked hard for what you have. In certain circles, I too am in a place of privilege as a highly intelligent, overly educated, heterosexual, and successful woman. But those circles are much smaller and that’s part of what defines privilege.
   SIDENOTE: If all you ever have to do in life is prove that you worked hard to have what you have (and that is something we all have to do owing to an ugly thing called envy), you are fortunate indeed. As a woman, we share a certain bias made against us (!) and being a single mother is quite the challenge.
   However, the assumption readily made against me is that of fear, murderer, thief, and ignorance. I cannot walk in my predominantly white, upper class neighborhood (Capitol Hill proper, not extended) that I’ve lived in for 7 years without someone clutching their purse or checking their wallet or looking back at me in fear as I’m walking behind them on my way home. When that’s not happening, I’m ignored completely. White men will hold open doors or allow entrance onto the metro for every white woman in a line except for me and the other black women standing next to me.
2. Efforts of racial equality have been in effect since the abolitionist movement. The Civil War was an advancement marred by Jim Crow statutes. Major improvements were made in the 1960s on paper (Civil Rights movement and legislation), in the 1970s with Black Power (social mores), and in the 1980/90s in hiring practices (affirmative action and quotas). We can mark recent continued efforts of diversity and inclusion in mass media, film and television, but for every advancement our school-to-prison pipeline shows the improvement to be topical. The dominant prevalence of Black culture in music, fashion and social behavior has to do with it appealing to white consumers. Mind you, this has always been the case, but we are nowhere near parity.
3. Again, understanding comes from dialogue: smart, challenging, diligent, informed and urgent dialogue. Ugly things will come up in such discussions, but that doesn’t mean they’ve failed. That usually means truth is being shared.
4. While these articles portray an honest and negative aspect of what it is to be Black in this country, they are meant to instigate dialogue. The people writing them bravely positioned themselves in the context of a crime and travesty that happens so often and bears little hope of abating. Instead of reading the articles and assuming hate mongering and then railing against me or others in anger, a more productive approach would have been to ask me my point of entry into them: “What about these articles resonates so deeply with you?”Mind you, I understand and appreciate this impulse. But as teachers, we are in a powerful position to impact minds and behavior. When we are responsible for the future of others, we have to take twenty steps back on these issues, work against such assumptions and reach out for deeper, thorough and honest discussion.
5. As for what occurred that night, this goes much deeper than if Zimmerman had not gotten out of that car. He executed vigilante justice and was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. What’s more, the state of Florida, the justice system and the prevailing thought in this country that black men are criminals gave him permission to do what he did…to do what he said in an interview was God ordained. If he had not racially profiled Trayvon Martin, as he had done some 46 other black males previously, then this wouldn’t have happened. The emotionally charged eruption over the verdict has to do with the fact that this murder had not originally been seen as a crime. It took a national outcry for an arrest to be made and for the case to go to trial. Once on trial, it was Trayvon Martin who was treated as the criminal, not Zimmerman, an armed man who erroneously pursued an unarmed teenager. This is what these articles are working to contextualize.

These issues are extremely complicated and larger than the two of us, but we listened to one another and spoke candidly. This is progress, but even that wasn’t enough …

GS: What role does theatre have in changing the conditions that contributed to the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman?
JL: With theatre, we can reflect the important issues, values, and challenges going on in society.

I agree with Sarah Bellamy, Associate Artistic Director at Penumbra Theatre, who says that:

“As image makers, we have an important role to play in moving audiences beyond superficial and stereotypical representations of peoples and cultures and toward three dimensional representations that encourage deeper learning with honor and respect.”

I also agree with Dr. Manuel Pastor, director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California, when he says “there is a need to push the conversation beyond that of self-expression to one of community building and democracy.”

But in order for theatre to do this, we have to take responsibility for how to perpetually update the narrative: What theatre is now with regards to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation etc.? How is it reflective of the change that is happening in America?

Theatres in this country who find themselves serving White, Black and Latino communities should be holding town hall forums and discussions around these issues. They should be commissioning local writers to capture the response of this moment in history so that lessons learned are discussed in depth and carried over to future generation so that such an egregious crimes and senseless loss of life never happens again.

GS: How do the racial/cultural power dynamics of the theatre field challenge or reinforce the conditions that contributed to that outcome?
JL: When theatres do not present work by playwrights of color or cast actors of color or hire people of color in leadership positions, this sends a clear message that our voices, experience and expertise are not welcome, relevant, respected or valued. In such instances, I feel that theatres are reinforcing the conditions that led to this outcome. We have to do better. Our season planning needs to reflect out 501c3 status to serve our communities.

GS: So much of this work to make change grows out of the shining example of artists, cultural organizers and civil rights workers in the past and present. From whose example do you draw strength?
JL: I am inspired by the efforts of Sarah Bellamy, Khanisha Foster, Ilana Brownstein, Adam Thurman, Otis Ramsey-Zoe, Shirley Serotsky, Megan Sandberg-Zakian, Al Heartley, and Andre Lancaster. I draw strength from Nina Simone, Audra Lorde, Sydney Poitier, Elizabeth Catlett, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Jill Dolan, Derek Goldman, Gregg Henry, Jojo Ruf and James Baldwin. I am invigorated by the efforts of TCG. I have never seen an organization more committed to improving the conditions of diversity and inclusion in the American Theatre. The fact that their efforts are transparent, self-reflective and action-based is extraordinary to me.

If you'd like to contribute your own post to one of these or any other TCG Circle series, please contact August Schulenburg, Theatre Communications Group's Associate Director of Communications, to learn how. 

If you're interested in joining TCG's online year-round conference community, check out Conference 2.0.

This post is a part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog salon that I led as part of the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas. I am re-posting it here on my blog:

Day Three of the conference is one that I’ll never forget. It was a hard day. I was taken to a deep, raw and honest place. I wasn’t ready for it. I wasn’t ready for how powerful and emotionally charged it turned out to be. At the same time, I should have seen it coming. It was not only inevitable, it was necessary for deep growth and lasting change to take place.

I spent the morning processing my thoughts and typing my notes from the day before. I finished with moments to spare, but ended up missing the morning Diversity and Inclusion Learning Session and purely for selfish reasons. The day before, I learned from my dear friend, Jojo Ruf (General Manager, National New Play Network) that there was a Starbucks in her hotel. This was music to my ears, because I’d been craving a soy chai latte all week. Now, my hotel had a Peet’s Coffee, which it turns out Jojo happens to prefer over Starbucks. So, we made arrangement to buy each other’s caffeinated beverage of choice and in doing so, I was able to attend an Artistic Innovation Learning Session. But this was great; after all, I am a playwright!

Living the Margo Jones Legacy: Breaking the Habit of New Play Development
The speakers were Anne Cattaneo (Dramaturg and Director, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab), Anthony Clarvoe (Playwright, Edgerton Foundation), Ben Kryosz (Artistic Director, Nautilus Music-Theater), Jason Loewith (Artistic Director, Olney Theatre Center), Lisa Adler (Co-Artistic/Producing Director, Horizon Theatre Company) and Mara Isaacs (Producing Director/Founder, McCarter Theatre Center/Octopus Theatricals).

The focus of the conversation was to examine ways in which the new play sector could continue to grow and support playwrights:

• It was wonderful to hear a continued investment in the idea of focusing attention on the second and third productions of a new play. This was especially interesting as I’m in the midst of a world premiere and am ready to do rewrites in preparation for that next production.
• As with the conversations being had along the Diversity and Inclusion Arc, the idea of mentorship was raised. There was agreement about the effectiveness of mentorship as it related to introductions and connections, but the idea that an established playwright could benefit a young playwright artistically was contested. I was so surprised by this. I actually think artistic guidance is the most essential part of the mentorship relationship. Young playwrights need someone to champion their voice, guide them along the creative process and encourage them to honor their truth. Even if mentor and mentee differ in their approaches, they are of great service to one another this way.
• National New Play Network’s New Play Exchange was discussed. I heard about it in great length this past April at NNPN’s 15th Anniversary Celebration in Philly. Here’s the description from the website: “Combining crowd-sourced recommendations, social media functions and a script database, the New Play Exchange will revolutionize the way playwrights and theaters connect in the nonprofit arena.” The ultimate goal is to make a wider range of plays accessible to theatres than ever before. That’s a good thing. I really hope it works.

What I appreciated most about this session was the discussion around the trajectory of some of our more established playwright’s careers. It never hurts to be reminded that Arthur Miller, Christopher Durang, Sam Shepard and Tennessee Williams had to hone and shape their creative voices and artistic visions. These giants of the American Theatre grew into the playwrights they have become. It was a process that took time, faith and risk … three things the American Theatre needs to reinvest its energy and passion in.

I’m glad to have had the opportunity to sit in on this conversation and meditate on my craft. In truth, I think it contributed to what made being a part of the next session so relevant, passionate and urgent.

Diversity and Inclusion Homeroom, Session #3: Smashing the Glass Ceiling
This session moderated by Carmen Morgan (Director, Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations) with panelists Jennifer Bielstein (Managing Director, Actors Theatre of Louisville; Vice President and Member of Diversity Task Force, LORT) and Teresa Eyring (Executive Director, TCG).

Together, Teresa and Jennifer outlined the ways in which LORT and TCG were hoping to work together to build bridges and work more efficiently and intently towards a more Diverse and Inclusive American Theatre.

LORT: Jennifer Bielstein
LORT, as a management association, comprised a task force of managers from the pool of current LORT managers, to engage more deeply in its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The task force interviewed almost 20 people of color and recruiters in the field from LORT and outside – and the input from those interviews is what has shaped their process and thinking:

• Shift Gender and Ethnic diversity to initial focus and core value.
• Establish more professional development, on-the-job training and mentorship programs
• Improve recruitment efforts so that more artists and administrators of color are in the room for consideration of executive level positions. Perhaps every LORT Theatre should implement the Rooney Rule, which the National Football League (NFL) implemented in 2003 to address issues of diversity. However, after ten years, the rule seems to not be working and is facing a great deal of scrutiny. Click here and here to learn more.
• Grow the industry in such a way that allows for more competitive salaries and room for lateral growth.
• Develop more allies for Gender and Ethnic diversity.
• Bring trustees and board members around to the idea of working with women and people of color in executive decisions.
• Utilize external resources such as consultants to strengthen endeavors in all of these areas.

Jennifer ended her presentation with a great question and one that was asked across the conference: once you’ve set this as your goal, how do you measure success? What does it look like?

TCG – Teresa Eyring
For the past 52 years, TCG has had a long history and commitment to diversity that began in the early stages of the organization’s development. In fact, earlier movements are echoed in the current energy of growing the organization; specifically in terms of staff, board, grant making and publications. But what are the current challenges?

Teresa said, “We have the opportunity to model a new world, rather than replicating existing weaknesses in society—such as institutional racism.” TCG wants to help facilitate change over time:

Diversity and Inclusion Six Point Plan

• Establish a baseline of information about what the state of the field is now, so that we can access shared data and set new goals.
• Develop a Literature Review of the great thinking that has been done. When she said this, several YLC/New Gen cohorts felt this was work we could do.
• Build on the momentum of the Diversity and Inclusion Institute, which serves to help bring awareness, acknowledgment and accountability.
• Grow the Young Leaders of Color Program to a year-long program. There will be more engagement in the process and include a professional development component.
• Support culturally specific theatres – how to grow and sustain our culturally specific theatres? What is the impact of growing diversity in the larger  institutions, and how does that impact our smaller theatres?
• A Legacy Project to capture stories and learning of pioneers.

Teresa and Jennifer then wanted to hear thoughts and questions from all of us. Carmen brilliantly and respectfully facilitated this conversation.

These are the major issues that were raised:

• Currently, LORT’s Diversity Task Force, which is made up of Managing Directors, does not have a single person of color on it. This isn’t to say that men and women serving aren’t allies, but this is a problem. It’s exciting to report that since this blog post was originally written, Joseph Haj (Producing Artistic Director, PlayMakers Repertory Theatre) and Timothy Bond (Producing Artistic Director Syracuse Stage and SU Drama) have been added to the Diversity Task Force, partially addressing this concern.
• The conversation around cultural specific theatres versus LORT theatres doesn’t need to be one about competition. Right now, the conversation around diversity and inclusion is being spoken about in terms of YOU or ME, instead of YOU and ME. This limits the possibilities for everyone, most especially the audiences who are meant to be served.
• The conversation around diversity of artists and artistic staff and that of executive staff and board members is a different conversation. This harkens back to the power pyramid. Who controls the budget and makes the decisions about hiring and season programming?
• It’s problematic when diversity programs are tied to money, because when the money is gone, the programs disappear. Well, it disappears if the ideology of the organization hasn’t shifted. Meaning that efforts towards a more diverse and inclusive theatre community have to become a core value whether or not you have money to support your efforts. But the change has to happen at the leadership level.
• Diversity need to move beyond gender and race/ethnicity to include ability, sexual orientation, etc.
• There is a fear that if a person of color becomes artistic director, they will change or take over the agenda of the theatre. Both Timothy Douglas (in “The Benefits of Slavery”) and Joseph Haj (Interview with Joseph Haj) speak eloquently on these issues on Howlround.

In the midst of all of this, it hit me why these same conversations were being had over and over again and why no real change has occurred…just as there is the belief that audiences won’t come out to see plays written by or about people of color, there is a core belief that people of color are not qualified for executive level management or artistic positions. This is why people of color are constantly being told that we need training, professional development and special programs. I couldn’t take it. I stood up and shared my thoughts. I shared them through tears, deep sorrow and pain, and I can’t thank TCG enough for creating such a safe space for this place of raw truth to be shared.

After I sat down, Carmen then asked us all to take a moment to reflect on what had just been shared. After which, two more young leaders of color shared their thoughts and experiences, which mirrored my own. They had gone through and successfully completed special fellowships, training programs and professional development for artists and administrators of color, but still professional opportunities were not being made available to them.

Here’s the thing: these programs are essential. I mean, had Blake Robison (former Artistic Director of Round House Theatre/current Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse), not nominated me as a TCG Young Leader of Color last year, I would never have been able to attend the TCG Conference last year. More than paying for housing, transportation, and the conference fees, the YLC program made me visible and gave me a sense of empowerment. Even though there was a loss of funding, TCG made it possible for many of us to attend the conference this year.

As I said, this was a powerful day. I’m not the same for it and I’m grateful to everyone in that room and everyone who participated in the Diversity and Inclusion Arc for giving so much of themselves and for sharing so honestly where they are in their journeys. None of this work is easy, but that’s what makes it so necessary. I’m curious to hear from others who took part in this session or any of the sessions. Your experiences and perspective are essential.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these questions and any of the issues address over the course of the day. If you're interested in joining TCG's online year-round conference community, check out Conference 2.0.

This post is a part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog salon that I led as part of the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas. I am re-posting it here on my blog:

Day Two of the conference was powerful, spirited and eye-opening. I was so energized from the day before and so I was open and ready to receive everything presented on Friday. I had no idea how necessary and impactful these sessions and discussion would be. I had no idea how much I would be shifted by…

Race and Representation: The power of Theatre to Create a More Inclusive World led by Sarah Bellamy, Associate Artistic Director for Education at Penumbra Theatre. Before we go on, it should be known that Sarah is a true gift to the American Theatre. Her brilliant learning session was actually an excerpt of a larger workshop that she conducts around the history, evolution and impact of stereotypes.

To begin, Sarah addresses the role and responsibility that theatre plays in either eliminating or perpetuating stereotypes:

• As image makers, we have an important role to play in moving audiences beyond superficial and stereotypical representations of peoples and cultures and toward three dimensional representations that encourage deeper learning with honor and respect.
• Stereotypes inform controlling narratives that reinforce the power structures that order our society. We have to consider how and where we learn to read things like race, culture and gender. We have to be aware of who is providing the information.
• We rely on the same devices in our work as theatre artists; images and story.

To frame the conversation, Sarah posited that stereotyping is a process that relies on chains of meanings: fears and fantasies that manifest in myths. Stereotypes matter because they influence perception, which influences belief and finally access to opportunities. This is key. This is what we’re working to combat when we talk about diversity and inclusion.

Next, we talked about the detrimental impact of stereotypes used as tools for comedy. This is when humor and racism is used to decide who is an “us” and who is a “them.”

Sarah reminded us that:

• Some cultural elements, jokes, themes, and events are simply off-limits to those outside the culture; we seem to think that being irreverent and transgressing boundaries tears them down.
• The fact that you may experience oppression on some level does not give you carte blanche to participate in the stereotyping of other peoples/cultures. I’ve experienced this number of times, but where it was most damaging was in the rehearsal room. A once safe space, became inflamed with racial insensitivity.

Stereotypes act as a kind of currency within American culture. As humans we learn to sort and place value on sorting categorizing and accumulating, which is linked to capitalism. It was at this point that Sarah introduced us to the four D’s, which blew my mind and instantaneously shattered by heart:

• Disassociate – I am different from you.
• Devalue – Your difference makes you less valuable than me.
• Dehumanize – I understand the worth of myself and those like me, but I cannot empathize with those who are not like me. When I am unable to empathize, I am unable to recognize their humanity and I am now objectifying “the other.”
• Destroy – Without humanity, I don’t have to feel guilty when I wish to rid myself of that person, abuse or make use of that person, and all those I regard as similar or belonging to that group.

With all of this work around stereotypes, Sarah reminded us that we have to chase the train of meaning. If we don’t understand the history of the images, then we will miss the meaning that’s been created. So when you see the image of watermelons on the White House, you understand immediate and irrevocably the incendiary intention of the message.

As you can see, the session was comprehensive, challenging and necessary. There was a lot to unpack. A major question that was posed early in the session still resonates with me and deserves a great deal of meditation:  how do we combat racism in a world that looks progressive?

A Conversation with Ayad Akhtar with Gabriel Greene
Novelist, screenwriter, playwright and winner of the 2013 Pulizter Prize for Drama for Disgraced, Ayad Akhtar is a passionate, eloquent and dynamic speaker. It was hard to take notes during this session, because I want to absorb everything he said. Fortunately, you can listen to it here.

It was inspiring to hear his journey to theatre and his writing process. He grew up in a household where theatre was not a part of his growing up experience. In fact, the television show Dallas was the family’s entertainment of choice. While he knew that he wanted to be a writer when he was 15, he fell in love with theater in college. He started out writing outside of himself in a European tradition. He wanted to write something universal and didn’t think that his experiences would relate to others. As he grew older, he had a growing awareness that he was running away from something. It became clear to him that he wasn’t writing what he knew. He wasn’t writing about his identity, but that has since shifted. Towards the end of the interview, Ayad revisited Aristotle’s definition of catharsis: “the expression of emotion through pity and terror. Terror is key and is defined as when the Furies arrived on stage, women miscarried in the aisle.” This is the type of visceral response that is both religious and mass, and it’s what he strives for in his writing. It was really great to be reminded of this.

By the way, I just finished reading his novel, American Dervish, which follows Hayat Shah a young Pakistani American who falls in love, discovers his faith and works through the confusion of both forces in his life. It was magnificent and absorbing. I read it in two days. His Pulitzer Prize willing play, Disgraced, will be published in the July/August issues of American Theatre Magazine and I can hardly wait. Also, he participated in an interview with Caridad Svich as part of TCG’s conversation around Artistic Innovation, which can be read here.

Diversity and Inclusion Homeroom
This year, the TCG Conference’s had four focused programmatic arcs--Diversity and Inclusion, Audience Engagement, Financial Adaptation and Artistic Innovation. Each day, we were divided out into homeroom sessions along our respective arc.  For the Diversity and Inclusion arc, we were asked to submit have a diversity and inclusion challenge that we were wrestling with, if we wanted to hear advice and feedback from others. Understanding that Diversity and inclusion begins with awareness and advocacy, but that it must shift to action, these homerooms were a great way to strategize and build allies in our efforts.

Here are some of the questions that were raised:

• As culturally specific theatres compete with theaters doing multi-cultural/multi-disciplinary work, how do you standout? How do you draw audiences?
• When the community for whom the theatre is serving doesn’t have a strong or longstanding history of support for the arts, how do you attract the money? How do you cultivate philanthropy?
• When the field of theatre is not seen as a viable or sustainable field of employment, how do you identify applicants of colors for staff and board positions? When working to diversifying, how do you do it without making tokens of the people of color?
• How do we work to empower women in the community? The men deserve to be in the room, but where are the women who also deserve to be there?

As these questions were asked, we quickly realized that we weren’t alone in our struggles. Here are some of the useful suggestions that were made:

• Suggestions and examples of successful collaborations were given. In some instances, large theatres would program the work of smaller or culturally specific theatre into their seasons. Also, there were successful examples of having the staff of a larger theatre serve on the board (or advisory board) of the smaller theatre, which proved beneficial to both parties.
• In general, theatre needs to be better at marketing itself as a business. This goes to the values in the arts in our society.
• People of color want a job. If you’re able to re-imagine and re-envision your expectations about how the individual gets to theatre, then you’ll more than likely find the candidate. This speaks to how candidates are found. If you’re looking to hire someone in Marketing, Development, Finance, etc., consider that this person doesn’t have to have experience in Theatre to do the job that you need.
• In efforts to avoid tokenism, there is a suggestion to make an advisory council, which allows the potential board members time to get to know the theater and vice versa. Being transparent about why you want the candidate to be a part of the organization is an essential first step.

We ended the conversation reflecting on Dr. Manuel Pastor’s presentation from the day before. He reminded us that the importance of theatre to social discourse. With theatre, we can reflect the important issues, values, and challenges going on in society. This is the kind of discourse that can only happen in the theatre. But in order for theatre for theatre to do this, we have to update the narrative: What theatre is now with regards to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation etc.? How is it reflective of the change that is happening in America?

Always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these questions and any of the issues address over the course of the day. If you're interested in joining TCG's online year-round conference community, check out Conference 2.0.

This post is a part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog salon that I led as part of the 2013 TCG National Conference: Learn Do Teach in Dallas. I am re-posting it here on my blog:

I left the Diversity and Inclusion Institute completely exhausted, but in the most exhilarating and inspiring way. I was excited for the day ahead and could hardly wait to share what I had experienced in my learning sessions and homerooms.

Young Leaders of Color Check-In with Teresa Eyring, Emilya Cachapero and Dafina McMillan
I spent the morning writing about the Diversity and Inclusion Institute and then headed to lunch with my fellow TCG Young Leaders of Color.  This year was a reunion of sorts, because new leaders had not been added owing to a lack of financial support for the program. As disheartening as that sounds, TCG is smart about how they are using this time. They are assessing on the initial goals of the program, celebrating the extraordinary efforts and achievements of the more than 70 members and working to grow the program in a new and exciting way.

More on all of this as it develops, but essentially the program will be shifting from a nomination and spotlight at the conference to a year round program that offers mentorship opportunities and professional development training programs. No doubt, the enthusiasm around this idea was felt throughout the entire state of Texas! For some time, the Young Leaders of Color have wanted to be seen as a resource. One of the major ways we want to be of service is by leading diversity and inclusion training programs in organizations. This way, the burden would not have to be on the people of color in your organization.

In our open discussion, the following issues were raised and deeply resonated with me:

• While essential to TCG, the Young Leaders of Color and many theatre folks I met at the conference, the need for diversity is not a universal core value.
• There are artistic directors, executive arts managers and board members who are afraid to admit that diversity isn’t a top priority. It’s important to note this, because this lack of admission leads to false hope for change.
• The notion of allies was addressed. Ultimately, more white allies are needed. We need more individuals to advocate for diversity and inclusion alongside us and especially when we’re not in the room.
• In times of financial instability, we need to envision ourselves in multiple ways. As theatre artists, we have multiple skill sets that can be utilized in and beyond the arts and academic field. We need to explore this further.

Intergenerational Leaders of Color Check-In led by Benny Sato Ambush
Following the Young Leaders of Color lunch, I headed to the Intergenerational Leaders of Color check-in led by the incomparable Benny Sato Ambush. It was a rainy afternoon, but the room was densely and beautifully packed. I couldn’t help but smile as more and more chairs needed to be added. However, I immediately saw that the room was not as diverse as it could have been. I saw very few colleagues from Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern or Native American theatre communities. This served as a reminder to me that when we think about how to be more inclusive within our conversation about diversity, we have to think beyond Black and White. There was a strong Latino contingency, but I wanted more.

The major issues raised in this conversation would appear again and again throughout the conference. Here are a few of them:

• When thinking about programming, there was encouragement to branch outside of your roots even while being culturally specific. There is much to be learned from other cultures. Also, we should strive to strike a better balance between presenting musicals with singing and dancing and plays with plays that address a specific social justice focus.
• As we challenge the larger theatre to embrace plays by theatre of color, how do we protect smaller culturally specific theatre?
• If we want to build, grown and sustain theatre, we need to look to children/younger generations because it is their passion, vision, interest and brilliant ideas that will move theatre forward. We also need to look towards individual giving. Of course, neither of these are new ideas. At their core, both action steps call for increasing the value of arts in our society and cultivating a spirit of philanthropy towards the arts in our communities of color.

In a particularly charged moment in the discussion, there was an observation that culturally specific theatres aren’t establishing longer term relationships with artists, specifically playwrights. In response, there was an observation that culturally specific theatres don’t have the finances to compete against the larger theatres for the continued growth and life of the playwright. While I don’t think this is always the case and know of many examples where playwrights have remain invested the theatre while working a day job or even at another theatre, the financial health of the artist is an issue that came up again and again at the conference.

Emilya ended the session with two inspiring gems that I had to share and actually use as guiding principles of my work:

• Do not work in isolation. If you don’t feel you have people in your community, the internet and social media make connecting across geography quite easy, use it!
• As you are rising, lift others up with you. This is the only way we will grow as a community.

Diversity and Inclusion Arc Homeroom: Making Change/Making Meaning - Demographic Shifts Economic Uncertainty and the Role of the Arts
This session was phenomenal. It was presented by Dr. Manuel Pastor, director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California. Pastor provided an humorous, enlightening and accessible look at the shifting demographic and cultural currents in our country. Author of numerous books on equity, economics, demographics and social change, Dr. Pastor is also the recipient of many grants and fellowships Danforth Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of grants from the Irvine Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and many more. What’s more, he’s the father of an actor/musician and a dancer. So, this conversation was passionate, informative and personal.

These were the major points that spoke to me during his presentation:

• With the demographic change, there is not only a shift in politics and leadership styles, but also in how we as theatre artists meet the needs of a new audience.
• As gentrification of major cities occurs, the demographic shifts are happening in the suburbs.  New communities are forming and shaping as African Americans and Latinos are moving into close proximity of one another. The critical role of the arts will be to create programming that targets the fabric of America moving forward.
• Only 10% of grant money made with primary or secondary purpose of supporting the arts actually benefits underserved communities of color and other disadvantaged groups. And less than 4% focus on advancing social justice goals. This is made even more problematic when the funding for these programs go away, because without the funding the programs are discontinued.
• When talking about the value of the arts, especially the theatre arts, there is a need to push the conversation beyond that of self-expression to one of community building and democracy. I believe this is essential. More than beauty and hope, we have to show that theater is an integral part of civic action, economic growth and the sustainable vitality of a community.

Click here to learn more about his powerful and important work around these issues.

Creating a Common Language:  The Real Presence of Race in the Artist-to-Artist and Art-to-Audience Relationship
Jasmine Guy, actress, writer and producing director of Atlanta’s True Colors Theatre Company and Susan Booth, director and artistic director of Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre spoke candidly about race relations in the rehearsal hall, the organization-to-artist relationship, and in the space between the work and the community.

At the start of the conversation, Susan Booth recommended that we all read: It’s the Little Things: Everyday Interactions That Anger, Annoy, and Divide the Races by New York Times veteran Lena Williams. This is an “honest look at the interactions between blacks and whites-the gestures, expressions, tones, and body language that keep us divided.”

More than anything, this discussion posited a series of powerful questions that I’d like to share here and would love your thoughts:

• Does an organization have a racial or cultural identity? If so, how it is derived?
• Does multi-cultural programming make a theatre run by white administrators multi-cultural? Or does it still retain its “plantation” status?
• Why are white directors allowed to direct black plays, but black directors aren’t allowed to direct white plays?
• What happens when cultural history is not carried over into the current generation?
• How do we sustain culturally specific theatres?
• Looking at the power structure the American Theatre, arts administrators are at the top of the pyramid and artists are at the bottom rung. Both are essential to the process, but how do we empower artist and create a more sustainable life for them?

If you attended the conference, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these questions and any of the issues address over the course of the day. If you're interested in joining TCG's online year-round conference community, check out Conference 2.0.

Everyone, 

The following town hall is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there. We are expecting a large turnout, so please RSVP to guarantee seating, by clicking here.