Welcome to the Public Access Archive’s celebration of theatremakers’ and cultural workers’ contributions to the downfall of the capitalist state that occupied this land, formerly known as the United States of America.
The hundreds of artifacts contained in this collection represent the period of profound change in the theatre industry beginning in 2021. Included are emails, letters, social media posts, and more that trace the many impulses and actions that led to collective liberation from the oppressive and exploitative structures that defined the theatre field in “America” for many years.
Just like history, this archive is collectively constructed and ever-evolving. The following selections are not exhaustive but represent the many pockets of organizing from people within and outside the industry that led us to today.
Item 1: A text thread between employees of the McDonald Performing Arts Center, June 2021
Item 12: A press release from Streetlight Repertory Theatre, September 2021
Item 14: A post from Micah Palmer in the Theater Folx of Color Facebook group, January 2022
Item 24: A flyer for Liberation Coalition’s first community-park storytelling circle, May 2022
Item 46: The trending Twitter hashtag #ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause, August 2023
Item 51: A flyer advertising a training led by Transformation Virginia Beach, November 2023
Item 57: A Chicago Times headline, February 2024
Item 62: A Baltimore Sun headline, April 2024
Item 80: A Seattle Post headline, September 2024
Item 118: Blog post from playwright Yara Awuah, May 2025
Item 137: Flyer from Costume Workers of Richmond, April 2027
Item 151: Post on Portland Public Theatre’s Facebook page, March 2028
Item 177: Email written by Sara Chester, November 2029
Item 242: Manifesto from the Coalition of Cultural Workers for Liberation, November 2032
Item 1: A text thread between employees of the McDonald Performing Arts Center, June 2021
CL: Y’all
HT: Y’ALL
RR: Oh no, not that!
HT: *yikes face emojis*
CL: I quit
BT: Oh absolutely same
CL: See and this is why representation wont save us
AM: The Non-Profit Industrial Complex TM
EP: I cannot believe that after this year and a whole pandemic and a whole uprising, we are doing who’s fucking afraid of Virginia fucking Woolf
RR: bitch I’M afraid of Virginia Woolf
BT: and that director? A DOCUMENTED racist
CL: our boy literally stormed the capital
HT: !!!!!
RR: But at least we got The Mountaintop
(in the black box)
(for a limited engagement)
BT: [link to social media post about racist director]
AM: biiiiiitch
TT: Hey at least they’re hiring BIPOC consultants to do a real EDI audit and trainings too
Progress! technically!
HT: mayyyybe but on THEIR timeline!
CL: Can you imagine if we spent a *portion* of what we spend on teaching white people and institutions to be less racist on actually addressing the material conditions of Black people in our community?
AM: actually no…. Can’t even imagine it
RR: But we all read How to Be an Antiracist!
HT: racism is over!
AM: The Antiracism Industrial Complex TM
HT: I’m for real about to quit
CL: you always say that lol
EP: *cry laughing emojis*
HT: this time I mean it tho!!
This shit cannot be reformed
Clearly
We did what we could
AM: let’s stage a walkout!
BT: a zoom walkout lol
CL: alright all together! 3..2..1.. Leave Meeting
EP: tell me why not one of y’all asses left lol
TT: I see y’all laughing, you better turn your cameras off before they start getting suspicious
RR: ok ok - let’s stage a quit-out
BT: what’s that?
RR: a quit-a-thon
HT: wait are y’all serious? Because I’m serious
RR: I mean actually? If their whole antiracism committee quit? What would even happen
CL: I’ll write the press release lol
AM: an open letter
BT: Not a Medium article….
EP: loooook
HT: what would this institution even do.....
Item 12: A press release from Streetlight Repertory Theatre, September 2021
STREETLIGHT REPERTORY THEATRE TO CEASE OPERATIONS AS LORT THEATRE
September 2021, Sacramento -- Streetlight Repertory Theatre announced today that they are ceasing operations as a LORT theatre company. They will be shifting their capacity to support local movements for social justice.
Beginning in 2022, Streetlight Repertory Theatre will no longer be producing a six-play season. All operations will be used to support local movements within the city, including but not limited to the movement to defund the local police department, #CopFreeSchools, climate justice, and affordable housing.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, the harrowing on-camera death of George Floyd, and the subsequent uprisings forced theatre and other industries all across the country to assess the work being done and how it aligned with companies’ missions and impacts,” said artistic director Arianna Mitchell. “After extensive research and listening sessions with our staff and neighbors in our community, it became clear that the model of the regional theatre was not having the impact that many of us desired and was causing harm. We’re very excited to move forward as a cultural organization that serves our local communities first and foremost.”
Although Streetlight Repertory Theatre is not producing a six-show season, they will still produce theatre. They will be creating art in support of local organizers to amplify their movements. Rather than charge people to enter their building and see a show, they will be meeting people where they are, featuring those most impacted by the issues, and all shows will be free of charge.
Additionally, their building will serve as a community center. The Education Department will be offering free childcare for the families who are most impacted by the issues they are seeking to address. Further, local organizations will be able to use the building for political education sessions, public health events, and more.
The Communications Office will not be taking any interview requests at this time.
###
As more time passed when we were back in the building and removed from Covid-19, it became clear that all the talk about change was just that- talk. We were still being treated poorly.
Item 14: A post from Micah Palmer in the Theater Folx of Color Facebook group, January 2022
Micah Palmer → Theater Folx of Color
Hey y’all. So yesterday, me and nineteen other employees of Starwood Theatre Company quit our jobs simultaneously. We discussed this in our staff-organized Liberation Coalition (formerly known as the EDI committee) for a while and decided it was time. As more time passed when we were back in the building and removed from Covid-19, it became clear that all the talk about change was just that- talk. We were still being treated poorly. We were still being expected to overwork for little pay, meeting ridiculous deadlines. Sure, we were programming more BIPOC artists, but they were not being treated well. And it was very clear that nothing that was happening in this theatre was moving us closer to liberation. It may have been moving us even farther away.
We don’t know what’s next. But we know “The Industry” is not it. Some of us are staying in the city, some of us are taking this as an opportunity to move back home, but we’re staying in contact so that we can support each other as we move forward. And hopefully we’ll be able to create something better.
Does any of this resonate with you? Maybe it’s time to quit your job too.
265 reactions
333 comments
Item 24: A flyer for Liberation Coalition’s first community-park storytelling circle, May 2022
MLK Drive Park
May 5, 2022 at 2 pm
tell a story, eat a meal, and be in community
Featuring interludes of poetry and music, this storytelling circle will center YOUR voices. If you call this neighborhood and this park home, we want to hear from you. Roll through and kiki with us!
Anyone is welcome. We ask that if you can bring a dish to share, you do so. We’ll be providing some of our favorite snacks and our partners at the community garden will be providing berries and veggies.
Item 46: The trending Twitter hashtag #ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause, August 2023
Workers who have left the theatre industry share what drove them away
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause the climate crisis is HERE but we weren’t even willing to pledge to ONE DAY give up our fossil-fuel sponsorships [upside down smiley face emoji] #DivestToInvest
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause there was soooooo much talk about all the things we’d do when we got back post pandemic. and it was all a lie.
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause the way I was treated during the pandemic made me realize that they actually didn’t care about me at all. I had to leave to find people who did.
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause regional theatre is where radical art goes to die!!!!!
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause they kicked me out [zany face emoji] they laid me off three weeks into the pandemic. i guess our ED couldn’t FATHOM taking a cut from his $300k salary. [upside down smiley face emoji]
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause junior staff would spend so much time coming up with these amazing things to move us forward just for the board to dismiss it w/o even giving us a chance. like what was the point?
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause my family was falling on tough times and the barely living wage I made in theatre was not enough to help them out.
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause radical change can’t happen inside these institutions and we’re running out of time.
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause the ocean!!!!! Is!!!! On fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause these anti-racist theatres have zero class analysis and it SHOWS. if you have no understanding of racial capitalism, you’re not gonna end racism in the industry......
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause they treated me like shit
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause i was so proud of the high standards i had in my romantic relationships, only to realize i was in a whole-ass abusive relationship at work everyday [woozy face emoji]
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause i wasn’t comfortable working for an “anti-racist” theatre that wasn’t willing to say Free Palestine
#ILeftTheTheatreIndustryBecause there was soooooo much talk about all the things we’d do when we got back post pandemic. and it was all a lie.
Comments
The article is just the start of the conversation—we want to know what you think about this subject, too! HowlRound is a space for knowledge-sharing, and we welcome spirited, thoughtful, and on-topic dialogue. Find our full comments policy here
This was a great read and makes me very hopeful.