#BreakingtheBinary: A Dialogue on Accessibility for Trans People Working in the Arts

#BreakingTheBinary is a free and public symposium focusing on accessibility for trans* people working in the arts presented by the American Repertory Theater at the Oberon. The event included a panel discussion of trans-identified theatre workers—livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network howlround.tv Monday 30 January at 12 p.m. EST to 1:00 p.m. EST (Boston) / 11 a.m. CST to 12 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 10 a.m. MST to 11 a.m. MST (Denver) / 9 a.m. PST to 10 a.m. PST (San Francisco)/ 17:00 GMT—18:00 GMT.

Follow the conversation on social media via the hashtag #BreakingtheBinary and follow @howlroundtv.

The opening panel discussion features trans* theatre workers from a cross-section of the field (artists, arts administration, production, development, management), who will discuss barriers and what it looks like to retain staff with these identities and this knowledge.

The event is a direct response to the need for education around TGNCNB2-S (trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, Two Spirit) identity in the theatre field (and arts in general). This includes acknowledging the ways in which local arts ecosystems in cities across the country have vibrant queer and trans* arts community that are largely separate from the regional theatre community and the importance of highlighting the work of local artists.

#BreakingtheBinary is a project, conceived and organized by Lisa Evans and SK Kerastas, that works with theatre arts organizations to create sustainable practices for TGNCNB2-S (trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, Two Spirit) inclusion.

Panelists (from left to right):
Dr. P. Carl, Artistic Director ArtsEmerson/HowlRound
Vic Quintanar, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Lexi Adsit, Managing Director Peacock Rebellion
Kat Nakaji, Production Supervisor American Repertory Theater
NIC Kay, Independent Artist

About the Facilitators
Lisa Evans is a black, non-binary femme actor, poet, and cultural worker based out of Oakland, CA, where they currently work at the California Shakespeare Theater as the Associate Director of Artistic Engagement.

SK Kerastas is a white, trans non-binary social justice theatremaker, educator, and arts organizer also based out of Oakland.

Together, they form the team behind #BreakingtheBinary and are working with American Repertory Theater at Harvard University to deepen the programming around the show Trans Scripts Part I: The Women and the ID Festival, two works that center trans* voices.

About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by HowlRound, a knowledge commons by and for the theatre, arts, and cultural community. The channel is at howlround.tv and is a free and shared resource for live events and performances relevant to the world's live arts fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Follow and use hashtag #howlround in Twitter to participate in a community of peers revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field. Our community uses the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). You can become a producer and co-produce with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, contact @HowlRound on Twitter, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.