Anti-Racist Theatre

As political activist and author Angela Davis said, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” Content in this section is about moving our field away from harmful white supremacist power structures and ways of working, and into a just and equitable future. Start with essays on anti-racist stage management practices, combatting white supremacy culture in training programs and intimacy direction, and supporting parent-artists through an anti-racist lens.

The Latest

Decentered Playwriting: Alternative Techniques for the Stage, Book Launch Panel

Video

Decentered Playwriting: Alternative Techniques for the Stage, Book Launch Panel

Presented by The Drama Book Shop, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications and the Dramatists Guild of America.

Tuesday 5 March 2024

New York City

Completing the Unfinished Sentences of Our Ancestors with Jonathan McCrory

Podcast

Completing the Unfinished Sentences of Our Ancestors with Jonathan McCrory

by Leticia Ridley, Jordan Ealey, Jonathan McCrory

7 February 2024

The Sum of Us One-Act Festival: Talk Back with Heather McGhee

Video

The Sum of Us One-Act Festival: Talk Back with Heather McGhee

This talkback commenced after the theatre performance for The Sum of Us One-Act Festival, which was inspired by McGhee's book

Friday 15 March 2024

United States

Two people wearing costumes and holding signs that say "Bush" and "World".

Creating Puppet Solidarities

Sarah

Plummer

Essay

Creating Puppet Solidarities

24 January 2022

Sarah Plummer kicks off the puppet series by introducing the series contributors and exploring the way their work highlights puppetry’s capacity to form solidarities among humans and nonhumans.

Several people dancing together in a room.

Thinking Through Racism: Nigerian Theatre’s Response

Essay

Thinking Through Racism: Nigerian Theatre’s Response

11 January 2022

Eseovwe Emakunu sits down with theatre practitioner Israel Wekpe to discuss how he and other Nigerian theatre artists use theatre to address racism and discrimination.

A man in a suit and glasses standing and smiling behind two figures.

You Want Me to Balance What?

Ryan

Ferrebee

Essay

You Want Me to Balance What?

Why the Argument That Fiscal Sustainability is More Important Than Investing in Racial Justice Needs to Go Away

16 December 2021

Ryan Ferrebee discusses the disadvantages of theatres attempting to balance fiscal responsibility with anti-racism work from his perspective as a white fundraising professional.

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

Michael

Lueger

Podcast

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

24 November 2021

As a part of the New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project of the 1930s funded theatre in the United States at an unprecedented level, providing paid work for trained theatremakers and low-cost performances to audiences all around the country. Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne discuss the history of the Federal Theatre Project and its potential to act as a model for a New Federal Theatre Project formed in conjunction with racial justice, climate justice, and Land Back movements.

pink event poster with black power fist graphics.

Anti-racist Strategies in Dramaturgy

Dramaturgs' Network (UK)

Video

Anti-racist Strategies in Dramaturgy

A Robust Discussion of Some of the Most Pressing Issues in Theatre’s Move Towards a Decolonized Model

Saturday 20 November 2021

London, United Kingdom

Dramaturgs' Network presented a panel on Anti-racist Strategies in Dramaturgy livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 20 November 2021 at 9 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 17:00 GMT (London, UTC +0).

Reappraising the Legacy of Ernie McClintock with Dr. Ibby Cizmar

Michael

Lueger

Podcast

Reappraising the Legacy of Ernie McClintock with Dr. Ibby Cizmar

6 October 2021

Dr. Ibby Cizmar joins the Theatre History Podcast to share her research on Ernie McClintock, who worked to develop a system of training and performance that could serve the specific needs of African American actors in the mid-twentieth century. A significant influence in the Black Arts Movement, McClintock’s methods continue to influence institutions and theatremakers today.

banner for event on anti-racist theatre.

Panel: What Does Anti-racist Producing Look Like?

The Playwrights Realm

Video

Panel: What Does Anti-racist Producing Look Like?

A Cohort of Theatre Professionals Discuss the Many Ways They’re Embracing a Values-centric Approach to Putting on a Show.

Thursday 23 September 2021

New York City

What does anti-racism look like when applied to the theatre’s core activity — producing plays? In this panel, a cohort of theatre professionals discuss the many ways they’re embracing a values-centric approach to putting on a show, from first rehearsal all the way to closing night. Livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 23 September 2021 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 21:00 BST (London, UTC +1).

A magical black female figure breaking open a door.

Can I Come? Envisioning the Future of Inclusion on Broadway and Beyond

Regina

Victor

Essay

Can I Come? Envisioning the Future of Inclusion on Broadway and Beyond

13 September 2021

Regina Victor paints a picture of a future for the theatre industry with cultural strategy at the center.

Three people sitting onstage, one of them holding a globe, and five spirits above them, one in the middle connecting two blocks with a spark in between them.

Public Access Archives: The End of the Theatre Industry

Essay

Public Access Archives: The End of the Theatre Industry

7 September 2021

Taylor Leigh Lamb and Sabine Decatur share emails, letters, social media posts, and more from the future that represent the period of profound change in the theatre industry beginning in 2021.

Funding Accountability

Yura

Sapi

Podcast

Funding Accountability

With Iyvon E. of The Parsnip Ship

1 September 2021

Yura Sapi sits down with Iyvon E., artistic director of The Parsnip Ship, a podcast play company that amplifies bold artists for audiences who crave accessible stories and storytellers.

Memorial Concert and Celebration of the Life of Robbie McCauley

HowlRound Theatre Commons

ArtsEmerson

Video

Memorial Concert and Celebration of the Life of Robbie McCauley

Sunday 15 August 2021

New York City

A memorial celebration of Robbie McCauley who was an American performance artist, writer and director who often put race at the center of plays and other works. Livestreamed on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Sunday 15 August 2021.

Peacemaking Theatre

Yura

Sapi

Podcast

Peacemaking Theatre

With Kyoung Park of Kyoung's Pacific Beat

28 July 2021

Yura Sapi sits down with Kyoung H. Park of Kyoung’s Pacific Beat, a peacemaking theatre collective dedicated to working with artists, non-artists, and local communities to transform experiences of oppression into peace messages through public performance.

event poster for the our theatre ecology.

Our Theater Ecology

TCG

Video

Our Theater Ecology

TCG's 2021 National Conference Online

Thursday 13 May to Friday 21 May 2021

United States

Theatre Communications Group presented their 2021 National Conference: Our Theatre Ecology livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Thursday 13 May to Friday 21 May 2021.

event poster with text for episode 6 of unrehearsed futures.

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Drama School Mumbai

Embodied Poetics

CTDPS, Cape Town

Video

Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play

Towards Decolonizing Physical Theatre Pedagogies

Thursday 13 May 2021

South Africa

Presenting Unrehearsed Futures: Serious Play livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 13 May 2021 at 4 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 9 a.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 10 a.m. SAST (Cape Town, UTC +2) / 1:30 p.m. IST (Mumbai, UTC +5:30) / 6 p.m. AEST (Hobart, UTC +10).

L to R: headshots of Adriana Li, Program Coordinator & Instructor, Impact Boston and Dax Valdes, Senior Trainer, Hollaback!.

Responding to Anti-Asian Race-Based Harassment

CAATA

Video

Responding to Anti-Asian Race-Based Harassment

Healing Over Hate Episode Two: Bystander intervention and safety awareness trainings to combat anti-AAPI harassment and xenophobia

Monday 10 May 2021

United States

Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) presented the second episode of its ongoing monthly ConFest Virtual Series, Healing Over Hate on Monday 10 May at 1 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10), 3 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8), 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7), 5 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6), 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5), 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

purple border around black text economic transperency in commercial theater.

Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre

Producer Hub

Video

Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre

Let’s talk about how we talk about money

Thursday 15 April 2021

United States

Producer Hub presented the conversation Economic Transparency in the Commercial Theatre with their series Producing Ethically in 2021 livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 15 April 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Chasing the Wolf by Nathan Singer

LA Writers Center (LAWC)

Video

Chasing the Wolf by Nathan Singer

with LA Writers Center's "Breathe" online play reading series

Saturday 27 March 2021

United States

LA Writers Center presented a reading of Chasing the Wolf by Nathan Singer as a part of their "Breathe" online play reading series livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 27 March 2021 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

silhouette of two people embracing, with a red and purple starry background.

Confessions of a Black Intimacy Director with Dr. Ayshia

Dr. Ayshia

Mackie-Stephenson

Video

Confessions of a Black Intimacy Director with Dr. Ayshia

A talk on Black sex, Black bodies, and Black love led by Dr. Ayshia Stephenson

Monday 15 March 2021

United States

Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson presented Confessions of a Black Intimacy Director with Dr. Ayshia livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 15 March 2021 at 3 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 5 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Putting Out the American Theatre Dumpster Fire Through White Abolition

Ann

James

Essay

Putting Out the American Theatre Dumpster Fire Through White Abolition

9 March 2021

Ann James discusses the problem with white institutions relying on BIPOC staff to “fix” their issues, shares a radical way for white-led organizations to find healing, and offers a starter list of actions for the “newly minted” abolitionist.

Villains by Marquis Ewing

LA Writers Center (LAWC)

Video

Villains by Marquis Ewing

with LA Writers Center's "Breathe" online play reading series

Saturday 27 February 2021

United States

LA Writers Center presented a reading of Villains by Marquis Ewing as a part of their "Breathe" online play reading series livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 27 February 2021 at 11 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC-8) / 1 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC-6) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC-5).

One Love: A Racial Justice Theatre Workshop with Dr. Ayshia

Dr. Ayshia

Mackie-Stephenson

Video

One Love: A Racial Justice Theatre Workshop with Dr. Ayshia

One Love pedagogy, a racial justice method for teaching and learning theatre

Monday 22 February 2021

United States

Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson presented One Love: A Racial Justice Theatre Workshop with Dr. Ayshia livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 22 February 2021 at 3 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 5 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

One Day We’ll Realize Our Shoulders Aren’t Raised to Our Ears

Nia

Farrell

Essay

One Day We’ll Realize Our Shoulders Aren’t Raised to Our Ears

Mad Libs for a Culture Shift

17 February 2021

Nia Farrell shares her vision of the future—one that exists now, on this very Earth, and that begins with the declaration: “I am adamant that Blk people exist in the future.”

Beto O'Byrne and Radical Evolution

Podcast

Beto O'Byrne and Radical Evolution

Building Our Own Tables Episode #7

10 February 2021

For the last episode of this season's Building Our Own Tables, podcast host Yura Sapi talks with Beto O'Byrne of Radical Evolution, a multiethnic producing collective.

A Summer on Fire, a Harvest Moon

Caroline

Sprague

Essay

A Summer on Fire, a Harvest Moon

8 February 2021

Caroline Sprague reflects on Shey Rivera Ríos’s recent piece, Fire Flowers and a Time Machine, transformative justice, the nonprofit industrial complex, and more.

Two people with speech bubbles, one saying "Can we talk about elitism in American theater" and the other responding "Um, yes please."

Get Off Your High Horse

Ambiance Theatre Company

Video

Get Off Your High Horse

Why Elitism doesn't work for BIPOC Theatremakers

Monday 11 January 2020

United States

Ambiance Theatre Company presented the conversation Get Off Your High Horse livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 11 January 2021 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).