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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

This content centers work that is being done—and where work still needs to be done—to make the theatre field more just, from how colleges are failing theatre students of color to racist practices in hiring directors to why expectations of unpaid labor lead to a homogenous workforce. Learn with panels on how to support the Black Lives Matter movement as an arts organization and ethics and equity when presenting dance and performance.

The Latest

Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making
Video
Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making
A virtual book launch event
Wednesday 1 May 2024
Meet Amleta
Video
Meet Amleta
Join us for a livestream discussion with Amleta founder, Monica Faggiani
Friday 3 May 2024
Building “New” Audiences
Essay
Building “New” Audiences
by Ravi Jain , Miriam Fernandes
10 April 2024
three actors onstage
Casting a Wider Net
Essay

Casting a Wider Net

White Institutions Must Seize the Moment

5 August 2020

David Valdes shares the main excuses theatres give when not programming shows created by and with BIPOC artists, how moving to online theatre offers new opportunities, and what the benefits are of making change.

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble’s Neurodiversity New Play Festival
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
Video

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble’s Neurodiversity New Play Festival

Premiering capstones for four new 10-minute plays, four public readings of works by playwrights on the spectrum, and panels on neurodiversity in the arts

Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2020
United States

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble presented their Neurodiversity New Play Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2020.

two actors onstage
Foundations for a Cross-Cultural Community Theatre in Dharamshala
Essay

Foundations for a Cross-Cultural Community Theatre in Dharamshala

29 July 2020

Parvathi Ramanathan talks about the community-based, cross-cultural theatre project, d.r.i.f.t., in India’s Dharamshala region.

two people posing for a photo
We Commit to Anti-Racist Stage Management Education
Essay

We Commit to Anti-Racist Stage Management Education

28 July 2020

Stage managers Narda E. Alcorn and Lisa Porter—both women; one Black, one White—offer tools and practices to help build anti-racist stage managers.

three people standing/sitting in a parking lot in front of cars with ribbons on sticks
A Time of Interrogation
Essay

A Time of Interrogation

27 July 2020

Teresa Coleman Wash reflects on how the current state of affairs has fueled an urgency to interrogate all systems of oppression and argues that it’s past time to stop holding Eurocentric theatres up as the pinnacle of success.

a hand reaching toward a laptop open to a zoom video call
A Drama Therapist’s Perspective on Teaching Theatre in Times of Crisis
Essay

A Drama Therapist’s Perspective on Teaching Theatre in Times of Crisis

21 July 2020

Nisha Sajnani, a drama therapist and educator, offers a few tips to other theatre educators who may be feeling overwhelmed about the prospect of teaching online or in person again this fall.

an outdoor theatre production
Participatory Research Results and Further Questions
Essay

Participatory Research Results and Further Questions

Expanding Where, Why, How, and With Whom Artists Make Work

20 July 2020

Jan Cohen-Cruz shares the results of her recent survey about community-based and socially engaged theatremakers in the United States, which looked at commonalities across the field, the practices and principles adhered to, where people work and with whom, and more.

five people posing for a photo
Not Another Memory Play
Essay

Not Another Memory Play

Remember2019

16 July 2020

Ashley Teague, in partnership with Carlos Sirah, Arielle Julia Brown, Mauricio Tafur Salgado, and Yazmany Arboleda, talk about their eight-year durational, grassroots engagement with the Black community of the Arkansas Delta, Remember2019.

a group watching a presentation
Inequity by Design
Essay

Inequity by Design

13 July 2020

Elsa Hiltner discusses equity issues for designers in the theatre industry and offers tips for how artists can work together to change the system.

a large group of actors onstage
Unblurred Lines
Essay

Unblurred Lines

The Role of Consent in Immersive Theatre

8 July 2020

Blair Cadden explores how immersive theatre can adopt BDSM practices—including negotiations, safewords, and aftercare—to create safer experiences for both actors and audience members.

three actors onstage
We’ve Seen White American Theatre
Essay

We’ve Seen White American Theatre

How Can We BIPOC Now See Ourselves?

2 July 2020

Betty Shamieh offers a response to the “We See You, White American Theater” open letter as a non-Black American of color.

Group of people posing under the text "Contested Homes: Migrant liberation movement suite"
Contested Homes: a Migrant Liberation Movement Suite
UW Division of the Arts logo.
UW Division of the Arts
The Afro Yaqui Music Collective's logo, a black swirl.
The Afro Yaqui Music Collective
Video

Contested Homes: a Migrant Liberation Movement Suite

A new free jazz opera that combines jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, dance, and visual art animated and illustrated by students and guest artists

Tuesday 30 June 2020
Madison, WI United States

The Afro Yaqui Music Collective, in collaboration with UW-Madison Jazz Studies presented Contested Homes: a Migrant Liberation Movement Suite livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 30 June 2020 at 7:30 p.m. CDT (Madison, UTC -5) / 2:30 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10) / 4:30 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 6:30 pm.m MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 8:30 p.m. EDT (New York City, UTC -4)

Achy Obejas, Sean Gasper Bye, and Elizabeth Rose.
Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation
black and white outline of a lion's head
Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
Segal_Centre_Logo
Segal
Center
pen america in red text box
PEN World Voices
The Center for the Humanities logo.
Center for the Humanities
Video

Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation

With Achy Obejas and Sean Gasper Bye

Tuesday 30 June 2020
United States

PEN America, the Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate Center, and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library presented Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 30 June 2020 at 10:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:30 BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:30 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

illustration of baby with label "deaf"
A workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me
IRT Theater
Video

A workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me

Performed in American Sign Language with English subtitles

Monday 29 June 2020
United States

IRT Theater presented a workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me written by Deaf playwright Monique Holt livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 29 June 2020 at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

Rainbow flag, on top of which says “A Star is Bored, new alternatives play festival, friday 6/26 7pm Facebook live".
New Alternatives Play Festival
In Black text, a star is born. The is n crossed out and "e d" is scribbled next to it.
A Star is Bored
Video

New Alternatives Play Festival

produced by A Star Is Bored in partnership with HowlRound

Friday 26 June 2020
United States

A Star is Bored Podcast presented The New Alternatives Play Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 26 June at 4:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5:00 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -4) / 6:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

headshot of pedro noguera
Alchemy of the Reset with Pedro Noguera
YBCA
Video

Alchemy of the Reset with Pedro Noguera

hosted and created by YBCA Senior Fellows Brett Cook and Liz Lerman

Wednesday 24 June 2020
United States

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presented Alchemy of the Reset with Pedro Noguera livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 24 June 2020 at 12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

Downtown Variety: Juneteenth
La MaMa Logo
La MaMa
CultureHub Logo
CultureHub
Poetic Societies logo.
Poetic Societies
Video

Downtown Variety: Juneteenth

An ancestral healing tele-protest to extend the resilience of Detroit and Flint artists to the multiverse of the global Black movement

Friday 19 June 2020
Untied States

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety: Juneteenth livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 19 June 2020 at 2 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10) / 4 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8) / 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (Detroit, UTC -4).

three actors onstage
How Liberal Arts Theatre Programs Are Failing Their Students of Color
Essay

How Liberal Arts Theatre Programs Are Failing Their Students of Color

17 June 2020

Miranda Haymon argues that liberal arts theatre programs are failing their students of color and offers four concrete steps that colleges and universities can adopt as they work to rectify this.

kevin dinkins jr and al heartley
We Don’t Want Your Statements, American Theatre
Essay

We Don’t Want Your Statements, American Theatre

or, The Solidarity We Actually Needed

11 June 2020

Al Heartley and Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Black theatre managers who work in predominantly white American theatres, respond to the recent “solidarity” statements posted by theatres across the country after George Floyd was killed.

Collage of headshots of With Idris Goodwin, Lauren Gunderson, David Henry Hwang, Robert Schenkkan, and Karen Zacarías.
#ENOUGH presents The Inciting Incident: Playwriting in a Moment of Change - Panel Discussion
Map of the United States overlaid with the text enough, plays to end gun violence.
#ENOUGH
Video

#ENOUGH presents The Inciting Incident: Playwriting in a Moment of Change - Panel Discussion

With Idris Goodwin, Lauren Gunderson, David Henry Hwang, Robert Schenkkan, and Karen Zacarías

Tuesday 9 June 2020
United States

#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence presented The Inciting Incident: Playwriting in a Moment of Change - Panel Discussion livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 9 June 2020 at 9 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC-10) / 11 a.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC-8) / 12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC-6) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

Re-Emergence banner with each letter a different color.
The 2020 Theatre Communications Group Virtual Conference — Re:Emergence Part 2
orange circle with T C G text
TCG
Video

The 2020 Theatre Communications Group Virtual Conference — Re:Emergence Part 2

Part 2 of the first TCG Virtual Conference, Re-Emergence, Convening gathered different types of theatre people together for emergent conversations, ideation, and knowledge building amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and nation-wide #BlackLivesMatter protests.

Wednesday 3 June through Friday 5 June
United States

Theatre Commons Group presented the 2020 TCG Virtual Conference - Re:Emergence livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Wednesday 3 June through Friday 5 June.

musician with guitar in front of colored background
Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Award (ASL-interpreted)
orange background with white text M C
Mass Cultural Council
Video

Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Award (ASL-interpreted)

Celebrating excellence in access and inclusion throughout the Commonwealth’s cultural sector

Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June 2020
Massachusetts

Mass Cultural Council presented the Universal Participation (UP) Award livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June 2020 at 8 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-8) / 10 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 11 a.m. EDT (Boston, UTC-4) / 4 p.m. BST (UTC+1).

Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn.
Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn (ASL-interpreted)
Directors Lab West Logo.
Directors Lab West
Video

Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn (ASL-interpreted)

Disability and Equity as Creative Forces

Tuesday 26 May 2020
United States

Directors Lab West presented Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 26 May 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 19:00 BST (London, UTC+1) / 20:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC+2).

four actors onstage
This is Not a Rhetorical Question
Essay

This is Not a Rhetorical Question

Neoliberal Identity Politics in Current Casting Practices

21 May 2020

Carmen Aguirre talks identity politics and the casting of Latinx plays in Canada.

Where the Wars of Self-Definition are Fought
Essay

Where the Wars of Self-Definition are Fought

19 May 2020

ted witzel, artistic associate for the Stratford Festival Lab in Ontario, Canada, introduces his series based on learnings from the Lab’s recent explorations under a mission of “gesturing toward a decolonial canon.”