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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
event poster with headshots of panelists for dreaming the queer future.
Dreaming the Queer Future
National Queer Theater Logo.
National Queer Theater
Dramatists Guild Logo.
Dramatists Guild
Video

Dreaming the Queer Future

A Conversation with the New Visions Fellowship on the Importance of Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Representation, Hosted by Activist and International Star, Peppermint (she/her)

Tuesday 19 October 2021
United States

The Dramatists Guild presented the online conversation Dreaming the Queer Future livestreaming on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 19 October at 3 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 6 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Four people on a Zoom call.
Arts Advocacy for Newbies: How to Break All the Rules and Create a New Paradigm
Essay

Arts Advocacy for Newbies: How to Break All the Rules and Create a New Paradigm

12 October 2021

Brooke Ishibashi, performer and co-founder of Be An #ArtsHero, shares her experiences organizing with and advocating for arts workers during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Three men on stage in front of a projection of someone's eyes.
The Future Requires Faith: A Conversation on Trust, Transparency, and Transformation
Essay

The Future Requires Faith: A Conversation on Trust, Transparency, and Transformation

8 October 2021

Rika Iino and Marc Bamuthi Joseph talk about the way trust and transparency have shown up in their work, both individually and as a duo, and how theatre practitioners and organizations can use those elements to work towards a more equitable future.

Seven people sitting on a lit-up rooftop.
Centering Artists and The Development of New Work
Essay

Centering Artists and The Development of New Work

7 October 2021

Miranda Wright discusses the vitality of supporting new work development in the field and shares learnings from her experiences doing so as the founder of Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) and the Live Arts Exchange (LAX) Festival.

Two people standing on stage looking out into the audience. One person is raising their hand while the other is person stands close to a teal backdrop.
Mentorship, Empowerment, and Cultural Equity: Ingredients to Build Community
Essay

Mentorship, Empowerment, and Cultural Equity: Ingredients to Build Community

6 October 2021

Carlos Diaz Stoop shares the impact of mentorship on his career as an arts administrator, educator, and independent producer and explains how the Creative Independent Producer’s Alliance (CIPA) and the International Creative Producers (ICP) are creating organizational environments that encourage co-learning and collective decision-making.

event poster for spirituality and sexuality through a black woman's lens.
Spirituality and Sexuality Through a Black Woman's Lens
red background with white text red pill.
Red Pill
Video

Spirituality and Sexuality Through a Black Woman's Lens

How Can We Use Our Spirituality and Sexuality to Reclaim Our Bodies?

Thursday 30 September 2021
United States

Tonya Pinkins presented Through A Black Woman’s Lens—Spirituality & Sexuality livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 30 September 2021 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Learning About the History—and Future—of Stand-up Comedy
Podcast

Learning About the History—and Future—of Stand-up Comedy

With Rachel Blackburn

29 September 2021

Michael Lueger is joined by director, performer, and educator Dr. Rachel Blackburn to discuss diversity and intersectionality within the stand-up comedy world and how comics are engaging with social issues and movements.

A headshot of the guest, Eric Lockley, against a galaxy background.
Transforming Organizational Structures
Podcast

Transforming Organizational Structures

With Eric Lockley of The Movement Theatre Company

15 September 2021

Yura Sapi speaks with Eric Lockley, co-founder of the Movement Theatre Company. Lockley is a member of the company’s producing artistic leadership team, who work together to create an artistic social movement by developing and producing new works by artists of color. Their work engages audiences in a rich theatrical dialogue, enlightens communities to the important issues affecting our world, and empowers artists to celebrate the many sides of their unique voice.

A magical black female figure breaking open a door.
Can I Come? Envisioning the Future of Inclusion on Broadway and Beyond
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.

Money Matters With Ann James of Intimacy Coordinators of Color.
Money Matters
Podcast

Money Matters

With Ann James of Intimacy Coordinators of Color

8 September 2021

Yura Sapi sits down with Ann James, founder of Intimacy Coordinators of Color, whose mission is to support and promote decolonized intimacy education and inclusive hiring practices in the entertainment industry.

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.

Bright text above a dark teal hand drawn image of many pairs of hands placed around a table with papers of various sizes ready to be populated with designs for the future.
Design Meeting (ASL and Live Captions)
Video

Design Meeting (ASL and Live Captions)

With Alexis Chaney, Margaret Toomey, Jesse Portillo, Porsche McGovern, and Katherine Freer

Friday 3 September 2021
United States

Five designer facilitators came together to share strategies about how to turn analysis into action through embodied practice. Livestreaming on the commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 3 September 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).

Photo of seven people holding each other posing for a photo in a line.
Not a Pipeline Problem, a Problem with the Pipeline
Essay

Not a Pipeline Problem, a Problem with the Pipeline

1 September 2021

Designers Calvin Anderson, Sherrice Mojgani, and Amber Whatley share their individual perspectives on how design education in the United States is lacking and what they are doing to fill in the gaps.

A portrait of the guest Ivyon E. against a galaxy background with the Building Our Own Tables logo to the left.
Funding Accountability
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.

Clint and Lindsay wearing semi-formal attire and smiling in front of a background with "Playwrights" all over it.
The Design of Change
Essay

The Design of Change

31 August 2021

Lindsay Jones and Clint Ramos discuss the intersection of art and activism, as well as the paths they take to create meaningful change for the next generation of theatremakers.

Yellow flowers, purple flowers, dark green leaves, and insects surrounding the words "Seeding Change" against a light green background.
Seeding Change
Essay

Seeding Change

30 August 2021

Katherine Freer and Porsche McGovern kick off the second installment of their Design (in a Time of Reckoning) series, which had its first week back in February 2021.

event poster for through a black woman's lens.
Misogynoir Through a Black Woman's Lens
red background with white text red pill.
Red Pill
Video

Misogynoir Through a Black Woman's Lens

What role can Black men play to change the narrative and protect women of color?

Thursday 26 August 2021
United States

Tonya Pinkins presented Through A Black Woman’s Lens—Misogynoir livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 26 August 2021 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

The guest, Teresa Coleman Wash, smiling and wearing a red shirt against a galaxy background.
Being a Neighborhood Resource Center and Owning Our Tables
Podcast

Being a Neighborhood Resource Center and Owning Our Tables

With Teresa Coleman Wash of Bishop Arts Theatre Center

25 August 2021

Yura Sapi speaks with Teresa Coleman Wash, the founding artistic director of Bishop Arts Theatre Center, whose mission is to create a diverse and vibrant arts community while creating sustainable opportunities for local and emerging artists through performances and education.

Several actors wearing vintage work clothing and standing in stage boats in pairs or groups of three.
How to Create an Actively Inclusive Theatre Course
Essay

How to Create an Actively Inclusive Theatre Course

16 August 2021

David Valdes shares eleven steps educators can take to ensure their course offerings are more actively inclusive.

poster of deafwoke with Kavita Pipalia.
#DeafWoke with Kavita Pipalia
Urban Jazz Dance Company logo.
Urban Jazz Dance Company
Video

#DeafWoke with Kavita Pipalia

A Virtual Consciousness-Raising Online Talk Show, Led by Black and Native American Deaf Host Mr. Antoine Hunter PurpleFireCrow

Thursday 12 August 2021
United States

Antoine Hunter presents #DeafWoke with Kavita Pipalia livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 12 August at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Unrehearsed Futures
Embodied Poetics logo
Embodied Poetics
Drama School Mumbai logo
Drama School Mumbai
Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, Cape Town, logo
CTDPS, Cape Town
Video

Unrehearsed Futures

Episode #19: Collaborative Theatre-Making and/as Participatory Justice

Thursday 12 August 2021
South Africa

Unrehearsed Futures Episode #19: Collaborative Theatre-Making and/as Participatory Justice livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 12 August 2021.

Strong Foundations and Groundings & Solidarity
Podcast

Strong Foundations and Groundings & Solidarity

With Quanice Floyd of Art Administrators of Color

11 August 2021

Yura Sapi talks with Quanice Floyd, founder of Arts Administrators of Color Network, whose mission is to empower artists and arts administrators by providing tools and resources to advocate for equity, inclusion, access, and diversity in the arts.

event poster with artist headshots for no summary digital guide.
NO SUMMARY: A Celebration of MENA Playwrights!
Golden Thread Logo.
Golden Thread
Video

NO SUMMARY: A Celebration of MENA Playwrights!

The Digital Guide to Theatre of the Middle East Is Here

Friday 30 July 2021
United States

Golden Thread Productions presented NO SUMMARY: A celebration of MENA playwrights! livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 30 July 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).

A woman in a white dress with short hair dancing with an ensemble of other women and men behind her.
Open Channels: The Journey Begins/Canales Abiertos: La jornada comienza
Essay

Open Channels: The Journey Begins/Canales Abiertos: La jornada comienza

29 July 2021

Fátima De La Caridad Patterson Patterson, Mathew Schwarzman, and Carolina Caballero share their experience of creating Open Channels, an event where artists from thirteen countries gathered digitally to talk about Caribbean popular theatre.

Fátima De La Caridad Patterson Patterson, Mathew Schwarzman, y Carolina Caballero comparten sus experiencias creando Open Channels (Canales Abiertos), un evento donde artistas de trece países compartieron digitalmente para hablar del Teatro Popular Caribeño.

#DeafWoke with Raven Sutton
Urban Jazz Dance Company logo.
Urban Jazz Dance Company
Video

#DeafWoke with Raven Sutton

A virtual consciousness-raising online talk show, led by Black and Native American Deaf host Mr. Antoine Hunter PurpleFireCrow

Tuesday 27 July 2021
United States

Antoine Hunter presented #DeafWoke with Raven Sutton livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 27 July at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).