Parenting and Caregiving

How can our industry better support parents and caregivers? For a long time, the needs of these groups weren’t openly spoken about in the theatre, but in recent years individuals and groups have begun advocating for them, pointing out that increasing access for caregivers will make our field more equitable for all. Dive into this conversation with the Parent-Artist Advocacy series, watch the archive of the 2019 Parent-Artist Advocacy League Summit, or read personal reflections on the challenges of being a parent in the theatre from playwrights Rachel Bonds and Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza.

The Latest

Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility

Video

Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility

Webinar Exploring the Tensions Between Cultural Mobility and Parental Responsibility in the EU and Internationally

Tuesday 7 March 2023

European Union

How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front

Essay

How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front

by Audrey Rose Dégez

6 December 2022

How Your Theatre Can Become a More Equitable Employer of Parents and Caregivers

Video

How Your Theatre Can Become a More Equitable Employer of Parents and Caregivers

A Forward-Looking Solutions-Based Conversation with Chicago Arts Leaders and Organizers

Tuesday 1 November 2022

Chicago, IL

Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility

On the Move

Video

Parenting, Care, and Cultural Mobility

Webinar Exploring the Tensions Between Cultural Mobility and Parental Responsibility in the EU and Internationally

Tuesday 7 March 2023

European Union

For this third Mobility Webinar, On the Move will explore the tensions between cultural mobility and parental responsibility in the EU and internationally. Discussing how our ecosystem considers and manages parenthood, particularly for women, at the different stages of the creative value chain.

Five performers, with one of them holding a baby, stand in a line on stage and hold a Ukrainian flag together.

How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front

Audrey Rose

Dégez

Essay

How Slovo. Theater Group Fights for Ukraine on the Cultural Front

6 December 2022

Slovo. Theater Group uses theatre as a tool to fight against cultural oppression by promoting Ukrainian culture abroad. Audrey Rose, the group’s producer, discusses the process of making theatre during active war as a way of resisting oppression and violence.

event poster for PAAL conversation on equity for parents and caregivers.

How Your Theatre Can Become a More Equitable Employer of Parents and Caregivers

Video

How Your Theatre Can Become a More Equitable Employer of Parents and Caregivers

A Forward-Looking Solutions-Based Conversation with Chicago Arts Leaders and Organizers

Tuesday 1 November 2022

Chicago, IL

Parent Artist Advocacy League of Chicago and Prop Thtr presented the conversation, How Your Theatre Can Become a More Equitable Employer of Parents and Caregivers livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Children throwing a parachute in the air.

Are You Really a Parent-Friendly Workplace?

Essay

Are You Really a Parent-Friendly Workplace?

27 September 2022

Michelle Ramos sits down with Ashley Davis, founder and director of the social enterprise Unlock Creative, to discuss Ashley’s experience being a mom in the field and how she works to make her own organization more accommodating of parents and caregivers.

Staging Reproductive Freedom in Black Feminist Theatre

Podcast

Staging Reproductive Freedom in Black Feminist Theatre

3 August 2022

This episode is inspired by recent and current events regarding Roe v. Wade and their potential impact on birthing people. We think about the representation of reproductive justice (things such as abortion, contraception, and anything regarding decisions to birth or plan a family) especially from Black women playwrights. We discuss plays such as They That Sit in Darkness by Mary Burrill, Rachel by Angelina Weld Grimke, Come Down Burning by Kia Corthron, In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks, and Abortion Road Trip by Rachel Lynett.

Book Launch: HowlRound Theatre Commons' Essays and Conversations from the First Ten Years

HowlRound Theatre Commons

Video

Book Launch: HowlRound Theatre Commons' Essays and Conversations from the First Ten Years

Fifty essays from 2011 to 2020

Tuesday 21 June 2022

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Join HowlRound staff and theatremakers from around the world for a virtual celebration of our new book: Essays and Conversations from the First Ten Years, featuring work published on HowlRound between 2011 and 2020! Livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network Tuesday 21 June 2022 at 12 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 8 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 21:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

A woman facing her back to three men and another woman.

The Mother of All Emotions

Betty

Shamieh

Essay

The Mother of All Emotions

7 December 2021

Playwright, author, screenwriter, and actor Betty Shamieh discusses her experience navigating the complexities of new motherhood as a woman in the theatre industry.

Centering Humanity: Action, Affinity, and Accountability Solutions for Humane and Sustainable Practices

PAAL

Public Theater

Video

Centering Humanity: Action, Affinity, and Accountability Solutions for Humane and Sustainable Practices

The Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) International Digital Summit 2021

Wednesday 1 December to Friday 3 December 2021

United States

The PAAL International Digital Summit 2021 gathered experts and theatre professionals who will provide workshops, case studies, and affinity spaces for both institutions and individuals to illustrate how to create sustainable caregiver support and operationalize humane practices that benefit everyone.

blue graphic of actor onstage against yellow background

(Re)Imagine Parents in Theater

Seattle Rep

Video

(Re)Imagine Parents in Theater

A series that brings artists and community leaders together

Thursday 20 May 2021

Seattle, Oregon

Seattle Rep presented (Re)Imagine Parents in Theater livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 20 May 2021 at 5 p.m. PDT (Seattle, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Parent Artists & the Pandemic

Event

Parent Artists & the Pandemic

Nicole Stodard and Kaja Dunn, in partnership with the Parent Artist Advocacy League, led a Twitter chat navigating work/life balance and anti-racist activism as a #ParentArtist during the COVID-19 pandemic.

hand sanitizer labeled "don't touch the art"

It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned)

Video

It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned)

an #ArtistResource talk with Rachel Spencer Hewitt (PAAL); Claudia Alick (CallingUP); Ashley Hanson (Department of Public Transformation); and more

Tuesday 7 April 2020

United States

Livestreaming the #ArtistResource panel It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned) on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 7 April 2020 at 8 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UST-10) / 10 a.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC-8) / 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

The 2019 PAAL Summit

Public Theater

PAAL

Video

The 2019 PAAL Summit

The first national summit on caregiver support in the performing arts

Friday 6 December 2019

New York City

The Parent Artist Advocacy League presented the first PAAL Summit at the Public Theater livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 6 December from 6 a.m - 3 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC-8) / 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC-6) / 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST (New York, UTC-5).

Making Radical Parent Inclusion Replicable and Sustainable

Rachel Spencer

Hewitt

Essay

Making Radical Parent Inclusion Replicable and Sustainable

5 December 2019

Rachel Spencer Hewitt, founder of the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL), talks about putting PAAL’s handbook of best practices for parent support into action in collaboration with New York City’s the Playwrights Realm.

A man is sitting holding a phone up to his ear while a toddler sleeps on him. The toddler is holding a rainbow colored stuffed animal.

Redefining “Radical” In Terms of How We Support Parents

Mickey

Rowe

Essay

Redefining “Radical” In Terms of How We Support Parents

4 December 2019

Mickey Rowe, co-founder and co–executive director of National Disability Theatre, talks about the difficulties of being a single parent with disabilities and working in theatre.

Parents of Color and the Need For Anti-Racist Theatre Practices

Nicole

Brewer

Essay

Parents of Color and the Need For Anti-Racist Theatre Practices

3 December 2019

Nicole Brewer talks about the term “child friendly,” reconstructing the issue of parent support as an issue of race and racism, supporting parent-artists with an anti-racist lens, and more.

3 adults and 2 children huddle together smile

Why Parent-Artists and Institutions Need Human Resources Support

Iris

McQuillan-Grace

Essay

Why Parent-Artists and Institutions Need Human Resources Support

2 December 2019

Iris McQuillan-Grace writes about the importance of providing an advocacy structure with a human resources lens to the performing arts landscape.

When the World Isn’t Made for Your Body

Sally

Lobel

Essay

When the World Isn’t Made for Your Body

How Interconnected Access Benefits Multiple Communities

1 December 2019

Introducing the second installment of the Parent-Artist Advocacy series, Sally Lobel talks about how the parent-artist community and the disability community have the potential to be excellent accomplices and allies.

Radical Inclusion of Parent Artists

Lydia

Milman Schmidt

Essay

Radical Inclusion of Parent Artists

5 December 2018

Lydia Milman Schmidt, founder of the advocacy group Parents in Chicago Theatre, looks at the progressive policies Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has in place when it comes to working with parent artists on production.

Who We Harm When Parenting Isn’t Considered

Rachel Spencer

Hewitt

Essay

Who We Harm When Parenting Isn’t Considered

13 November 2018

Parent Artist Advocacy League for the Performing Arts (PAAL) founder Rachel Spencer Hewitt discusses three crucial ways theatres can improve their support for parent artists.

Working Like a Mother

Rachel

Bonds

Essay

Working Like a Mother

11 September 2018

Playwright Rachel Bonds reflects on being a working artist since the birth of her son, and maps out tips for theatres working with other parent-artists.

Harnessing the Heroic Narrative of Creative Motherhood

Stephanie

Hayes

Essay

Harnessing the Heroic Narrative of Creative Motherhood

14 December 2017

Performer Stephanie Hayes reflects on how motherhood helped her reinvent her relationship to her own creativity.

Fighting for Gender, Race, and Motherhood in Theatre

Carmelita

Becnel

Essay

Fighting for Gender, Race, and Motherhood in Theatre

12 December 2017

Stage manager Carmelita Becnel reflects on the need to support mothers, women of color, and stage managers as creative collaborators in the rehearsal room.

Re-Defining Motherhood and Advocating for Parent Artists

Rachel Spencer

Hewitt

Essay

Re-Defining Motherhood and Advocating for Parent Artists

10 December 2017

Rachel Spencer Hewitt, PAAL founder, kicks off the parent advocacy in the arts series with an overview of the history of PAAL and a rationale for family-friendly practices in the theatre.