A Big Breath
Hello wonderful community. It has been some time since we’ve last connected with you! In the last few months, we’ve continued to explore our mission and how we can be in service of artists in new and profound ways.
We are grateful to lean on each other as a staff as we navigate work in the quarantine. As you know, we hired our first ever business manager Sonia Nelson back in May. To this day, Sonia has not met anyone else on the team in person! We’ve acclimated to working and meeting over video calls and Google suite.
Even so, Sonia has helped us grow. Her skills in data evaluation and arts management, combined with her diligence and passion for the arts, makes her a key player in the company. Our operations today would not be where they are without her.
And Making Art
Through our Making Waves program, we’ve continued producing art and supporting artists, even outside the theatre. We can sum up our fall in three ways:
- Learning new skills: we’re proud to call our production manager Malie a soon-to-be audio producer! Malie has been working with Roger Fernandes and Fern Renville to bring the first act of Changer and the Star People to life in the form of Changer: The Radio Play.
- Embracing digital: The Madwoman of Chaillot is scheduled for next year and will happen in-person or digitally. In the meantime, Rebecca M. Davis (playing Countess Aurelia the “Madwoman”) is cooking up some web content to introduce you to the world of our fabulous titular character in The Countess Chronicles.
- Moving forward: This year, we added a new paid staff member to the company. We’ve rescheduled our postponed shows for next year, and we are on track to continue professionalizing our theatre company.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare for 2021, we continue to look toward the leadership of those most impacted by systemic exclusion. We regularly visit and study the industry-wide demands created by BIPOC artists via We See You White American Theatre. And with the help of consultant ChrisTiana ObeySumner, we are learning to apply disability justice principles in everyday practice.
Our team is excited to share Changer with you. In the meantime, remember to vote! We look forward to sharing again soon.