Which American theatres are showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement?
BY EVAN CAIN
VICE-PRESIDENT/ CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF/ ARTS AND CULTURE HEAD
All sources embedded in images.
The QuaranTimes denounces the unfair death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and its tragic and avoidable consequences. We stand in solidarity with the Floyd Family, protestors, and all affected by this senseless act of violence. Click here for resources to help.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Over the past few weeks, Black Lives Matter protestors have stood their ground in the movement for racial justice, despite the multiple attacks by police officers and anti-BLM citizens. Social media pages, like Instagram and Twitter, have continued to promote educational resources, donation funds, and Black Lives Matter art, rather than people’s personal lives. People who do not usually speak out on their political opinions and views took the time to express their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Why? Because racism is not a political opinion. Granting all people equal human rights should not be a discussion. It should not be something that the President of the United States is still unsure about. Black lives have always mattered and will always matter. It is OUR job— as citizens, as people, as artists, as creators, as activists— to continue to educate ourselves and others, promote racial equality and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. American theatre institutions have roles to play in this moment of potential for change, and many have shown their support for this revolution.
Support Statements
1st Stage
1st Stage Theatre is located in Tysons, Virginia and was created in 2008 by a group of educators, artists, and actors under the leadership of Mark Krikstan. The artistic director, Alex Levy, recently stated:
“Like so many around the world, I watched the killing of George Floyd with horror and disgust. Like so many, I was heartbroken. I was furious, and I was appalled. I was also painfully aware that it was a killing that fit into a chain that links all the way back to before the founding of this country. I have spent this week hoping and praying that perhaps this is the moment in which our nation finally confronts the centuries-old atrocities that are systemic racism and hatred.
In the midst of all these emotions, I am fully aware that I enjoy the privilege of whiteness and that I lead a cultural institution in which the power is held predominately by white leaders. I am aware that the platform I have to speak from, is partially afforded to me by the luxury of being on the dominant side of a racist system.
At the same time, I recognize that this platform and microphone can be used for the cause of justice. To all of the Black artists who call 1st Stage home, our microphone is available to you so that your voices can be amplified and your stories can be told. If you would like to share your feelings, your thoughts, your voice with the 1st Stage community please email me and I will make sure that our social media and communications platforms are at your disposal.
For those of us who enjoy privilege and power because of a system based on white supremacy, we must not wait to be spurred into action by others. We must take action now to bring justice and human rights to our entire community
All of us at 1st Stage send our love and our support to those in the pursuit of justice. We stand with you.”
ACT Theatre
The ACT Theatre is located in Seattle, Washington and is a contemporary theatre “where artistic ambition and civic engagement unite.” It was founded by Gregory A. Falls, the head of the University of Washington’s theatre department during 1965. The managing director, Becky Witmer, and John Langs, the artistic director, recently made this statement on behalf of the ACT theatre:
“ACT Theatre joins with those in Minneapolis and across the country in the call for justice in the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the innumerable others who have lost their lives. We stand against the centuries of continued violence being perpetrated against Black lives and communities of color. Civic leaders and white America need to hear, see, and truly listen to the message from protests.
For ACT and the field of regional theatre, we have a lot of work to do in dismantling racism within our own systems. We have made mistakes; as a predominantly white organization, we have a long journey and unending work to do. We cannot be neutral or silent along the way.
Specifically to white allies in this effort, please make a difference.”
San Diego Repertory Theatre
The San Diego Repertory Theatre is located in San Diego, CA and was founded in 1976 by Sam Woodhouse and D.W. Jacobs. Sam Woodhouse, the artistic director, Larry Alldredge, the managing director, Larry Cousins, the president of the board of trustees, and the entire San Diego Rep staff and board of trustees recently spoke on the Black Lives Matter movement:
“We at San Diego REP cannot and will not tolerate the systemic racism that continues to plague our country.
We are crushed by the senseless and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery—and of the far too many Black lives that have systemically been cut short over centuries, before them.
Our mission has long been to nourish progressive political and social values, and implicit in that is the responsibility to stand up for marginalized communities. We vow to examine and dismantle the structures of racism within theatre, within society, and within the deepest part of our own selves.
We stand in unity with our Black brothers and sisters.
Black Lives Matter.
We ask you to join us in taking action today. Together let us lift our voices and galvanize our collective privilege, creativity and financial capacity—to work relentlessly towards finally delivering the promise of that arc towards justice for all. Once and for all.”
Black Ensemble Theatre
The Black Ensemble Theater is located in Chicago, Illinois and was created by Jackie Taylor, a well-known Black actress, producer, and playwright. She recently stated,
“When I started the Black Ensemble Theater in 1976, I was told emphatically by many, many people to change the mission. They felt that a mission to eradicate racism was much too ambitious. Our mission is ambitious, and it is vital to our existence as human beings. If we allow for injustice to continue, we all suffer and will eventually wipe each other out. We are witnessing the effects of institutionalized racism all over the country, and the fires, looting, anger, and self-hatred that has materialized bears witness to the fact that we must destroy institutionalized racism or it will destroy all of us.
For 44 years Black Ensemble Theater has been working diligently toward our mission to eradicate racism and its devastating effects on society. Our mission is even more vital and relevant now than it has ever been before.
Racism is embedded in the American culture. That culture must be changed. Those of us who understand that murder is wrong, racism is wrong, and injustice is wrong must speak out. We cannot be silent. I’m not advocating looting and burning, but I understand it. People are sick and tired of the racist American way and they are screaming for it to stop. I do not condone violence, but I do condone action. Do something or say something, speak out, even if it’s just to a neighbor—let’s spread the word that this murdering of Black people must be stopped. Period! This modern-day lynching must come to an end.
Black Ensemble Theater will do our part. We will continue our work toward eradicating racism, and we hope that you too will do whatever you can to speak out and take action against the inequities that exist in this racist world. No one can afford to sit on the sidelines anymore. To say nothing or do nothing makes you just as guilty as those who are committing the racist crime or spewing the racist rhetoric. To be treated fairly and with dignity is the essence of our human spirit, and we must protect the human spirit—without it, we will not survive.
My final thought is this: The human spirit and need for justice, fairness, and equality will never die, no matter how long you continue to keep your knee embedded in its neck. You cannot kill the human spirit. The human spirit will rebel. It will fight. It will rise up and it will, eventually, win.”
Others
The list of American theatres that have made statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement also includes (but is not limited to):
1812 Productions, Yale School of Drama/ Yale Repertory Theatre, Writers Theatre, WP Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, Waterwell, WAM Theatre, The VORTE, Vineyard Theatre, Undermain Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, TheatreSquared, Theatre Mu, Theatre Latté Da, Theatre J, Theatre Horizon, Syracuse Stage, Synetic Theater, St. Lous Black Repertory, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Steep Theatre Company, Stageworks, Stage West Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage, South Coast Reperatory, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Shakespeare Dallas, Seattle Reperatory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Public Theatre, Profile Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Playwrights’ Center, The Play Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre, People’s Light, Orlando Shakes, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Olney Theatre Cente, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, New York Theatre Workshop, New Stage Theatre, ACL, New Jersey Repertory Company, New 42/ New Victory Theater, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Mildren’s Umbrella Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre Cente, Lookingglass Theatre Company, The Lark, Lake Dillon Theatre Compay, La Jolla Playhouse, Kitchen Dog Theatr, Kansas City Repertory Theatr, Indiana Repertory Theatre, House Theatre of Chicago, Horizon Theatre, Hartford Stage, Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, Golden Thread Productions, Geva Theatre Center, Eugene O’Neill Theater Cente, Dallas Theater Center, Dad’s Garage, Crossroads Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, Commonweal Theatre, The Civilians, City Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Cherry Arts, Charleston Stage, Chance Theater, Center Theatre Group, Cara Mía Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Boston Court Pasadena, Berkely Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Azuka Theatre, Austin Playhouse, Aurora Theatre Company, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanitie, Arizona Theatre Company, Arena Stage, The Arden Theatre Company, Amphibian Stage, American Players Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Alliance Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, 59E59 Theaters, Everyman Theatre, Goodman Theatre, New Dramatists, Open Stage, Quantum Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Alley Theatre, and California Shakespeare Festival.
Notice how many theatres are listed. The unfair and disgusting death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers sparked a revolution not only in the activist and political community but throughout the entire world. From the art community to small businesses, there are activists and allies all over the world that will continue to fight for the liberation of Black people and defamation of the police system in America.
Shelter For Protestors
Theatres all over the US have shown support through their social media, websites, donations, and by promoting Black artists and Black art. Many Off-Broadway Theatre companies in New York began to provide shelter and services for the Black Lives Matter protestors on the street, using all of their resources to demand justice. In the Midtown/ Chelsea area these theatres are open from about noon to 6m PM each day and provide WiFi, water, snacks, and restrooms to protestors:
Second Stage Theater, Playwrights Horizon, Signature Theatre, MCC Theater, Ensemble Theater Company, and Atlantic Thater Company.
In Downtown NY, [most] theatres are offering shelter and snacks from about 2 PM to 6 PM and are promoting social distancing rules. These include:
New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, SubCulture and Club Cumming.
The A.R.T and Irondale Ensemble Project are the two theatres [currently] in the Brooklyn area that are open to protestors. They provide shelter and sanitizers from about noon to 7 PM daily.
The ‘Not Speaking Out’ List
While many American theatre companies have shown their support for the Black Lives Matter movement through promoting educational resources, using their social media platforms to spread awareness, donating, and opening their doors up to protestors, many have not. Marie Cisco, a producer who has worked with many New-York based theatres noticed that many theatres were not taking a stand against racism and police brutality in America. She created a spreadsheet titled, "Theatres Not Speaking Out” that includes American theatres that have NOT made a statement towards the injustice of black people. The list is updated when a theatre decides to make a claim, or if another one has yet to speak out. On Saturday, May 30th, Cisco shared the document on her Facebook page and it is now considered one of the most helpful Black Lives Matter resources online. There are over 400 theatres listed from across the country and these numbers keep growing.
While the list did prompt some theatres to create an Instagram post or make a public announcement supporting the fight for racial injustice, the responses were problematic in that they most likely came from a place of shame and guilt. A number of theatres even asked to be taken off the list for publicity reasons and Cisco would not do so. The list includes the name of the theatres, the city, the state, the mission statements, the number of Black playwrights featured in the theatre’s seasons, and the ethnic demographics of their staff.
Read this list, and think about which theatres you support and which you may want to re-consider supporting. This is a simple way to show your solidarity for the movement as well as help out in any way you can. Continue to educate, donate, call, email, support, demand justice, and adjust your everyday lifestyle to help end racial injustice in America. Do your part.
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