Building Our Own Tables

“As we grew, we became eligible for institutional funding and that is when things began to change. Because all of a sudden the way we did our work had to conform with funders for us to receive our funds.” Kyoung shares about creating Kyoung’s Pacific Beat, a peacemaking theatre collective dedicated to working with artists, non-artists, and local communities to transform experiences of oppression into peace messages through performance. 

Topics include the dangers of the nonprofit industrial complex shaping the work, making theatre in times of war, and a worker-owned collective.

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“We needed to look at how we could work together, first with the BIPOC community. And then, upon completion of that assessment, we would be ready to partner with others.” Michelle shares about creating Visionaries of the Creative Arts, which is dedicated to responding to the critical needs of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing artists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, in Washington, D.C.

Topics include intersectionality of race and disability justice, local, national and international community engagement, and the support of white allies. 

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“As somebody who grows up in, I guess, a “third world country” and then moves to the U.S., you feel this sense of responsibility… to have to give back something, or you have to be the best in your community, but also still be connected.” Parmida shares about creating Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble, which creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants whose voice cannot be heard.

Topics include programming for refugee and immigrant communities, creating new mediums, and taking time to reflect. 

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“Centering relationship, community and the artist in all the work is where you begin. Yes, we’re co-producing on an end product. We’re making a show. However, the relationship … is a great place to start from.” Maurice shares about creating The Front Porch Arts Collective, a black theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theater.

Topics include keys to success in co-productions, the challenges of the nonprofit model, and our lifetime journey to grow.

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“You have a relationship just for one show– that’s not a relationship. Not at all. It’s more like exploitation.” Samson and Dmae share about creating Theatre Diaspora gives Asian American Pacific Islander theatre more visibility and engages the public in insightful talkback discussions on cultural diversity.

Topics include  the importance of relationships in being a community organization, representation and visibility, and redefining what success is. 

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“We find that it's really important that everybody verbalizes their thoughts and their agreements or disagreements so that we know everyone's on board.” Beto shares about creating Radical Evolution is a multiethnic producing collective that seeks to understand the complexities of the mixed-identity existence in the 21st Century.

Topics include consensus decision making, equitable partnerships, reclaiming folk arts, and giving up white privilege.

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“We need to know that this whiteness is not something that just affects us in the U.S. or in the west, it’s something that affects everybody everywhere through the history of colonization. And it affects the arts everywhere.” Pooja shares about creating Rites of Passage Project, a movement to reclaim and celebrate women’s initiations envisioning a truly equitable, just and thriving world for all.

Topics include the impacts of globalization, resilience as people of color, and valuing group conflict.

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“There’s a reason why they don’t want us to ever talk about genocide… It’s because when you name something you acknowledge it exists and then you can deal with it.” Claudia shares about creating Calling Up Justice, a transmedia social justice practice. 

Topics include the power we have in selecting the words we use to talk about what we're doing and the resiliency producing model when it comes to working in a supremacy culture environment, that is the United States.

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“You cannot have it inauthentic AND have the community’s support.” Nydia shares about creating Blactina Media, which amplifies Afrolatinx and Caribbean stories with an emphasis on women through media and entertainment. 

Topics include the importance of authenticity and what it means to say true to your audience, saying no to opportunities that aren't in line with your values, and some real talk on knowing your worth. 

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“How do we do this with zero money?” Jonathan shares about creating The Sống Collective, which uplifts work that pushes against preconceptions of Asian Americans and reclaims the Vietnamese American narrative. 

Topics include asking for resources in community, power sharing, unanimous decision-making, and abundance over scarcity. 

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