BIPOC Movements & Initiatives

The Joy-Jackson Initiative | Tools and resources for the American Theater industry to identify, reflect on, and improve their role in creating the safest, most welcoming spaces for members of the BIPOC community in the arts.

Theaters Not Speaking Out | A Google spreadsheet tracking American Theatres who have not made a statement against injustices towards Black people, as well as crucial data surrounding EDI and anti-racism efforts. It has now evolved into a larger project that includes theaters who had made statements prior to the release of the document.

Theatre Makers of Color Requirements | A form started by playwrights Keelay Gipson and Stacey Rose. Theatre Makers of Color is generating a list of demands/rules of engagement to hold white spaces accountable and demand equity in the American Theatre.

We See You, White American Theater | Created by BIPOC theatremakers, a demand for a more equitable and safe space for all BIPOC communities in our nation and inside of the American Theatre.

Theater

Alternative Canon | Non-Western plays, plays by people of color, by women and by queer writers from before 1945.

#BIPOCSwap | A growing list of plays, musicals, and acting method readings by BIPOC playwrights, composers, and theatremakers to “swap” in place of material typically used from the American theatre canon; based on similar themes and/or adaptations. A resource for theatre educators.

Readings and Visuals

Anti-Racist Theatre | A collection of essays and videos from HowlRound that call out systemic racism in theatre and points toward anti-racist practices.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Framework: Reclaiming Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Racial Justice | A PDF publication by Danielle Beavers for The Greenlining Institute. This framework lays out the differences between diversity, equity and inclusion, charts the evolution of diversity campaigns over the decades, and aims to help diversity advocates turn ideals into a concrete tool using the “Four Ws” – who, what, where and why.

SF Theatre: A Virtual Lookbook |  A visual representation showing the extent to which San Francisco-based companies were employing BIPOC artists through a collection of production and company photos from 2017 to 2019.

Press

For BIPOC Bay Area Theater, a 'Living Document' Provides Catharsis, Calls to Action | Nicole Gluckstern, KQED

The Performative Arts | Charles Lewis III, SF Weekly

What Happens When Artists Stop Being Afraid | Diep Tran, Token Theatre Friends

What Went Wrong at Philly’s PlayPenn? | Rob Weinert-Kendt, American Theatre