Arts
Kelley Girod, a playwright and the founder of The Fire This Time festival, spoke with me about racism in the American Theater. We talked about the statements that many theater companies put out as protests began around the country. To Kelley and many Black artists and other artists of color, these statements in support of the Black community felt hollow. They followed years of diversity and inclusion initiatives that were deemed to lack depth, intention, and real commitment. Kelley pointed to an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion conference where a roomful of White participants stated the importance of inclusivity without seeming to recognize any disconnect. In the single week between this interview and the publishing of this episode, hundreds of theater artists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, composed a letter titled, We See You White American Theater, stating the many ways that they have felt diminished, manipulated, and overlooked. At the time of this publishing, it had close to 70,000 signatures. Artists, companies, and audiences will need to come together to rebuild an old art form that celebrates storytelling but limits the storytellers.https://www.weseeyouwat.com/http://www.firethistimefestival.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.