Last fall, after a tumultuous year and a half of shutdown, we witnessed a surge of progress in BIPOC representation within the theater industry. Subsequently several new plays that opened on Broadway were by African American playwrights, as well as the debut of the first Korean pop musical. Off-Broadway and LORT regional theaters were announcing their most diverse seasons ever. The Dramatists Guild forged a groundbreaking inclusion rider. Are things actually going in the right direction? How can the initial momentum be sustained? What triumphs still need to be amplified?  What issues, institutional and individual, need to be addressed?

TRU Diversity is offering a series of town halls devoted to addressing the concerns of BIPOC members of the theater community. Our co-hosts for this evening will be Ariel Estrada, founder, producing artistic director of Leviathan Lab; Malini Singh McDonald, of Theatre Beyond Broadway and Black Henna Productions, director and producer; Tara Moses, director, multi award-winning playwright, artistic director of Red Eagle Soaring, co-founder of Groundwater Arts, advisory board member of Broadway for Racial Justice; Janel C. Scarborough, producer/creative investor (Single Black Female, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Tony nominated revival for colored girls...), co-founder TRU Diversity; and Ron Simons of SimonSays Entertainment, producer (Thoughts of a Colored Man, Death of a Salesman revival, Ain't Too Proud, for colored girls... revival; 4-time Tony winner for A Gentleman's Guide ..., The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess revival, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike and Jitney). The forum will be moderated by TRU co-founder and vice-president Cheryl Davis and TRU co-founder and executive director Bob Ost.  

The goal of these discussions is to elicit proactive conversations that can benefit artists, producers, administrators, and our industry. We invite all members of the diverse BIPOC theater community to join us and welcome allies to attend.