Mission Statement:
BRTW exists to disrupt any and all oppressive systems that marginalize Black people using narrative and performance as a methodology to recenter Black people and experiences. With economic, social, educational, healthcare, housing, and political injustice facing our community, BRTW aims to tackle the issues that impact us while becoming a beacon for Black opportunity within the arts. Our programs:
Melanated Mondays
Each month, Black Revolutionary Theatre Wokshop curates a selection of new works by the hottest up-and-coming Black writers around a new theme. On the 3rd Monday of each month, BRTW’s ensemble brings these pieces to life and facilitates a conversation with the audience about the underlying societal issues highlighted in the pieces and potential solutions to those challenges. We partner with organizers, educators, and organizations to share key avenues of civic engagement we all can undertake to make our communities more just and equitable. Revolution NOW
Revolution NOW! is BRTW’s newest program, a multi-faceted suite of digital-friendly incubators, performances, and advocacy efforts designed to:
Mobilize resources for court-involved Black people, specifically those who’ve confronted, protested, or otherwise engaged with police brutality
Develop paying opportunities for Black artists
Offer professional development to Black artists
Produce new Black works
Co-create the new critical inquiry, considerations, and dialogue around what the revolution looks like now
When coronavirus hit our country, our governments failed us, and our communities suffered. Like many small arts and social justice organizations, Black Revolutionary Theatre Workshop nearly shuttered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Although many of our lives drastically changed, the violent realities of systemic racism didn’t disappear. Within weeks, we found that this mounting public health crisis disproportionately impacted the BIPOC community. Many working class essential workers were left to labor in compromised environments, forced to choose between their livelihood and their safety, often for pay that falls short of a living wage. As social distancing enforcement grew, some cities saw as many as 80% of summonses and fines levied against Black and Brown people. And the violent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers shines a terrible light on the American legacy of brutality against Black bodies. The Grapevine Project
Black Revolutionary Theatre Workshop welcomes applications from Black creatives who want to share works of nonfiction that center Black people, identities, and/or perspectives in one of America’s hundreds of news deserts. We will accept no more than 4 participants in the initial cohort. Each participant will receive professional development, hands-on support, and a small stipend. BRTW will share the final pieces on our website and select one of the final works to become the subject of a documentary theatre piece.
