AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) has named 25 aspiring BIPOC producers who will participate in their third annual education program, Producing 101. The 2023 cohort will include Tẹmídayọ Amay, Gustavo Blaauw, Kahari Blue, Regina De Vera, José Hugo Hurtado, Averi Israel, Sukhjit Khalsa, Seonjae Kim, Zoë Kim, Nicole Kwan, Sierra Lancaster, Joshua Lee, Marla Louissaint, Esmé Maria Ng, CJ Ochoco, Michela Rodriguez, Lainie Sakakura, Simone Tetrault, Bibiana Torres, Michael Thanh Tran, Cindy Tsai, Natalie Tucker, Miho Ueno, Angelica Vicens, and Alexandria Wailes.
2 comments:
What an amazing opportunities for these BIPOC individuals. I absolutely adore how inclusive this program is in recognizing a multitude of individuals from diverse backgrounds and giving them the space to expand their knowledge and expertise as the future producers of theater. I am always advocating for more BIPOC people to be working not just on the screens but behind the screens as well. Organizations such as the Producing 101 program are providing people who's voices are consistently diminished and ostracized within society to tell their stories. I also love how this is a reoccurring program as well. It just shows the dedication and the amount of support received for such an outstanding organization. I am wishing all the best for these creative and talented individuals within their journeys as the future producers of American theater. It is so important to have stories about BIPOC being portrayed and written by BIPOC.
Producers are such an essential part of theater. They give shows a chance to be mounted and shape the show to be more marketable and therefore have more longevity. Obviously this doesn’t apply to each and every single play or musical. To have persons of color to hold this position allows for better selection of shows. Not only in musical, artistic, or creative taste but also in sensibility. There is a saying that not everything “ages well”. Referring to the relevance of past media. Both in just being in the public consciousness but also, and importantly so, in the messages and biases the piece may perpetuate. Through the teaching of more people of color in the field of producing we are more able to ensure a more diverse audience. Not only in the acted space, or even the design space, but in a theater’s mission. I hope that programs like these continue to run and help their communities as well as the community of POCs.
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