As a major voice for justice and truth, theater has a responsibility to tell universal stories to and from a variety of communities. As mainstream American theater adjusts to an ever-emerging melting pot of cultures, theaters across the country are placing inclusion at the forefront of their work. Here are 18 great examples of multicultural theater companies that raise up underrepresented artists of all kinds.
INTAR (NYC)
As one of the United States’ oldest Latino theater companies, INTAR (International Arts Relations) has been “producing Latino voices in English since 1966.” The company produces Latin and Latin-American classics, reinterpretations of classics, and new work by Latin writers like José Rivera and Nilo Cruz. INTAR just wrapped its third annual One-Minute Play Festival featuring world premieres by over 20 emerging and established Latin-American playwrights.
The Jewish Theater of New York (NYC)
This New York institution aims to “produce theatrical works that defy easy answers,” telling thought-provoking stories that illuminate Jewish life and culture in the U.S. and elsewhere. Founded in 1994, the company offers opportunities to a diverse range of artists, but tackles subject matter that is uniquely relevant to the Jewish community. “Catch the Jew!” Artistic Director Tuvia Tenenbom’s best-selling book and theatrical adaptation, is currently touring Israel, Europe, and the States.
Ma-Yi Theater Company (NYC)
Ma-Yi is an Asian-American theater company that places its emphasis on developing new works; the award-winning company was founded in 1989 to give voice to the Filipino-American experience, and has become a major home for emerging playwrights from a variety of Asian-American backgrounds. Notably the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, established in 2004, is the largest resident company of Asian-American playwrights in the United States, and incubator to some of the country’s hottest young writers.
The Movement Theatre Company (NYC)
This young but powerful company was founded in 2007 by a group of recent graduates from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts who wished to create an artistic home for artists of color. TMTC “highlights both the collective and diverse human experience” by giving voice to underrepresented artists and actively engaging the community. Among TMTC’s excellent programming is “Harlem Nights,” a successful (and free!) series that showcases new work in non-traditional spaces.
National Asian American Theatre Company (NYC)
Another New York-based Asian-American theater company, NAATCO’s unique three-part repertory creates opportunities for Asian-American artists by presenting American and European classics with all Asian-American casts, new plays by non-Asian-Americans featuring all Asian-American casts, and adaptations of classic plays by Asian-American playwrights. Through the “superimposition of Asian faces on a non-Asian repertory,” the 25-year-old company aims to “demonstrate a rich tapestry of cultural difference bound by the American experience,” breaking free from racial expectations and creating a new perspective and dialogue.
National Black Theatre (NYC)
This landmark theater company has been producing original works by African-American playwrights for 46 years, making it the oldest Black theater company in New York and the first revenue generating Black theater in the United States. The company is a pillar of its Harlem community, interacting with 90,000 audience members annually and offering affordable workspace to many smaller theater companies and arts organizations. NBT’s three main programs include the Theatre Arts Program (TAP), Communication Arts Program (CAP), and Entrepreneurial Arts Program (EAP), all aimed at building up underserved communities through the power of artistic expression.
Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick, N.J.)
This African-American theater company focuses on “literary works that examine the African-American experience so that it may be understood and appreciated by all people.” Founded in New Brunswick by two young actors who felt racially limited in terms of roles, the company received the 1999 Tony Award for outstanding regional theater in the United States and continues to produce relevant works that “fill an otherwise empty space on the cultural canvas.” Crossroads’ fifth annual multicultural “Holiday Jubilee” is playing now through Dec. 21, followed by the world premiere of Nikkole Salter’s “Repairing a Nation” in Feb. 2015.
African Continuum Theatre Company (Washington, D.C.)
This prominent D.C. theater company emphasizes heritage, knowledge, and incubation as being at the heart of its work, aiming to develop African-American culture, celebrate African-American artists, and illuminate the general public on African-American experiences and issues. The company actually began in 1989 as a coalition of smaller community theaters, but premiered as its own theater group in 1995. Coming up in Feb. 2015, African Continuum will lead the Black Theatre Symposium in College Park, Md., hosting a full day of workshops, discussions, and performances relating to the development of African-American theater and the support of its practitioners.
GALA Hispanic Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
GALA, or Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos, has been serving Washington, D.C. audiences for almost 40 years by producing Latin and Latin-American plays in both English and Spanish. The bilingual company gives voice to a wide variety of Hispanic cultures, featuring classical and contemporary plays by, for, and about a diverse array of communities. In addition to producing its award-winning main stage season each year, GALA has an active outreach program including GaLita (GALA’s theater for young audiences) and the Paso Nuevo-Youth performance group.
Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago)
This Chicago theater company was established in 1976 with a specific mission in mind: the eradication of racism and its damaging effects on American society. The company produces plays and musicals that bring the community together and unite diverse groups through “dialogue, understanding, and acceptance.” Now playing is “At Last: A Tribute to Etta James,” written and directed by Artistic Director Jackie Taylor and performing through Jan. 11, 2015.
Congo Square Theatre (Chicago)
Named for the public market place where enslaved Africans and free people of color would join together in song and dance during the 1800s, Congo Square creates work “spawned from the African Diaspora as well as other world cultures” and bills itself “an institution of multicultural theatre.” The critically acclaimed ensemble was founded in 1999, and continues to produce classic works that illuminate the African-American experience alongside bold new works as part of the August Wilson New Play Initiative.
Jubilee Theatre (Fort Worth, Texas)
As the “original home for African-American theater in North Texas,” this 33-year-old company produces plays by, for, and about the African-American community while emphasizing the universality of human experience. The company has an active outreach program and main stage season, and reaches a large multicultural audience. Currently onstage is “Jubilation II: The Colors of Christmas,” a festive celebration featuring Blues and R&B versions of classic holiday tunes.
Pangea World Theater (Minneapolis, Minn.)
This distinct company aims to reflect the diversity of its Minneapolis home by bringing a variety of cultures, voices, and experiences to its work. Pangea engages American and international artists to create interdisciplinary productions that are locally and globally relevant. As part of its mission, the company pairs productions with workshops, discussions, and educational outreach, keeping the conversation going onstage and off. Among Pangea’s collaborative programs are the Latino Asian Fusion Series, Indigenous Voices, and Voices of Exile, an exploration of the refugee experience.
Golden Thread Productions (San Francisco)
Named for the Greek myth of Ariadne and Theseus, Golden Thread explores Middle Eastern culture and issues through national and international collaboration. The company produces imaginative new full-length plays and commissions, short play festivals, theater for young audiences, and many other community outreach events as part of its mission to engage with and serve Middle Eastern artists and audiences and the greater San Francisco community.
Native Voices at the Autry (Los Angeles)
This Los Angeles-based company, in residence at the Autry National Center of the American West, is one of the nation’s only professional theaters dedicated to developing the work of Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations playwrights. Programs include new play festivals, Native Voices’ Annual Playwrights Retreat and the “First Look” workshop series. Native Voices has produced 22 fully realized plays (including 15 world premieres) and over 150 workshops and staged readings in its 21-year history.
East West Players (Los Angeles)
Wishing to break free from the stereotypical roles offered to them in Hollywood, nine Asian-American artists founded this lauded troupe in 1965. Productions blend Eastern and Western performance techniques and styles, and the company has premiered over 100 Asian and Pacific-American focused plays and musicals in its 50-year history.
Latino Theater Company (Los Angeles)
This 29-year-old company is committed not only to Latino theater, but to artistic diversity in general. In addition to producing its own groundbreaking work about the Latin-American experience, the company has been operating the Los Angles Theatre Center, a downtown theater and concert venue, since 2006. The Latino Theater Company makes up one-fifth of LATC’s “Cultural Roundtable,” five L.A.-based groups (including Robey Theatre Company) that present multicultural programming in LATC’s state-of-the-art space.
Robey Theatre Company (Los Angeles)
Another member of the Los Angeles Theatre Center’s “Cultural Roundtable,” Robey was Founded 20 years ago by actors Danny Glover and Bennet Guillory to “fill a void of opportunity” for African-American theater artists. The company, named for social activist and singer/-actor Paul Robeson, offers a forum for African-American playwrights and promotes stories of the Black experience that might otherwise remain untold. “The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel,” a world premiere about 1930s jazz in Los Angeles, is playing at the LATC through Dec. 21.
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