We are excited to bring you a free panel discussion of what Inclusion, Equity, and Justice can look like in Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Creative Practice!
We hope to make this the first of many discussions on how we can create change in the arts!
Where: Google Meet. Please register below for link.
When: Monday, June 15 at 7pm ET
The Panelists (in alphabetical order by last name):
Amara Brady (She/Her/Hers) is a generative artist & cultural dramaturg from Chicago. At the crux of her artistry is uplifting Black women and connecting underserved communities. As an actor she’s been on stage at The Lark, Joe’s Pub, NYU Skirball, The Duplex, Barrington Stage Co., NYTW, 54 Below, & others. She is a member of Joe Iconis’ wonderful family As a writer she has been been a semi-finalist for Space on Ryder Farm, an inaugural member of the Showdogs playwriting collective, The Parsnip Ship’s Radio Roots Writers Group, and a member of SHECreates NYC’s Myths and Legends program. Her work has been staged at The Drama League, The Dramatists Guild, Joe’s Pub, and The Wow Cafe Theatre. As a producer she’s helped put on Theatre Communications Groups National Conference (2019) and was the Associate Producer of the NYT’s Critic Pick, SKiNFoLK by Jillian Walker. Check out her YouTube Series, ‘Skinny & White’ Aren’t Character Traits. In This Paper I’ll Explain. She wants to remind you to resist, check your privilege, & then give some space to Women of Color & Trans Folx. Ashé to the ancestors. All Power to all people. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/amarajb Instagram: @bradynotthebunch
Clarence Brooks Clarence Brooks has performed with more than sixty American companies and toured the USA, Europe, and Asia. His most memorable experiences include performing at the Paris Opera, the Joyce Theatre, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival with Nikolais & Murray Louis Dance Company, Marcus Schulkind Dance Company, Loyce Houlton’s Minnesota Dance Theater, Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians, Ohio Ballet, and Anna Sokolow’s Players’ Project. An Associate Professor and Director of Dance at Florida Atlantic University, he founded both Dances We Dance, the student dance company, and the Repertory Dance Theatre Ensemble, the University’s resident professional dance company, when he restarted the dance program. The Ensemble has performed in juried festivals and conferences around the USA. Mr. Brooks can be seen in the video documentary “The World of Alwin Nikolais”. His essay “Dancing with the Issues” was published in One Teacher in 10: LGBT Educators Share Their Stories (Alyson Books). Awards and honors include induction into the OCU Performance Hall of Honor, Associate Artist-in-Residences at the Atlantic Center for the Arts with Liz Lerman and Douglas Dunn, Japan Foundation Fellowship to study butoh, and recipient of both the Clyde Fyfe Award and the Randolph A. Frank Prize for Performing Arts. The Library of Congress invited Mr. Brooks to DC to perform Talley Beatty’s “Mourner’s Bench”, archived for posterity in the national archive. A founding member and past president of the Florida Dance Education Organization, Mr. Brooks holds advisory positions with FDEO and FAU Women, Gender and Sexualities Studies, and sits on the board of trustees of Compass, Palm Beach County’s LGBT community services center. He holds a master of fine arts (University of Washington/Seattle), a bachelor of performing arts (Oklahoma City University), and a certification in Laban Movement Analysis (Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies/NY). A 200-hour yoga teacher and National Registered Dance Educator, he is certified to teach the Bill Evans Method of Teaching Dance Technique. He continues touring performing works by Anna Sokolow, Marcus Schulkind, Michael Foley, Bill Evans, Leni Wylliams, Demetrius Klein, and David Parker & The Bang Group - just to name a few. Venmo: @Clarence-Brooks-4
Portia DePina grew up in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts, and itching and hungry to see more of the world, took off to NYC for college when she was 17. An English Major with a Minor in Cultural & Gender Studies, she has held a number of jobs since then including, Copywriter, Freelance Writer and Journalist, Yacht Cook and Corporate Flight Attendant. Regardless of occupation, Portia has always been an advocate for social and racial justice. Growing up as a mixed-race young woman in a predominantly white area, where covert racism ran rampant, Portia was very aware of her difference and the many implicit biases held against her because of the color of her skin. Now recently back in her hometown in Massachusetts, Portia has had a unique opportunity to confront this issue in the school system. She and a group of impassioned women have formed a local grassroots organization, to address systemic and institutional racism within the school system. She hopes to bring real cultural change and progress regarding notions of race, while bringing equity and cultural awareness to the area, starting with education! cashapp: $portiadepina, PayPal: paypal.me/portiadepina , Venmo: @Portia-DePina
Rachel Finley is compassionate, patient, and deeply dedicated to her students’ success. Rachel uses her deep study of the Stanislavski based acting systems, including Meisner Technique, Uta Hagen's Steps, Strasberg's Method, and Michael Chekhov Technique to offer highly personalized actor training. A certified Fitzmaurice Voicework ™ teacher with extensive training in Knight Thompson Speechwork, Ms. Finley also teaches voice and dialect work both privately and at the collegiate level to actors, public speakers, and anyone interested in developing healthy and skillful speech and vocal use. Incorporating her work with the Alexander Technique, Laban, and Viewpoints, Rachel pushes her acting students to connect physically, vocally, psychologically, and intellectually with their scripts to create unique and compelling characters. Website: www.RachelFinleyArts.com CashApp: $RachelFinleyArts
Ann James As an emerging activist and early career artist, Ann James had the opportunity to advocate for women in warring countries by serving as Executive Aide to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Betty Williams. She has since become an internationally certified theatre educator and stage director, learning her craft as an associate director at Steppenwolf, Hartford Stage,The Alley, and The Goodman. Marking her 30th year as a professional creator and advocate for equality in The Arts, Ann is now compelled to make both stages and film sets safer places for People of Color. To that end she is pursuing America's first doctoral degree in Intimacy Direction for People of Color, and launching Intimacy Coordinators and Directors of Color this summer. You can support that organization’s training program at the link.
Tara Moses (she/her) is a citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, director, playwright, Artistic Director of telatúlsa, and co-founder of Groundwater Arts. She is a 2020 Cultural Capital Fellow with First Peoples Fund; fellow with the Intercultural Leadership Institute (18/19); member of DirectorsLabChicago (2018); member of the Directors Lab at Lincoln Center (2017); recipient of the Thomas C. Fichandler Award (2016); associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; and Dramatists Guild member. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Tulsa and is expected to attend Brown University/Trinity Rep as an MFA Directing Candidate in the fall of 2021. Her play Quantum is 1 of 63 finalists for the 2020 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Twitter/Instagram: @taratomahawk and www.taramoses.com Donations should be made to the Navajo Nation Department of Health.
Facilitated by Dr. Carolina Seiden
Registration is limited, and the discussion will be recorded.
You should receive a confirmation email within approximately 24 hours of your registration. If you do not receive this confirmation, please email info@momentumstage.org to complete your registration.
And check out our Decolonize and Diversify Page for more resources!
Presented with financial support from New City Players