Hey Everyone!
Life has been busy busy these days... but really... how is that new....?
I turned 40 two days ago... (Stay Tuned for that full newsletter). It was a beautiful day, and if you follow me on social media or receive my newsletter - you will get the full update!
In this moment, I'm posting to share the GoFundMe Campaign that we just launched for the Obsidian Theatre Festival.
When I was a kid, I always knew that I wanted to be part of a theatre community in Detroit. I didn't know exactly that looked like... but over the last few years, I have been able to be part of some fantastic projects that do just that.
Since that first season in 2021, OTF has created a space for Black artists in the city of Detroit, and across the country. Based in Detroit, a cradle of Artistic creativity, Obsidian builds an innovative space – one that allows for audiences and artists alike to celebrate the diversity of Blackness.
There is no “singular, monolithic Black experience”. Every story deserves to be told. And the barriers we break down from learning about each other create new pathways – ones where compassion meets understanding, and “community” becomes more than a buzzword.
Over the course of one weekend we present original plays, musicals, cabaret performances, and panel discussions. All of this is done at no cost to the artists or audience.
That’s right. Once accepted, the new pieces are produced entirely by OTF. We hire the directors and the actors, build the sets, and everything in between. From Thursday through Sunday, there are 12 individual performances, multiple opportunities for audience participation. And, as if that wasn’t enough, each and every piece we produce is filmed and streamed on our website. So, just in case you can’t make it to Detroit, you can still participate and catch all of this amazing work.
And, we don’t charge the audiences anything either. Our gift to the community.
But free to the community, isn’t cheap for us.
Each year we hire over 100 artists (90%+ identify as BIPOC), and we need your help to make sure we can continue to support this community.
We are so close to our goal, and this last $25k is vital to making sure we can produce our 3rd Annual season.
In 2021, we were doing something new at a time when gathering for the theatre in person was nearly impossible. Now, we need your help to make sure we can continue to overcome impossibility.
Check out the video for a message from our Producing AD, John Sloan III. Give what you can and then share this campaign with your friends, family, frenemies, …the guy at your corner store.
Thank you for helping us bring Black Stories to this New Stage.
