Theatre Arts Program
Friday, February 26th, 2021, 2pm to 4pm EST
About the Workshop
How do arts organizations make deep and meaningful changes to their cultures? How does this work inform and go beyond policy changes? What kind of deep transformations are required to create Anti-Racist organizational cultures at all levels of our institutions? In this workshop, Shanta Thake and Asha Nelson-Williams will draw from their experiences working at the Public Theater—one of New York City’s most important, innovative, and community-minded cultural institutions—to help us consider the ways we can make truly transformative change in our communities, institutions, and art.
The workshop will run from 2pm - 4pm on Friday, February 26th over Zoom. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link. Participants can expect to participate in small group discussions and should anticipate having their camera and audio turned on.
About the Artists
Shanta Thake is the Associate Artistic Director / Director of Artistic Programs at The Public Theater, overseeing the growth and development of Public Works, Mobile Unit, Under the Radar, Joe’s Pub, The Shakespeare Initiative and Public Forum. Previously, she spent 10 years as the Director of Joe’s Pub, the intimate cabaret venue which hosts over 700 shows annually and is consistently hailed as one of New York City’s most prestigious venues for both emerging and established artists. In addition, Ms. Thake is the co-director of GlobalFEST, North America’s world music festival and non-profit organization whose mission is to foster cultural exchange and to increase the presence of world music in diverse communities nationwide, and in this role received the William Dawson award for Programmatic Excellence. Thake has served as the co-chair for The Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference in 2019 and 2020. Ms. Thake received a BA in theater as well as a degree in management from Indiana University and currently lives in Brooklyn.
Asha Nelson-Williams is the Artistic Programs Associate at The Public Theater, working with the Associate Artistic Director/ Director of Artistic Programs to oversee the advancement of Public Works, Mobile Unit, Under the Radar, Joe’s Pub, The Shakespeare Initiative and Public Forum. Asha is a proud Black American woman and is committed to creating a workspace that is not only welcoming but created with those like her in mind. As a leader of the BIPOC Affinity Group and the Equity Diversity and Inclusion team, Asha diligently works to make that a reality, by supporting the Public Theater’s commitment to be an Anti- Racist institution. A lover of the arts, Asha holds a Bachelor of Music with a minor in Business of the Media and Entertainment Industries from NYU and is a Brooklyn native, where she currently resides.
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The Theatre Arts Program, Platt Student Performing Arts House, Penn Performing Arts Initiative, and Sachs Program for Arts Innovation present:
Case Studies in Leadership, Social Justice, and the Performing Arts: Bringing Critical Reflection into Practice
The performing arts are, at their heart, social endeavors. If they are to be a social good they must be guided by an ethical disposition to protect and advance the well-being of others and a commitment to collective flourishing. How does such an ethical disposition intersect with the complex process of art-making and arts-management in the real world?
In this series of workshops, led by nationally-recognized artists and arts-leaders, students will consider moves they can make now—in their student groups, in their classrooms, and beyond—to more fully align their activities in the performing arts with an ethical commitment to social and racial justice.