I saw this program from Urban Word NYC and Hi_ARTS and I was excited about the possibilities. It is a paid 12-week intensive program where participants will work collaboratively with professional theater artists to refine their writing and devise a professional theatrical production.

To be able to have this access to theatre and to have support in developing work for that space is so amazing.

The theatre is a wonderful place that is sometimes seen as inaccessible and a luxury that’s unaffordable to others. 

There are artists in the community that have never thought of the theatre as a place for them or their work. There are communities who see going to the theatre as an activity reserved for certain occasions and certain demographics. 

How do we address that? How do we provide theatre that is accessible, relatable, and reflects the communities we serve? How do we create a platform for artists that garners them new audiences and opportunities? 

There has to be concerted effort to address this issue. Programs developed to help dispel these notions and reshape thinking. We need more poets to look to the theatre as a destination for their work. We need more collaborations between artists that lead to theatrical productions. We need theaters and arts organizations to be active in incubating new works. 

It is critical to bringing new voices to the stage and show new patrons the power and breadth or our art form.