Red Ladder Theatre Company

https://charity.gofundme.com//silicon-valley-theaters-givi More bang for your buck! Support EIGHTEEN arts organizations - and the 1,774 ARTISTS who work ther...e - with our collaborative Giving Tuesday appeal. This Giving Tuesday, Red Ladder Theatre Company has partnered with 17 other arts organizations in Silicon Valley to cooperatively raise funds. All donations received through this campaign will be split equally amongst the 18 companies. Each organization has pledged to use 100% of the gifts that come through this campaign to pay their individual artists. Each year, these 18 organizations create art & entertainment for 215,200 audience members and employ 167 staff members and 1,774 artists. Make your dollars count - twice! The Sun-Law Foundation has pledged to match the first $10,000 donated. Check out the YouTube video (which is embedded on the Go Fund Me page) for the full message of unity and togetherness, and the importance of art in our community. See more

This is why it will be an *awfully* long time before we are able to safely return to providing essential programming to our participants behind the walls... https://www.kqed.org//as-covid-19-tore-through-central-val

We're thrilled to be the community partner for Volume 4 of Our Digital Stories tonight at 7:00pm. Come see/hear some stories created by local artists for our time, and hear a little bit about the work that our Red Ladder participants have created. Thank you, ODS! https://www.ourdigitalstories.org/

THIS. All of this. Let us not take the power of imagination for granted. Indeed, it is what will see us through. It [is] the time to finally shake ourselves loose from what was and activate our imaginations towards what could be, should be, must be. What if we thought of theatre as community organizing? What if we called our theatres service organizations rather than cultural institutions? What if we asked our artists, What do you need and how can we be of service to you...? What if we thought of theatre as medicine? What if we thought of our artists as healers? What if we took away the doors to our theatres? What if audiences were asked to pay at the end of the performance instead of before? Let us envision all of this and so much more. #artsaveslives #allpowertotheimagination https://howlround.com/work-imagination See more

It’s been almost three months since we’ve been inside any of the nine California State prisons in which we otherwise work every week. We made the call to stop going in before we were told we had to, out of respect for the health of our artists and, even more so, the health of our participants. We knew that *we* were the threat to *them* - that the only way they could become infected was if someone brought the virus in from outside. It was very much on the minds of our part...icipants in the last few weeks before everything was shut down (as they were brainstorming topics to include in their devised performance pieces). They very clearly stated that they believed the pandemic would take hold and everyone outside the walls would become so consumed with their own issues that they would forget about those people who were inside. And that seems to be just what our state has done. https://medium.com//californias-racial-justice-crisis-is-c

"As a social justice theatre company, equity is and always has been at the center of Red Ladder’s work. We understand that our society has been built upon centuries of injustice and we strive, every day, to recognize, call out and dismantle racism and discrimination in all systems and institutions, including our own. We know that art is powerful it gives people a voice, and allows them to examine and express their truths. We also understand the ways in which oppression a...nd subjugation has prevented equal participation in creative self-expression. We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to amplify the voices of those in our community who have been silenced and marginalized, and to support them in telling their stories. We dedicate our resources to prioritizing cultural competency, equity and inclusion; we acknowledge and strive to address implicit bias in ourselves and in our society; and we stand in solidarity with our artists and community members engaged in the struggle for justice. We believe that Black Lives Matter. And that Art Saves Lives."

Here is a glimpse into the work that our Red Ladder Theatre Company, and so many of our artist colleagues are doing in the California prisons to bring the transformative power of creativity to individuals experiencing incarceration. It is truly life changing for the participants and practitioners alike. Larry Brewster and Peter Merts (who has photographed many of our workshops) are pioneers in researching, capturing and expressing the importance of this work. We are grateful to the California Arts Council for continuing to make this work possible. #artsaveslives https://visionproject.org//img_magazi/pdfs/prison_arts.pdf

So proud of our multitalented Tasi Alabastro, who has been a Red Ladder company member for many years (and has always been ahead of the curve!). He’s been busy editing a lot of content for us, too, as we have switched to digital programming in this strange time. More on that later, but for now, Huzzah for Tasi! There’s a reason this man has his own theme song... https://datebook.sfchronicle.com//gamer-actor-tasi-alabast

This beautiful piece, written by Wendy Staggs (whom we have had the good fortune of hearing speak at our Arts in Corrections conferences), is a profound and eloquent account of the transformational experiences that the arts can provide to those who are experiencing incarceration. There isn’t a better explanation of why Red Ladder Theatre Company does what we do every day. #artsaveslives #socialjusticetheatre My goal is to make arts a mandatory requirement for res...idents on the inside. The arts can unlock parts of a person that have been locked away for many years. We were all born with a unique gem right in our core. Our lives’ failures, traumas, disappointments, and pains have laid layer after layer of muck over our priceless gems. Through art we can find ourselves at the door of an archeological dig that seems impossible to engage in. When archeologists are excavating a site they do not use bulldozers, jack hammers, or even shovels. They use soft brushes and dental picks to ensure that the artifact is not damaged. Every stroke of a brush, note of a song, or choice of words collaborating to speak our truths, is one step closer to unveiling our priceless gem. https://calshakes.org/wounds-that-dont-show-on-the-body/

Who knows, more than artists, how incredibly important it is for us to decolonize our education system? Let’s illuminate the *full* history for our children, and then assist them in creating a future that centers their voices and their stories. http://www.pbs.org//teaching-black-history-beyond-slavery-

The day has come! Red Ladder Theatre Company is being honored tonight by genARTS with their Movers & Shakers Award. We are thrilled to be acknowledged in this way, and we hope you can join us for the celebration.

https://www.theatlantic.com//how-biden-killed-edu/601120/

Some of the men with whom we’ve worked have gone on to the Conservation Camp to fight these horrible wildfires. They put their lives on the line, but then can’t get a job once they’re released, even though they have the necessary skill set to be firefighters. *They* should be given a fighting chance to use their hard-earned skills once they have returned to society. https://ktla.com//inmates-help-battle-california-wildfir/

#Repost @washingtonpost Via @washingtonpostmag: America incarcerates more people than any other nation. As a result, the stark realities of jails and priso...ns have a far-reaching impact on society. With this special issue of The Washington Post Magazine written, illustrated and photographed by people who have been or are currently incarcerated the goal is to help readers learn about the experience of imprisonment, something that is poorly understood by Americans who are untouched by the system. At a time when the subject of prison reform is receiving more attention than it has in decades, this special issue seeks to inform the conversation by focusing on American prisons and the lives of the people inside them. Check out the full issue, which features pieces by artists in JAC’s network: https://www.washingtonpost.com//prisons-incarceration-in-/ See more

Art and music are critical in our work for social justice, as frequently they are the only things that can reach people, that can provide comfort or generate the visceral, raw emotions needed for social change... Art and music are not always accessible to marginalized communities. Resources are not equitably distributed to artists of color, artists with disability, LGBTQ artists. And in public schools, art and music programs are always the first to get cut, and the schools w...ith the most low-income kids and kids of color are disproportionately affected. Art IS social justice. And access to one’s creativity must be made available to ALL people. Creativity is not a privilege. It is our birthright. Nurture children’s artistry when they are young - but if they are denied that experience, don’t withhold the opportunity when they are (marginalized) adults. Frederick Douglass said that it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. At Red Ladder, we believe it is our responsibility to do both. #artsaveslives #socialjustice

Thank you, David John Chavez and Theatre Bay Area for your coverage of Red Ladder’s work. We’re not often able to get audiences in to see the work we do, but this article provides some insight into the incredible artistry shown by our ensemble(s) of participants every day. https://www.theatrebayarea.org//Red-Ladder-Theatre-Connect

The power of the arts to heal those impacted by the justice system cannot be underestimated. #artsaveslives #socialjusticetheatre https://nationswell.com/young-people-musical-theater-trauma/