Q: Do you believe art can be a platform for social justice topics? If so, how? 

Absolutely. I think artists live at the edge. As artists, our job is to imagine worlds and realms beyond what already exists. I think a lot of our work with social justice can benefit from engagement in the arts, because social justice ultimately is less about solving the world's problems by looking at the issues and trying to source the collective trauma and the historical trauma of our communities, specifically in relation to the history of colonization, which continues to show its face through white supremacy and economic injustice. But when we engage social justice in the form of art making, we imagine the world we might create. We create a paradigm by engaging those realms and creating those worlds we want to live in. I firmly believe the practice of gathering creative souls in a room and making a world is an opportunity to truly be inclusive, to be equitable, to live in a democracy where we are collaborative and inclusive.

Using the idea of “worldmaking” how do you imagine the performing arts world after the pandemic?

I am absolutely, really excited to see what happens when people are allowed to gather again. 

I may be projecting my hope, but I think people will appreciate live performance more than ever. They’ll appreciate going out, dancing, going to see a play, to a musical, to a dance performance. I think people are going to be aching and spiritually begging for this kind of experience, and I hope our artists and producers get the support that they need through this time, not to be so depleted and as to not have any programming when this time comes. When the audience is ready and thirsty, the art needs to be there for people.