Often arts organisations try programming for a specific community to attract it. However, this often doesn’t result in the desired community engagement, because all that wraps around the programme is not considered from that community’s perspective, no dialogue with the community is established and no longer term view taken.
“Putting on a black play doesn’t break down barriers for people who have historically felt un-welcomed in institutions we assume are welcoming communal spaces. Even a great production … doesn’t guarantee folks will have the capacity, the will, or the inspiration to pick up a phone and buy a ticket,” says Joe Wilson Jr., Coordinator of Activism Through Performance at Trinity Repertory Theater (Rhode Island, USA).
The OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network shared this case study about how Trinity Repertory Theatre shifted its thinking about its programming and outreach:
InsightUnlocked 