Catalyzed by the nationwide movement and rooted in ongoing regional conversations about racism and white supremacy in theater spaces, a Bay Area-based community document was created, entitled “Living Document: POC Experiences in Bay Area Theater Co.”

On the Edge—a two-year, three-phase research study—captures the state of the field in fall 2019 and amid the COVID-19 crisis of 2020 with quantitative and qualitative data, The report reveals a sobering picture of retooled artistic aspirations and urgent financial insecurities for women, people of color, and mid-career artists with 15-30 years of experience.

In the midst of the uprising brought about by the death of George Floyd, playwright Keelay Gipson and Stacey Rose felt compelled to cease the momentum of the time to escalate substantive change within the American Theatre. They felt that work began with gaining an understanding of how Theatre Makers of Color felt they exist in the industry vs. how they actually exist. In an effort to seek this understanding, they created the Theatre Makers of Color Requirement Survey.