The American Theatre Critics Association is making a priority of increasing diversity in our membership and in our profession as a whole.
Toward that end, the board of directors of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association voted this week to provide grants enabling three of our members to take part in Being a Critic of Color, a panel at
BroadwayCon this January in New York being moderated by Jose Solis.
The $700 grant will help defray the hotel and airfare for panel members Wei-Huan Chen (Houston Chronicle), Karen D'Souza (San Jose Mercury News), and Kelundra Smith, (freelance, Atlanta). The critics had started a GoFundMe page to raise up to $1,800 to defray their expenses. As of Wednesday, the site had raised $600.
The BroadwayCon panel also features Jan Simpson (
Stagecraft at Broadway Radio and
Broadway & Me) and
Naveen Kumar (
towleroad.com) and takes place on Saturday, January 27, in the
Willa Kim Room at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center at 4:00 p.m.
In approving the funds, the Foundation ATCA board is supporting ATCA's efforts at diversifying its membership and giving voice to those who have not had significant representation in the profession. ATCA is currently developing a Diversity Committee to proactively address these issues.
Foundation ATCA is a not-for-profit corporation providing financial and other tangible support for scholarships, critics' institutes, ATCA awards, educational talks, seminars and other eligible programs. ATCA members are also members of the separate and distinct Foundation. The Foundation's officers and board of directors include the entire ATCA Executive Committee.
ATCA was founded in 1974 and works to raise critical standards and public awareness of critics' functions and responsibilities. The only national association of professional theater critics, with members working for newspapers, magazines, podcasts, radio and television stations and websites,
ATCA also presents the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award, honoring emerging playwrights, and the Francesca Primus Prize, funded by the Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation and honoring outstanding contributions to the American theater by female artists who have not yet achieved national prominence. Annually it makes a recommendation for the Regional Theater Tony Award presented by the
American Theatre Wing/Broadway League and votes on inductions into the Theater Hall of Fame.
For more information on ATCA, visit
www.americantheatrecritics.org.
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