The Flashpaper, in Partnership with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, to Host Open Forum

Theatre Journal The Flashpaper, in partnership with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, will host an Open Forum on January 17, 2021, at 3pm to explore precise ways the industry can make theatre more just in 2021 and beyond. The Flashpaper's editor and founder Mark Blankenship will be joined by guests from Broadway Advocacy Coalition including performers Amber Iman and Dria Brown. Framing the conversation will be live readings by Tony-nominee Pascale Armand (Eclipsed) and OBIE-winning playwright Caridad Svich of selections from Issue 2 of The Flashpaper.

The one-hour event will feature a relaxed, lively conversation focused on the next steps of the justice-based revolution that was started in 2020. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance when making a reservation. The Open Forum is inspired by the contributions to Issue 2 of The Flashpaper whose writers responded to the prompt "When You Imagine a Moment of Justice in This Country's Future, What Do You See?"

"The artists who contributed to Issue 2 of The Flashpaper have opened my eyes about how we can make theatre more just in 2021, and I know their ideas are only the beginning," says Blankenship. "The Open Forum will give everyone in the (virtual) room a chance to share stories, ideas, and works of art as we imagine what the 'new theatre' can and must look like. I'm thrilled that Broadway Advocacy Coalition will be part of the conversation, because they've been making the world more just for years. I can't wait to learn from them."

Reservations to this free event are required and can be made at www.theflashpaper.com.

The Flashpaper (Mark Blankenship, editor and founder; Ben Van Buren, publisher) is a biannual publication dedicated to the urgent ideas of contemporary theatre artists. Each issue of this print-only theatre publication features original content created in response to a timely prompt from a diverse group of artists working in a variety of forms. Their responses are published to elevate their voices, provide them with compensation, and present a snapshot of how they are collectively engaging with the present moment.

The second issue of The Flashpaper is currently on sale and features contributions by Layla Bahmanziari, Crystal Chase, Aaron Coleman, Nana Dakin, Olivia George, Jennifer Haley, Katie Mallinson, Max Mondi, Nia Akilah Robinson, Megan Sandberg-Zakian, Jose Solís, Caridad Svich, and Kate Tarker. The new issue also contains an opening conversation with John Ridley and a closing conversation with Dar Williams.

The Flashpaper is dedicated to financial transparency. The second issue costs $26 and for each copy sold, $1 goes to each of the 11 contributing entities; $1 goes to both journal staffers; and $1.50 goes to the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. The remaining $11.50 covers printing costs and other expenses.