Paper Doll Ensemble Asks for Your Help With #SaveTheDolls

On January 12th, 2021 The Paper Doll Ensemble's business page on Facebook was wrongfully disabled without warning or any possibility of appeal. The accounts of all four Administrators of said page were also disabled and removed from the platform without a trace. Paper Doll Ensemble, a local feminist theatre collective, suspects this misunderstanding was fueled by the topic of their most recent Clubhouse discussion dealing with racism, The Cult of Trump, and how to combat the mindset of Qanon supporters. They believe Facebook's algorithm thought they were in support of these things, when in fact they were hosting a dialogue about strategies to dismantle them.

Their Clubhouse discussion group was created as part of their Anti-Racism action plan in order to create a forum for informed conversation, not in any way to promote violence or white supremacy, but in fact to do the opposite. PDE External Relations Manager, Grayce Hoffman, says, "Theatre is our way to enact social change, but if we are censored in this way we face a MAJOR hurdle in continuing to do so."

Without any direct way to contact Facebook about this decision and censorship, they are asking their supporters to call out the platform by tagging them on Facebook itself, Twitter, and/or Instagram in the hopes that they can get a human being (and not a bot!) to review their case.

Co-Founder Amanda Jensen comments, "If our content is deemed as breaking their code of conduct, we would be happy to remove it, but we are simply asking for that chance."

About the Affected Team Members:

Grayce Hoffman (co-founder, External Relations Manager) is a local theatre creator, performer, producer, and teaching artist. She is the Director of Communications for 11th Hour Theatre Company and a UPenn alum (C'16). She has worked with many companies in the city including the Going Viral Festival, ArcheDream for Humankind, Shakespeare in Clark Park, ZoomDance, Bryan Buttler Media Relations, InterAct Theater Co., Juniper Productions, and more. Recent performing roles include "Frog," "Universe," and others (CORNUCOPIA, ADHK) and "Julie" in Marry, Marry, Quite Contrary (Paper Doll Ensemble).

Amanda Jensen (co-founder, Managing Member) is a Philadelphia based lighting designer. She has designed for The Arden (Snow White), Inis Nua (The Monster in the Hall, Love Lies and Taxidermy, The Swallowing Dark, Radiant Vermin, Spine), Almanac Dance Circus Theatre (Jeanne/Jean/John/Jawn, XOXO Moongirl), Theatre Exile (Really), The Lantern (The Heir Apparent), and Gunnar Montana Productions (Kink Haus, Wroughtland). Her work for the 2017 production of Kink Haus will be exhibited at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial in June as part of the USITT/USA exhibition of professional designers.

Sara Vanasse (co-founder, Artistic Director) is a Philadelphia-based theatremaker, actor, and visual artist. Sara holds an MFA in Devised Performance from The University of the Arts (2016) and a certificate from the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training (2015). Sara has previously been a creator and performer with Butter & Serve Theatre Company, The Hopefuls, the Antigravity Theatre Project, Automatic Arts, Beacon Theatre Productions, Revamp Collective's Artist's Lab, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and The National Theatre Institute at the O'Neill Theatre Centre.

Hannah Spear (Stage Manager) is a Philadelphia area native and former Lantern Theatre Company apprentice. She has worked with companies including InterAct Theatre Co., ArcheDream for Humankind, the Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival, Green Light Group, and more.

About Paper Doll Ensemble:

The Paper Doll Ensemble creates devised absurdist comedies that combine dance and visual art into a poignant multimedia wonderland that redefines traditional stories of the female experience. Established in 2017. For more visit https://paperdollensemble.com/

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