Social Justice Spotlight: Artists Repertory Theatre
Do you wish you could help make the community a better place, but aren’t sure how? Let’s learn about a local organization making a genuine positive impact on the community.
In their own words, the Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) “believes that stories help us make sense of the world.” They have been helping communities make sense of this crazy world since 1982. The history of the organization is marked with action based on these principles.
After the organization was founded by a group of actors, directors, and other artists, they began connecting with the community by hosting skill building workshops and putting on plays, written both externally and in-house. They “represent[ed] the United States in an international play festival on human rights” in Pakistan in 1997, and in 2000 they “participat[ed] in the Vietnam-America Theatre Exchange, the first-ever reciprocal artistic collaboration between the United States and Vietnam.” The ART building on 1515 SW Morrison St. now serves as a hub for many organizations including Portland Shakespeare Project, Profile Theatre, the August Wilson Red Door Project, Portland Area Theatre Alliance, and Portland Revels.
DNA: Oxygen is a subgroup of ART which, according to their website, is “made up of Black artists within the company. DNA Oxygen was created to address inequities and provide an artistic home for Black artists within ART’s community while providing a safe space for all Black artists to share their stories.” This group has completed four short films since 2022, which are available to watch on their website, and have many more projects in development.
ART also partners with Age and Gender Equity in the Arts to host a two-year mentorship program for gender-diverse BIPOC artists emerging in Portland. Applications for the 2025-27 cohort will be opening soon, so stay tuned to their website!
This Winter, ART is showing the play Sapience, which opens on March 1st. ART describes the play as an “imaginative, theatrical exploration of different kinds of intelligence and the universal desire to be understood.” It follows a primatologist, her orangutan Wookie, and “her cousin’s child AJ, who is neurodiverse and often nonspeaking, [who] starts an unlikely friendship with Wookie.” Opening on April 26th, ART will show The Storyteller, a journey of a 17-year-old girl’s self-discovery inspired by The Tempest, a play thoroughly immersed in the power of storytelling.
ART offers a discounted rate for student groups of six or more, and offers all educators a free ticket to any ART preview performance, which can be booked up to four weeks in advance. ART is able to offer free or discounted student matinees, post-show workshops, and study guides for educators for some of their shows. Contact boxoffice@artistsrep.org to learn more.
ART will also host a BIPOC Affinity Night/Drag Show on March 15 for Sapience, as well as on May 10 for The Storyteller.
ART offers many opportunities to get involved! In particular, they have a program of volunteer ushers who interact with guests and assist staff. As they say on their website, “Volunteering at Artists Rep is a fun way to support the arts, meet new people, and play an important role in growing the Artists Rep community!” You also get to see the shows for free. In addition to ushering, ART often has several other volunteer opportunities. These include joining the Artists Rep Guild, special events, office assistance, hospitality, and mailings. Again, they would be happy to have you contact them at boxoffice@artistsrep.org for more information.
If you have a moment and the passion, get involved!