Black Lives Matter Statement
Our first installment of Cryptid Girl Summer will be released tomorrow! We are ecstatic to be able to share with you the work we have been doing exploring camp stories, urban legends, and conspiracy theories we are all so passionate about.
With all this being said we feel like it would be inappropriate to ignore the ongoing protests against racism and white supremacy while releasing content that does not directly respond to the political climate we live in. We believe in the power of storytelling and theatre as a universal experience to enact change. Since the inception of Purple Crayon it has been incredibly important to us to amplify the voices of female and queer creators. However, it is unacceptable for our company to celebrate these voices without taking time to reflect on our own failures in supporting and championing the work of Black theatre makers.
Our hope is that these pieces are a place for exploration, community-building, and recharging in a world that is rightly in a lot of pain. Furthermore, we want this project to pay homage to the creative storytellers all around us and share how storytelling can connect audiences and return us to stories we’ve collectively grown up with. Although some of the pieces shared will explore political ideas about femininity, it is not the focus of this project. When we began developing it at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic it became a place for us as creators to return to ideas of childhood and play which became incredibly healing.
But with that intent, we cannot ignore that the voices of Black artists for too long have been neglected and excluded. As we typically charge a $5 admission for our productions we would like to ask you to consider re-directing that money to a Black-led organization. Purple Crayon is currently running a fundraiser that will be donating money to 3 organizations: Black Lives Matter DC, The Innocence Project, and The Freedom Fund. This is the beginning of actions we are taking in order to support the radical change being fought for both within the artistic community and within society as a whole. In our work as an anti-racist organization we commit to:
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Continually educating ourselves about white privilege, white supremacy, and how we as both individuals and as an organization can do ongoing work to dismantle systems of oppression
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Examine ourselves and call on our collaborators and friends to examine the ways that we can move towards genuine ally-ship
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Recognize the boundaries of our own reach and be persistent in growing our outreach in regards to production, administrative and performance opportunities
When looking back on the events of the past few months the word Growth comes to mind. We are all experiencing a moment to recognize our own shortcomings and learn how we can do better. What are you doing to nurture your inner child? What are you doing to teach them? What are you doing to help them grow?
Below is a list of Black theatre companies in the DMV area who we urge you to listen to and follow both now and in the future.
The Arena Players: https://www.arenaplayersinc.com
Kuumba Ensemble: http://www.kuumbaensemble.org
Restoration Stage: https://www.restorationstage.biz
The Essential Theatre: https://www.theessentialtheatre.org/
Pin Point Theatre: http://www.pinpoints.org/edutainment0.aspx
HBC Theatre: https://m.facebook.com/KingdomBearers/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0
Black Women Playwrights Group: https://blackwomenplaywrights.org/home.asp
Live Garra Theatre: http://www.livegarratheatre.org/
DC Black Theatre Festival: http://dcblacktheatrefestival.com/ (They will be operating virtually this year from June 29th-January 1st.)
DC Black Repertory Company: https://dcblackrep.com/