Bishop Arts Theatre Announces 10 Commission Awards To Local Writers

Bishop Arts Theatre Center will continue its 28th anniversary season with The HOW TO BE Project: Ten Plays for Racial Justice, a one-act festival scheduled for February 17 - March 5, 2022, at Bishop Arts Theatre Center with ten written commissions for Black-identified writers speaking to the current moment of the Black Lives Matter movement, disproportionate policing in communities of color, and the exploration of the America that Langston Hughes called "the dream it used to be." Inspired by select chapters from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's book, How To Be An Anti-Racist, the festival seeks to present works that continue the dialogue in the enduring struggle for racial justice.

Participating playwrights selected a chapter of How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, Ph.D. to use as inspiration for their work. Each playwright received a $1,500 commission made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and Dallas Truth Racial Healing & Transformation. Awardees included Eugene Lee, Jonathan Norton, Kristen Adele Calhoun, Erin Malone Turner, Alle Mims, Paula Sanders, Oba William King, Zetra Goodlow, Bwalya Chisanga, and Michael Harrison.

The HOW TO BE Project is in association with PEN America's Prison & Justice Initiative. Michael Harrison, one of the commissioned playwrights, started writing as a form of therapy, a way to "express the screaming pain behind a muted voice." He credits his sociology professor, in his prison college program with teaching him to dream. Mr. Harrison comments, "the assignment was the seed, the response from my peers and affirmation from my professor was the water, and my dream of becoming a writer sprouted."

The performance will be held in-person at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center located at 215 S. Tyler Street, Dallas, TX 75208. Masks and proof of vaccine status are required. All cast, crew members, staff, and volunteers have been fully vaccinated. For detailed safety protocols, visit BATC's Safety At The Bishop webpage.

Tickets can be purchased online anytime at www.bishopartstheatre.org or by calling the box office at (214) 948-0716.

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