July 13, 2020
Hello,
We are living in an unprecedented moment. Uncertainty, introspection, and empowerment are at the core of two crises, which have shown us the truth of who we are as a nation and a world. The explosion of COVID-19 in early spring taught us that our plans, technology, culture, and civilization are no match for the wrath of nature. And while systemic racism is nothing new, its exposure, evoked by too many murdered Black Americans, proved just how ignorant and complicit we are.
For the time being, creating theatre as we have before can not and will not be an option. It’s a conclusion many don’t want to reach, but if we resist it, we risk putting our artists and audiences in harm’s way and engendering a space that is not sufficiently anti-racist. For this reason, Egg & Spoon will not be producing live theatre for the remainder of 2020. Our staff and board will continue to meet, read scripts, and plan for a reopening when complete safety is a reality.
Though we won’t be creating, rehearsing, and performing in person, our work remains urgent. In light of Black Lives Matter protests, our staff has begun a long-term investigation into many issues rooted deep in our organization’s habits and structure -- some of which we’ll be sharing with you in the coming days. It’s staggering that at three years old, Egg & Spoon could support and uphold white supremacy in our everyday decision-making. During this moment of self-exploration, we wish to do our internal due-diligence while remaining transparent about our misgivings. We’ve failed, and we must be held accountable.
We look forward to the day that we get to see you at the theater once again. And we can only imagine how much progress is possible in the meantime, and how different our world will look. Until then, be well and remain safe.
Sincerely,
Liam Lonegan Elizabeth Carson
Artistic Director Managing Director
Aubree Tally Adam Coy
Marketing Director Artistic Associate
Jillian Wipfler Sasha Falsberg
Artistic Associate Production Manager
RESOURCE DOCUMENTS
As an organization devoted to expanding our community’s sense of citizenship, it’s important that we hold ourselves responsible for how we can create an actively anti-racist space for our neighbors, artists, and audiences. While each of our staff members continue to educate themselves on their own personal biases and prejudices, Egg & Spoon is also generating a strategic plan for how we do more and do better.
In the meantime, please take advantage of these documents (created by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein, and @botanicaldyke) so that we all can begin the work of understanding the systemic racism in our culture, before asking others for help.