Applications are open November 15 through January 2
Contact:
Mona Rock
Director of Communications
mrock@strathmore.org
(301) 581-5193
NORTH BETHESDA, MD – Inspired by the stage adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, Strathmore and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company present a new fellowship opportunity to support young people’s leadership at the intersection of arts and social change. Applications are open November 15 through January 2.
”Strathmore has always had a fierce belief in the power of the arts as a democratizing force in the world. Butler and Reagon’s works demand deep reflection and application of their themes to the world’s current problems,” said Lauren Campbell, Strathmore’s Director of Education. “We wanted to take the opportunity to build a lasting, permanent program that will support young people to share their voices, through the arts, on the issues they care about.”
With mentorship from program facilitators and financial support from the organizing institutions, students will develop their analysis around social justice and systems change. They will develop individual or group projects that reflect their interests and what they have learned, to be showcased at the end of the program in July. Example projects could include performances, community art projects, or crafting graphics that can be used in issue advocacy.
The program seeks to engage and empower young leaders and provide an opportunity for them to connect with other students and professionals to create a shared vision for the future and take steps toward that reality. After an in-person launch event at Strathmore featuring a virtual interaction with Toshi Reagon, students will meet biweekly to study the Parable works and connect their themes to a social change curriculum provided by partner organization Civics Unplugged. Students will gather together to watch the performance in April, then focus their biweekly sessions on project development.
“We are thrilled to support the next generation of artist-activists and culture creators committed to using their imagination and creativity to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression, in pursuit of a more just world for all,” Woolly Mammoth Connectivity Director Kristen Jackson said.
To submit applications and learn more about the program, visit www.strathmore.org/fellowship
ABOUT PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Parable of the Sower is a triumphant, mesmerizing work of rare power and beauty that illuminates deep insights on gender, race, and the future of human civilization.
This fully-staged opera brings together over 30 original anthems drawn from 200 years of Black music to recreate Butler’s sci-fi, Afrofuturist masterpiece live on stage.
With music and lyrics by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, this compelling work gives life to Butler’s acclaimed science fiction novel of the same name.
Parable of the Sower is part of Strathmore’s Windows series. Other engagement and educational activities around this performance will be announced this winter.
ABOUT WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY
Woolly Mammoth creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push
beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves as an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at
hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Emika Abe, Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol Building and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly’s investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy. www.woollymammoth.net
Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation of this city, and most of the original buildings in Washington, DC, were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.
ABOUT STRATHMORE
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts.
All of Strathmore’s facilities are Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited.
Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and facemasks are required to attend any performance or event inside any of its buildings.
For further information or tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
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