Azuka Theatre has made the decision not to produce any plays for the 2020-2021 season. We will take the time the shutdown provides to accomplish the following four goals:

Have our staff and board work with an EDI/anti-racism/anti-sexism/anti-oppression trainer(s) for the next 8-12 months.
Listen to our community via our Anonymous Community Response Form.
Make changes at every level of our organization that are informed by our training and the feedback we receive from the community.
Continue to support our New Pages playwrights.

While making the decision to take the 2020-2021 season off was not easy, we are excited for this opportunity to focus on our organization in this way. As an all-White company, we are eager to thoroughly respond to the calls for change being made by BIPOC artists in Philadelphia and throughout the country. And as an all-White company, we want and need to give this work the time and attention it requires.

Though we will not produce any mainstage shows, we will continue to support the five member playwrights of our New Pages program as they craft their scripts. We will present readings of their plays as that part of the play development process is vital to their work. We will determine the safest format for these readings when our playwrights are ready for them.

Azuka’s mission is “to strengthen the connection and shared humanity among its diverse audiences by giving voice to the people whose stories go unheard.” Taking this time will help to make sure that the future of our company truly and fully lives up to this mission.

On behalf of everyone at Azuka, thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you at the theater in the fall of 2021.