Black Lives Matter

We condemn the violent mistreatment of the Black community by the police and the prevalence of racial prejudice in all institutions. 

Our mission is to unite emerging artists and audiences through live theater that reflects the distinctive voices of the San Francisco Bay Area. We started this company because we saw the need to create space for people whose lived experiences and voices are typically pushed aside. This is only possible if we, as a people, change the oppressive and abhorrent practices that continue to persecute Black people in our communities.

Oppressive practices in any form seed other forms of discrimination. Police brutality is the most violent result of systemic racism and it actively threatens the humanity and safety of all Black people. Our theaters are not true gathering spaces if they do not actively respect the wounds of Black people and work to uplift them and their stories. Stories grant humanity, and that is the purpose of everything we do.

Silence on this issue makes way for white supremacist hate. As part of our commitment to amplifying Black artists and voices, we urge our community to learn, listen, and take action. We encourage our followers to support local BIPOC businesses such as ours. In this spirit, we are sharing a list  (made by our friend Jelli, aka @snooppoops on Twitter) of organizations and anti-racist resources that actionably aid the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“We are all actors: being a citizen is not living in society, it is changing it.”- Augusto Boal

#blacklivesmatter #blacktranslivesmatter #saytheirnames

In solidarity,

The SFBATCO Team:

Aidaa Peerzada, Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Marcelo Javier, Isa Musni, Christine Chung, Claudio Silva

Co-signed by: 

Mecca Billings, Elisabeth Roberts, Joanne Cohen, Kate Stoia, Brian Bell, Nicola Bosco-Alvarez, Lillian Kim Murphy, Martina Rogers