Southern Rep

Founded in 1986, Southern Rep Theatre's mission is to bring people together through celebrating the history, struggles, and aspirations of the diverse cultures and communities that make New Orleans strong and vibrant. We are a theatre for all people, creating shared experiences that prompt conversation, spark creativity, nurture empathy, and ignite the imagination. By bringing people together through our inclusive theatre, we help strengthen our community and foster a just society.

Southern Rep Theatre is a nationally acclaimed new play development theatre and leading regional theatre in the Gulf South employing more than 200 artists and serving more than 10,000 audience members annually.

In the past year, Southern Rep strengthened our partnership with The Breath Project, a national initiative of multidisciplinary BIPOC theatre artists responding to the global racial reckoning. Inspired by our work with The Breath Project, Southern Rep created Behind The Curtain, an online incubator program which launched in 2021, supporting BIPOC artists to create full-length solo works. Each month, Breath Project participants were designated a spot in Southern Rep's Pop-Up, a monthly online play reading-series connecting artists to theatre professionals from the greater New Orleans area. From December 15-19, Southern Rep opened its first in-person production since COVID, a regional premiere of Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play directed by Jeanette Godoy.

This year SRT also adopted a new mission statement and three-year strategic plan to reorient our values and practices and serve the largely-Black community in which we reside. In addition to diversifying our staff and board, we are developing a more assertive program to promote access and inclusion.

This is just part of our planning for next season and beyond as we prepare to respond to the new normal we will all face in the aftermath of the current public health crisis. We can't wait to share more details with you soon, and we welcome your ongoing support and suggestions along the way.

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