ABOUT THE BROADWAY ADVOCACY COALITION

Founded in 2016 by members of the Broadway community as a direct response to the nation's pandemic of racism and police brutality, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition has since grown into a Tony Award Winning advocacy organization uniting artists, legal experts and community leaders to create lasting impact on policy issues from criminal justice reform to education equity to immigration.

Current programs include:

• The Theater of Change™. The Theater of Change uses theater-based tools to enable a new form of collaboration that allows the experiences and stories of those most impacted by systemic racism to be centered in the creation of humane and equitable policies, organizations, and systems. Taught at Columbia Law School, the Theater of Change is Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s flagship program and has allowed for Broadway artists to collaborate with grassroots organizers and law students in order to create arts-based Impact Projects on a range of vital issues - all while centering the voices of those most impacted by these systems.

• Artivism Fellowship. The Artivism Fellowship supports a group of artist-activists focused on criminal justice reform through use of narrative storytelling and artistry. Embedded with BAC’s signature Theater of Change methodology, the fellowship enables participants to blend artistry, law, policy, and community engagement, and produce narratives with powerful impact in policy spaces where change can happen.

• Reimagining Equitable Productions (REP) Workshop. The REP Workshop - built on BAC’s Theater of Change curriculum at Columbia Law School - is our organization’s novel approach to helping Broadway companies uncover a new way of organizing themselves around equitable change within the industry.

• Impact Projects. Our signature Impact Projects bring together best-in-class artists, advocates and policy experts to combine their talents to channel stories for impact on specific policy issues ranging from education equity within New York City’s public schools to the inhumane treatment of incarcerated New Yorkers during the COVID pandemic. Built using BAC’s Theater of Change approaches allows for focused impact and deep engagement within New York City and beyond. Past Impact Projects have reached an audience of over 100,000 and included: 

  • The Flores Exhibits

  • Viral Monologues

  • Gasping for Justice

• Cody Renard Richard Scholarship. Created to support the next generation of theater administrators and creatives, this program provides financial resources, community relationships, and workshops to ensure that these young scholars are prepared to advocate for themselves and their communities as they enter the industry. The second class of scholars included 10 Black and brown theater-makers.