In Solidarity with Black Lives Matter + Changes at Conspiracy
IN SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER
Following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop on May 25, 2020 – and built on the long history of violence and oppression of Black Lives – history-making actions against systemic racism ignited and have continued to grow worldwide. We (Tim Carlson, Belinda Bruce, Gavan Cheema, David Mesiha, Milton Lim and Chelsea MacDonald) at Theatre Conspiracy stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and commit to listening, learning and taking appropriate action now and in the future.
A commitment to reconciliation with First Nations is equally important. White supremacy is woven into our pre-Confederation history and continues nearly unabated still in the 21st century. The leadership of First Nations and allies are making incremental but significant progress against ongoing resistance from Ottawa and the provinces. Theatre Conspiracy is committed to engaging with our community in the calls to action for Truth and Reconciliation.
Collectively, we’ve made donations to such organizations as Hogan’s Alley Society, The Marshall Project, The BC Civil Liberties Association’s Policing Indigenous Communities Initiative, Black Lives Matter Vancouver, Know Your Rights Camp, the conscious kid, The Bail Project, Reclaim the Block and the Unist’ot’en Legal Fund.
We recognize the small amounts we can commit are materially symbolic; it is a part of our commitment to amplify and actively contribute to systemic change. Stories such as donations to Minneapolis Bail Relief Agency offer inspirational possibilities.
Conspiracy productions continue to meaningfully engage in the complex crosscurrents of culture, society and politics. The company’s values of diversity, intersectionality and active collaboration over representation politics are what have allowed our documentary theatre works to be relevant and informed. In particular, Extraction (2013), Foreign Radical (2015), Stray, Victim Impact (2018), and the forthcoming Same Difference, Himmat and Isolation Suite exemplify our beliefs. Similarly positioned are the wide-ranging works commissioned and curated in our seven-year associate with Club PuSh, creating a platform for experimentation by work from POC, LGBTQ and Indigenous artists. Conspiracy’s core collaborators are drawn from a variety of our works over the last decade.
L to R: Milton Lim, David Mesiha, Tim Carlson and Gavan Cheema
CHANGES AT CONSPIRACY
Over the past year artistic producer Tim Carlson and artistic associates Gavan Cheema, David Mesiha and Milton Lim began a process toward establishing a shared leadership model for Theatre Conspiracy to begin in the 2020/’21 season.
Tim co-founded the company in 1995, served as sole artistic producer since 2008, and plans to step away from a full-time position to collaborate with Gavan and David as co-artistic directors. Milton will continue his position as artistic associate, as per his wishes. The changes will result in more inclusive, equitable leadership and strengthen the company’s perspectives in terms of generational diversity, artistic and technical expertise, and regional representation with Tim based in Vancouver, Gavan in Surrey, and David and Milton splitting their time between Toronto and Vancouver.
The co-leadership idea evolved out of a history of strong collaboration and creative commitment to each other’s work over almost a decade. Diversity has always been part of the DNA of Theatre Conspiracy. We feel strongly that this new leadership model will further confirm this commitment as it represents an essential component to the company’s strategy moving forward.
David Mesiha and Milton Lim began collaborating with Tim on Extraction in 2013, were on the co-creation team for Foreign Radical and have collaborated ever since. Gavan Cheema joined us for Victim Impact and Foreign Radical’s 2018 UK tour. She was also artist-in-residence the following year, and has been developing her first play Himmat, set to premiere at Monsoon Festival in 2021.
These are changes happening in our organization that speak to our values, the political/social moment that has arisen, and our place inside the future.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS
In the spring, our run of Foreign Radical in Toronto was postponed, making the financial picture look pretty grim for this year. Thanks to the generosity of Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council and Vancouver Foundation’s emergency funding programs, we are now back on track. It’s heartening to have this quick response in such uncertain times!