To uphold our commitment to dismantling discriminatory practices in cultural reporting and arts journalism, Beltline to Broadway recognizes the importance in providing access and opportunities to people from all backgrounds, regardless of ability, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or age, to ensure diverse theater in our region and beyond, is being covered from a place of cultural understanding and lived experience.
We believe that theater teaches empathy. To that end, it is important for us as an organization to model empathy and practice compassion in everything we do. We are also discovering new ways to democratize theater by creating a public forum in which our community can engage in civil discourse. Our series of live chats and panel discussions, including our TORN: Theater on Racist Negativity series, gives the community a chance to engage with our board members, volunteers, panelists, and each other, in real-time.
Critics Cohort
Our Beltline to Broadway Critics Cohort started in 2022 to provide more opportunities for emerging writers, from a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences, to express their unique perspectives freely and without fear of retribution. This program is funded in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Participants attend workshops, network with theater professionals, and are mentored by professional journalists.
TORN: Theater on Racial Negativity
TORN was launched in June 2020 by Juan Isler to address equity, diversity, and inclusion issues within the Triangle theater community. Each episode features a diverse panel of artists discussing how we as a community can make theater practices more inclusive and equitable. In 2021, Beltline to Broadway received the Raleigh Medal of Arts from the City of Raleigh its support of Black Lives Matter.