To the Leadership of Children’s Theatre Company,

We are a collective of Neighborhood Bridges Teaching Artists. We love and believe in the Bridges program and all of our students. Rooted in that love, we are taking action to stand in solidarity with the survivors of trauma at CTC.

Some of us will act by not teaching until we see leadership and their legal team follow through on all actions in support of survivors (as outlined in our original statement, publicly available at www.standingwithctcsurvivors.com) and commit to long-term structural changes that ensure accountability to the community. We will put ourselves in the shoes of our students and act out different ways to support survivors, hold CTC accountable, and distribute power equitably.

Others will act by teaching with Bridges as an extension of our organizing in solidarity with survivors. We will speak transparently with students, teachers, and parents about what we are doing to stand with those who have been harmed or silenced at CTC and work towards transformative justice within this system of power. In the spirit of Bridges, we will teach students the same tools we employ to think critically about who has power, whose voice is missing, and what creative actions we can take to empower people to be the storytellers of their own lives.

Regardless of whether or not we teach this fall, we will be meeting and working in solidarity with one another and survivors. We will continue to question all systems of power, including the Children’s Theatre Company. We ask: What does an equitable balance of power look like?  What does accountability look like? What are concrete steps towards systemic transformation?

In all of our actions, we speak as present and former teaching artists, and not as spokespeople for CTC or its legal team. We speak under CTC’s word that nobody will be penalized for speaking out, whether Teaching Artist or staff. We speak because we are Bridges Teaching Artists.

Your actions throughout the school year will determine for each of us what our involvement in Neighborhood Bridges will be.  As critical literacy instructs, we will be observing, questioning, and acting. We expect that you will do the same.

Sincerely,

Aaron Fiskradatz

Adlyn Carreras

Brian Grandison

Chris Griffith

Derek Phillips

Emily Zimmer

John Sessler

Julie Smith Healey

Kiko Laureano

Lindsey Cacich Samples

Nell Pierce

Pedro Bayon

Peter Morrow

Rachel Austin

Sandy Agustin

Taous Khazem