Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement

This statement was released to the general public via email and social media on Jun 1, 2020, following the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others.

Dear SpeakEasy family,

This past weekend has been one of many powerful, and often conflicting, emotions. Grief for those in our community who are suffering. Pride for the thousands of protesters who marched to Boston Common for justice for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and countless other victims of police violence. Outrage at the lack of change in our country to protect Black people. Equal measures of great hope and deep despair.

SpeakEasy Stage stands in solidarity with this weekend’s protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement. We also recognize that it will take more than messages of support and hopeful wishes to see real change.

We are proud of the work we have done, on stage and off, to fight for equity and justice in Boston. But we acknowledge that we must do better. And we will.

We are committed to improving the way that we operate as a company so that we can be better advocates for change in our community.

Our mission compels us to create conversations through our productions – our art inspires our activism. Therefore, we pledge to better use our platform to magnify the work of artists of color, to take action as community advocates outside of our theatre doors, and to amplify the voices of all oppressed populations.

Words matter, but actions matter even more. We will hold ourselves accountable, and if you feel we are falling short or have suggestions on better ways to engage and support, we are always here to listen. As we evolve as an organization, we will continue to learn from the artists and activists in our community. If you wish to be part of this conversation, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at pauldaigneault [at] speakeasystage.com

In the meantime, we have canceled our programs for this week, including our Season 30 Spotlight and Play Discussion Club to help keep the focus on the important community conversations happening now. We will announce new dates for these events in the next week.

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In solidarity,

Paul Daigneault
Producing Artistic Director, SpeakEasy Stage Company