Seattle, Wash.— Seattle Children’s Theatre is honored to announce its receipt of a Social Impact Theatre Innovation Award from The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.
This recognition grant of $12,000 is given in appreciation of SCT’s work on A Kid’s Play About Racism, for exemplifying artistic content that promotes critical conversations around timely social issues.
Last summer, in a creative response to the intensity of our nation’s cry for racial justice and equity, SCT joined the Bay Area Children’s Theatre and Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, as a leading co-producers of A Kid’s Play About Racism, a groundbreaking theatrical experience based on Jelani Memory’s A Kid’s Book About Racism.
The play, conceived, adapted and directed by award-winning creator Khalia Davis, explains what racism is, how to know it when you see and experience it, and what you can do about it. Targeted to families and educators, for children ages 5+, the world premiere of A Kid’s Play About Racism was supported by more than 40 partner theatres and offered free to the public via Broadway on Demand, from August 1-7, 2020. Originally planned to air just one weekend, availability was extended to a full week due to high public interest. This work has been seen by more than 280,000 students and 2,800 educators from 37 states and 9 countries including Kenya, Nairobi, Korea, Canada, UK, Algeria, Ecuador and more, contributing meaningfully to the movement toward a truly equitable, diverse, and inclusive society.
“This gift is sent with our best wishes for [SCT’s] continued success in providing children of all ages access to professional theatre, with a focus on new works, and theatre education,” says the foundation.
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation supports theatres in Western states that are igniting positive changes in their communities through the programming they bring to life on stage. The Social Impact Theatre Innovation Award was granted to SCT on the grounds of several criteria: art created with social impact providing a lens to process the critical issues of contemporary society, a sense of innovation and creativity in approach, and a theatre that is responsive to audience feedback and community events.
