On Tuesday, May 17th, TEDxBroadway invites professionals to discuss about the future of Broadway and what can people do to improve the narrative. The speakers of this conference includes:
- Bryan Joseph Lee: A Southern Queer Black man who is a creative producer, he founded CNTR Arts to include BIPOC and LGBTQ communies to discuss about having multiple identities and how to navigate them. He recently worked as the Director of Public Forum at The Public Theater in New York City focusing on integrating unique cultures on Off-Broadway.
- Margaret Hall: With a BFA in Drama at New York University, she is getting her Master’s in Musical Theatre History. She works as a teacher for musical theatre history, sharing artifacts and the development of themes to students all around the world.
- Sammy Lopez: As a Broadway producer, Lopez puts his time and dedication to marginalized communities whose stories are not often seen in the spotlight. He is developing “Gun & Powder” and other projects. During the pandemic, Lopez founded The Industry Standard Group (TISG) and Second Act Theatrical Capital (2ATC) to increase the presence of BIPOC creatives and get their works invested.
- Michael J. Bobbitt: An award-winning director and playwright in Boston, Bobbitt is on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Board of Directors. Some other companies he worked for include The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, and the Washington Memorial Opera. He received the Emerging Leader Award from the County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities.
- Russell Granet: Granet is the President and CEO of New 42 which is a cultural nonprofit that integrates the arts at an early age. He helped provide funding for public schools in their theatrical productions and currently serves as an advisor to the NYC Mayor’s Cabinet for Children and a trustee of Times Square Alliance.
- Ash Marinaccio: A Manhattan-based documentarian, Marinaccio works in all fields of film, theatre, and photography. Marinacchio is interested in the topics of class, race, and sexuality because she identifies herself as a queer woman and has many stories to share in her experience living with a disabled single mother.
- Adam Sobel: A professor at Columbia University, Sobel’s focus is on climate and weather. He explores the risks of weathering patterns on society and wrote for many companies including The New York Times, CNN, and the Los Angeles Times.
The tickets to view their discussion can be purchased at https://www.stellartickets.com/o/tedxbroadway/events/tedxbroadway10/occurrences/ec310cc6-2ea2-4b00-80e7-1587cddd634e.
