Dear friends of Theater Delta,

I’m reaching out to you in the midst of the tensions and uncertainty that surround us in hopes that I can extend a measure of much-needed gratitude and optimism.  For most of us, this past year has been among the worst we’ve ever known as we saw our very livelihoods stripped from us almost overnight.  That, coupled with the forced isolation of pandemic times, has left so many of us lonely, frightened, and searching.  I hope you’ll forgive me for not reaching out sooner.  So much has been left unsaid for so long, it feels daunting to figure out where to pick up again.

But picking up again is exactly what we’re going to do.

I remember a year ago, as 2020 was just beginning, we were looking forward to the most exciting year Theater Delta had ever projected. We started January with a tremendous project for a prestigious client: A team of 12 actors and facilitators brought 8 performances and workshops to MIT (yes, that MIT!). It was an incredible trip for all of us, and the beginning of a really important partnership.

Then in March, a few of us traveled to Alabama for performances at UAB, UAH, and the Conference of Southern Graduate School’s Annual Meeting.  For some folks, the trip to Huntsville was their very first TD experience, and I made sure it was reasonably unforgettable.  (Just ask Scott Parkerand Felicia Renee about going to the biker bar for steaks or meeting my younger brother at a 90s-toys inspired sandwich shop to sample a mac-n-cheese waffle.)

That trip to Huntsville will forever be in my memory as That Day. You remember – that weekend suddenly the whole nation shut down.  We left RDU one morning and things were going one way, and by the time we landed, the world was upside down.  My voicemail and email were full of messages from clients, all cancelling or postponing our upcoming projects.  What was supposed to be our best year yet had suddenly, instantly, been utterly decimated.

And so, we waited.  As those March weeks turned into May and June months, I tried to keep the proverbial wheels rolling by emphasizing our marketing efforts and connecting to our Orientation season partners and beyond.  To no avail – universities just could not commit to Fall plans or programs under the constantly changing circumstances.  I spent the summer studying all the virtual performance options I could find in order to make our work possible online as the pandemic continued its tyranny.

The summer also brought the painful dichotomy of increasing demands to speak out for justice and the intentional shrouding or silencing of racial justice education.  With the former president’s executive order vilifying diversity programs that focus on unconscious bias, some clients believed they would risk funding losses if they offered our programs.  Those were challenging conversations, but we would not hide who we are and what we value.  And so Hannah Eppling launched our most beautiful and important social media campaign ever.  We spent nearly 3 months alternating our posts between racial justice education/action ideas and in-depth interviews with many TD team members of color.  If you haven’t looked at Theater Delta online, go check out our Instagram and FB feeds – there’s a rich bounty of info to share!

Now I’ve got to be honest with you: August was terrible.  The month that ordinarily brings in 40-50% of our annual income (from Orientation programs for undergrads) was a total zero. By this point, the financial strain of months of unemployment was, as too many of us know first hand, incredibly challenging.  And to top that off, I got COVID-19.  Thankfully, I was never hospitalized or required acute care, but it was a difficult few weeks in my house, and all these months later I still struggle with respiratory issues.  But it also marked a turning point for Theater Delta.  We were finally (Finally!!) getting some interest in scheduling virtual programs for a few graduate schools, and so began our next “never saw this coming” adventure.

In October and November, we successfully brought several virtual TD performances to a few favorite clients, including MIT and Virginia Tech.   I personally had a very steep learning curve during that process!  I will never, never forget the powerful (and humbling) lesson I learned halfway through the first online performance.  We were using an online webinar platform for the performance and had to move the audience to zoom for the facilitated conversation.  When we got to zoom, everyone was supposed to split into two separate breakout rooms that I’d already preassigned, but it didn’t work out that way.  Many people were sort of stuck in the middle and I didn’t know who was who or where they belonged.  So I had zoom up on one window and a spreadsheet of  participants from the client in another window and I was trying to match names and send them to the right room, but a whole bunch of names didn’t match or weren’t on the list, and I panicked.  Everything I normally say about staying calm in a crisis just flew out the window and I started cursing.  Loudly, copiously.  I was just freaking out!  And then my phone rang – it was Hannah telling me to SHUT UP because my MIC WAS ON.  Yep, I’m just going to let you laugh about that for a while.  Everyone else did; even the department chair and several faculty poked fun at me in a post-conversation. I learned a lot that day about humility and the value of the MUTE button.

A different virtual performance taught us more lessons about spontaneity and resilience.  I “met” the participants in their conference’s zoom room where I gave our usual introduction and then shared the link for them to join the webinar platform for the performative piece of the program.  Once logged in there, I welcomed everyone and turned it over to Ben Slate to facilitate the scene.  Except Ben wasn’t there – the electricity had gone out in his neighborhood just moments before!  So Lakeisha Coffey popped up to gently inform us that Ben was having technical difficulties, and I just smiled at the camera and kept the program going.  That may sound calm in the reading, and the audience had no idea there was a blip, but inside I was freaking out (again, but without cursing this time).  You see, to pull off these performances online, I’ve got a system of two computers to manage all the interactive tech for the performance and my cell phone to communicate with the actors privately.  I had no idea how I was going to juggle all that and be live on camera!  But Lakeisha, along with Page Purgar and Matthew Hager, delivered a magnificent performance that took away any thoughts about technical issues, and eventually Ben was able to log in with his phone, so the rest of the program moved on without a hitch.  Thankfully, we applied everything learned from these experiences, and the rest of our virtual performances were flawlessly smooth and professional!

I’ve always known – and publicly crowed – that the work of Theater Delta is a team effort.  And yet that was never more real to me than in 2020 when so much changed and we took our work into such unexplored places.  I want to thank Sarah Donnell for her work in adapting our in-person scripts for online performance and for facilitating last year.  I also want to thank Sonny Kelly and Marie Garlock for facilitating in person and online, along with Ben Slate.  You all continue to inspire audiences (and me!) to self-reflect, seek the good in others, and pursue justice.  And actors!  I am amazed to be able to work with such remarkable talent, including Amadio Perez, Natalie Sherwood, Brendo Lo-Griffin, Danny Dove, Chris Burner, Alexis Brown, Chloe Oliver, Trevon Carr, Brianna Gilmore, andBrian Yandle, among those already mentioned.  I must also give a special thanks to Lauren Foster-Lee and J Chachula.  These two were part of all but two of the projects we completed in 2020, and I owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their commitment and excellence in all these circumstances.

We were also privileged to welcome new folks to our Theater Delta team in 2020, including actors Ahnna Beruk of Durham, Felicia Renee of Rocky Mount, and Scott Parker of Greensboro, along with Veronica Dress as a new facilitator.  I hope you’ll have the opportunity to work with these folks in the coming year – they each bring incredible talent and passion to their work and are a joy to partner with!

Finally, I want to thank Page Purgar for stepping up as a rehearsal director when we had so, so many rehearsals to juggle in early 2020, Ayana Johnson for her work as casting director (she’s relocated to Florida and will be sorely missed), and Hannah Eppling, who’s been my right hand through all the tears, fears, and joys the year brought our way.

And now, 2021.  I firmly believe that, although we will have to navigate another difficult season before us, there is much good to anticipate as the year unfolds.  I was profoundly encouraged and lifted up by the events and shared words of Inauguration Day.  In his first day, President Biden has already revoked the previous administration’s limits on diversity training, among many other important and exciting changes.  But friends, he did that on Day One!  Not day two, or next week or next month.  That indicates what a priority it is! This is good news for us and the work we are committed to bringing to communities nationwide.  These communities are hungry for what we bring, and we stand ready to bring it.

Friends, in the last year, I’ve often held onto the words of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  And my heart thrills to hear our Madame Vice President Kamala Harris remind us, “We not only dream, we do.  We not only see what has been, we see what can be.”  I earnestly believe that Theater Delta will endure this trying season and will thrive in the years to come.  This organization is a vessel allowing each of us to be Doers, bringing “what can be” into fruition.  I am so grateful for your support and partnership, and I look forward with expectant anticipation for the joy ahead.  I encourage you to reach out to me if there is anything I can do to support you in the challenges you face, and until we meet again, may you and your beloveds live daily in abundant peace, joy, and blessings.

Much love,

Lyn