ART presents

DNA: Oxygen

A devising group named OXYGEN, made up of nine Black artists in the company. The name OXYGEN is in honor of the many black people whose final words were, “I can’t breathe” before being killed by police. Produced by ART Development & Marketing Director, Kisha Jarrett, and created by collaborating artists Vin Shambry, Josie Seid, Lava Alapai, Jeff George, Ayanna Berkshire, Andrea Vernae, Pancho Savery (ART Board Vice-Chair), and Kristen Mun (Line Producer). The group’s first project will be a short film called See Me, which is a slice of life of seven black people interwoven with animated fantastical dreamscapes and will be filmed in September 2020. This group will expand to include BIPOC artists and will continue to devise works beyond June 2020.

Oxygen has three goals: 1. incubator for young BIPOC individuals to learn and grow as theatre designers and artists (including one mentor/mentee production a year where the entire production team and mentees are BIPOC), 2. development of BIPOC artists (through funds for project development and production), and 3. a BIPOC affinity group for ART.