In March we participated in Belarusian Dream Theater with events in Florence and Los Angeles.  This was a pivotal project for us connecting our artists with university students, high school students and community members around the questions of democracy and censorship, torture and freedom of speech.

What resulted from this project was a decision that, now at the end of our third year as The Global Theatre Project, and at the decade mark of this work for myself, it is time to strengthen our assets and deepen our outreach in ways which support and heighten the artistic expression and activism of our artists.

As a result, The GTP will now enter a new phase where all our projects will be housed under two exciting and innovative programs.  In the states our work will focus exclusively on youth with The GTP Creative Corps which was established last year.  Here artists and students bring global questions to the local community through projects which develop their leadership capacity as creative advocates for proactive global citizenry.

Abroad we will focus all of our attention toward completing the necessary steps in the establishment of The GTP Institute which has been developing over the past several years.  Here students will have the opportunity to study and work alongside professional artists in an intensive conservatory-style semester program which will focus on the artist as social activist and community leader.

What has become clear is that there is an undeniable power in the collaboration between our artists and the youth they work with and that the impact potential for these collaborations needs to be strengthened and deepened.  This direction will benefit the immediate communities in which the projects are found, and empower each student toward an independent and unique relationship with the world and the challenges that it currently presents.

The Global Theatre Project looks toward the future.  We recognize an existing obligation to respond to a globalized planet which is not in service to all of humanity.  We recognize that our obligation is to offer opportunities in which artists, youth and communities can open their eyes, their hearts, their minds to issues of importance to all of us.  And that, at The GTP, we can not only wake up individuals who are unaware of these issues, but help members of the youngest generations to not fall asleep as global citizens.

Where they take their experiences with us, only time will tell.  But, as a recent student participant in Belarus Dream Theater has said:

“This. . . was truly a life changing experience . . . It was my first experience with human rights activism and I really loved it and was amazed by how such a small scale act could have such a large impact.  The experience truly was humbling and inspiring! . . . I don’t know where the future will take me, but I do know that it will involve activism and design and I have you to thank for that!  Thank you for opening my eyes to new possibilities!”

The world will now change because Asia Richter has been engaged with questions and situations that broke open her mind and heart.  Like the hundreds of students we have worked with in the past and the many more we will work with in the years to come, she will not be able to go through life without questioning what is her part in this beautiful gift of a world in which we all live.