Necessary Labor present A Statement Concerning the Open Dialogue with the Theatre Community Regarding the Current Situation, a new play that combines theater and political education. The event will engage our fellow theater workers to consider the role of theater artists under capitalism and to inspire action in solidarity with one another and workers around the world.

Initiated in early 2024, Necessary Labor is a multidisciplinary collective of theater artists based in New York City committed to anticapitalism. A Statement… marks the culmination of their sustained investigation into Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism, how revolutionaries translated Marx’s theory into political action, and the role of capitalism—and resistance to its hegemony—in the theater today.

A Statement… is set during a panel discussion at a nonprofit theater that risks losing a major source of funding for political reasons. While the play is fictional, it draws on collective members’ experiences of institutions putting their own interests above their workers. Dramaturgically, it takes place against the backdrop of the present, in which ticket sales and funding have not recovered since 2020, and, more immediately, theaters have lost funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and other government agencies. Aesthetically, A Statement… embraces comedy, satire, and popular entertainment—from music and dance to political rallies and professional wrestling—to underscore the contradictions of the theater industry, which loves art but exploits artists, demands hard work but diminishes workers. Ultimately, audience members will be invited to participate in the production and to imagine what actions can be taken to transform the relations of production that are entrenched in their workplaces.

A Statement Concerning the Open Dialogue with the Theatre Community Regarding the Current Situation: A Talking-Listening-Circle-Safe Space is written by Shawn Jain, Kimber Lee, and Garrett Turner, and it is directed by Alex Hare and Chris Myers. It features performances by Kate Eastman, Alex Hare, Shawn Jain, Kimber Lee, Chris Myers, Lianah Sta. Ana, and Garrett Turner.

The show is produced by Necessary Labor and in association with the Movement Theatre Company (Deadria Harrington, Eric Lockley, Ryan Dobrin, and David Mendizábal, Producing Artistic Leaders) and Celebration Barn (David Bruin, Executive Artistic Director).

Tickets are available at a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you cannot purchase a ticket, please contact David Bruin at david@celebrationbarn.com.