KINSHIP THEATRE COLLECTIVE

Mission Statement

We are an intergenerational collective of storytellers, devisers, educators, and caregivers, committed to examining systemic issues by sharing community stories and amplifying unheard voices through physically activated interview-based theatre.

Vision and Values

We value chosen family, embodied ethnodrama and practice, examination of self through listening to and interviewing others, and using theatre to begin a conversation that audiences can then take with them into the world as action.

Our Work

[WORKING TITLE] THE HETEROMONOTONY PROJECT

In a cultural moment of unprecedented choice, but also a renewal of conservative panic and pressure, marriage is still consistently framed as a social achievement and ideal, and a “happily after ever” solution - newly including queer folks. Is it ever possible to rehabilitate an institution so squarely built on patriarchy, property, ownership and normativity? This is an exploration of female desire and dissatisfaction in hetero marriages that then begs the question - what happens when we push beyond aspiring to an “I do”, and fully realize the power of saying “I don’t (anymore)”.

Thanks to Subcircle Residency, The Episcopal Actor’s Guild, and White Bird Productions Creative Families Residency for making early development possible.

Stay tuned for more information!

WHERE HOPE IS: Stories of Benedictine Influence

A new play recording the memories and lives of the Benedictine Nun Community in Erie, PA. As told by the Sisters themselves, and members of their extended network.

A little more info:

This story is one of spirituality and steadfastness in facing questions of meaning, faith, and gospel accountability - that challenged thinking and instilled young women with a sense of their own worth and power. It’s a story of prophetic voices and passionate commitment to those denied a place at any table. It’s a story of ongoing potential for new generations seeking connection and meaning today. From a group of women that defied all expectations and norms through their radical beliefs and support of their community.

View the trailer HERE.

WHERE HOPE IS was performed at the Blasco Memorial Library in Erie, PA in June 2024. See local news coverage HERE.

This project has been made possible by the generous support of organizations such as Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Verbatim Performance Lab, and Subcircle Residency.

TOKOPHOBIA

An interview-based play exploring choice, the birth process, and disparities in maternal care in the U.S.

A little more info:

Back in 2017, playwright Jenn Bokoch Gillett embarked upon a journey to become a doula (birth coach), which led her to hear several mixed things about the way our culture addresses the birth process. Largely due to this experience, and to Jenn’s own path to pregnancy and parenthood, she began work on TOKOPHOBIA, an Ethnodrama (interview-based theatre piece) exploring the culture of birth in America.

Jenn connected with mothers, birth partners, doulas and medical professionals in New York and Southern California to discuss their experiences with the birth process and postpartum. She collected dozens of recorded interviews, and transcribed several pieces to be performed onstage. Each selection highlights an important part of the birth experience, and illuminates conversations that our culture often shies away from discussing. TOKOPHOBIA gives voice to women and their sometimes shocking experiences with the system in a way that is imperative - yet rarely discussed - in our current cultural climate.

In collaboration with Kinship artists, such as Director Ashley Thaxton-Stevenson, TOKOPHOBIA was staged in Fall 2022. Actors brought stories to life using movement, shadow puppetry, audio recordings from interviews, and other multimedia performance tools.

See here for a recording of our performance at The Center at West Park.

TOKOPHOBIA has been made possible by the generous support of organizations such as Dixon Place, The Center at West Park, The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, and the Omega Women’s Leadership Center.

View the trailer here.

A workshop production of TOKOPHOBIA at The Center at West Park’s Furnace Festival in Manhattan.

CHECK OUT ANOTHER RECENT STORYTELLING PROJECT ON THE GENDER EQUITY MOVEMENT THROUGH

THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY HERE

Thank you, thank you to Kinship Theatre Collective’s initial supporters: Steve and Megan Theraiult, Beiner Family, Randa Gerrity, Jamie Zakoski, Kayland Jordan, Erin Maxon, Paula Silver, Elizabeth Hall, Kathleen Boyle, Nina Silver, Rebecca Bokoch, Danielle Robinson, Ilana Gustafson