About + Philosophy
Lindsay Kujawa is an educator, researcher, and creator passionate about community-engaged practices. For the past decade, Lindsay has worked in non-metropolitan areas to help communities create opportunities for their community to engage in meaningful, advancing dialogue through the arts, public forums, and local organizing. In 2016 she began creating digital professional development opportunities that challenge theatre-makers to re:imagine the intention and impact of theatre through her consulting company, RE:THEATRE. Specializing in understanding community consciousness, she spent her graduate studies at NYU investigating the polarizing effect of the politicization of the words equity, diversity, and inclusion and the need for intersectional, community-framed definitions of these words. Through her continued research and consulting, she predominantly supports community members, educators, and artists as they navigate the intersections of community needs, engagement events/practices to discover local solutions. Additionally, she has been a guest speaker and facilitator at dozens of national and local conferences, notably the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, Educational Theatre Association, and International Thepsian Festival.
PHILOSOPHY
Simply discussing dismantling systematic inequalities within theatre and communities is not enough, nor is there a simple one-size-fits-all solution. Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, Justice, and Accessibility look different in every community, and I believe we must acknowledge localism when attempting to create responsive community practices. I grew up in a midsize conservative, Christian community in central Wisconsin. As a young person, I was taught that there are clear binaries in all we do; right and wrong, good and bad. Believing this, I tried to force myself into these neatly defined boxes, only to realize how mentally toxic this was. From this toxicity, my passion for telling stories in a way that challenges the notion of defining human action in binary terms and instead explores the complexities of the human experience.
AS AN EDUCATOR AND CREATOR with a passion for community-centered theatre/arts, my mission is to challenge traditional education and theatre practices in a way that leads to pedagogy aimed at accountable empathy and community engagement. I believe all artistic ventures should, in some capacity, seek to shed light on the experiences we would prefer to banish to dark corners. By telling stories that shine a light on the darkness of our world, we discover pathways that lead to acceptance and understanding and create a beacon of hope for those whose experiences it illuminates. I seek to develop research-based opportunities for those in the classroom, rehearsal room, and audience to develop informed action-driven empathy.
AS A RESEARCHER AND CREATOR My artistry is often done in a way not traditionally seen as "artistic" as it manifests in my research and analysis, specifically in script analysis and performance concept creation. I believe research provides us the unique opportunity to examine complex nuances of life to provide meaning, merit, and demonstrate need. As such, ethics must be accessed and strictly adhered to. The essential question I believe all artists and researchers must ask to establish their ethics are: who are you creating your work for, and why are you creating it? In the issue of polarizing issues where humans are the subject and audience, creating an environment of objectivity for participants and the researcher is paramount. This is not only to protect the integrity of the study but protect the participants as well. My passion lies in creating spaces where a myriad of ideas can be artistically explored to address a problem, framed through research, and delivered through the arts.
AS A FACILITATOR AND EDUCATOR, I endeavor to cultivate investigative spaces that invite participants to challenge their current practices through a representation lens. Building off the work of Loretta Ross' idea of Calling-In, I strive to facilitate spaces that inspire curiosity-led, courageous communities, educators, and artists to tackle the complex problems of our society today. We are often told what to believe, but I think we must take this further by encouraging the exploration of what we believe and why. Whether through workshops, resource creation, or traditional education environments, I combine liberatory practice and the arts as vehicles for this exploration and celebration to happen.
The arts have the power to entertain, challenge, and heal. It can engage a community in ways that lead to understanding and unity. Right now, we are all drowning in calls for unity on a national and local level. However, we must break out of our echo chambers to engage in community dialogue that leads to accountability and social change. This pursuit drives me to create opportunities through my work that lead to a brighter future.