FOUNDER’S STATEMENT

My name is Najee A. Brown, a playwright, performer, and director. I am the founder and artistic director of Theater For The People. As a young Black Afro-Latino boy growing up in Brooklyn, NY, during the early ’90s, theater kept me off of the streets and saved my life. Theater was an important tool that helped me imagine a better world in the midst of the increased violence due to the crack epidemic. It showed me how performing arts could facilitate a safe environment, where people felt free enough to express themselves and their social justice views through storytelling on stage. Theater For The People provides this same outlet and opportunities for today’s youth and adults, especially in cities that either lack diversity or include communities of marginalized people.

TFTP has started to strengthen the sense of community and oneness in New England. Our events and performances connect people of all races, ages, cultural backgrounds, and social-economic groups. We provide artists of color the opportunity to produce and present work to diversity in e audiences; uplifting voices of true nobility in the midst of adversity. This platform encourages artists to share their narratives of being oppressed and marginalized, as well as the beauty and spirituality of their cultures. To further engage participants, TFTP provides open dialogue spaces after each performance. This leads to in-depth conversations on the topic at hand, where audience members can become the protagonists of their own stories.

TFTP has a repertory of original plays written by me, that keep the message of a one and just society as the foundation. My most recent musical sheds light on Hazel Scott, child prodigy pianist, who became the first black person to have her own talk show, and then was erased from history. Through TFTP I am able to stream my plays and offer focused discussions via Zoom directly after. This allows TFTP to expand its reach by partnering with organizations all over the country to educate and diversify their people’s perspectives. 

High ticket prices and misled notions of the success of BIPOC productions, cause the average age of theater audiences in the United States to be 42 years old, with the majority being a white demographic. By becoming the first black-owned theater company that services all of New England, we will help diversify communities and theatergoers in the area. Theater For The People will help make theater more affordable and accessible, despite one’s upbringing.