Steve Cosson, The Civilians
Najla Said, Nibras
Sophia Skiles, THAW
Kristin Marting, HERE
Ron Russell, Epic Theatre Center

Some of the most influential proponents of engaged art have been people of the theater, but many see theater as a place to disengage, to escape, to be entertained. Do these have to be mutually exclusive? How do directors, playwrights and actors with an eye to raising political and social consciousness and a desire to directly engage with the world around them manage the fine line between entertainment and responsibility? And how do they make a living doing it? Panelists will discuss what means they use to challenge their audiences to think about topics of social relevance, how the collective production of theater influences the way they approach their work, and what responses they hope to get or have gotten in the past.

Steve Cosson of The Civilians will discuss his and the company's melding of documentary and fiction to create works that examine society's passions and foibles; Najla Said will speak of her work with the Arab-American theater company Nibras and comment on comedy in the theater; Kristin Marting, director of HERE, will discuss her curatorial work as well as her work as a theater director; Ron Russell will talk about teaching high school students to use theater as a critical lens through which to view the world. Sophia Skiles of THAW will moderate the panel.