NEW LEADERSHIP
In September of 2024, Broadway Advocacy Coalition brought on Elz Cuya Jones as its new executive director. Elz is a storyteller, fundraiser, and mother with 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. Before joining Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Elz led the all-women of color development team at North Star Fund, a community foundation that supports grassroots organizing for social justice movements in New York. Today, she serves as Chair of Advocacy Institute, an organization that supports the legislative and policy work of community leaders working for equity and justice.
Special thank you to our outgoing and founding executive director ROBB NANUS! Robb led Broadway Advocacy Coalition from a fledgling volunteer run organization to the Tony-award winning organization it is today. During his time with us, BAC partnered with organizations like Columbia Law School and the Center for Popular Democracy and acclaimed artists including actor Jesse Williams and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage.
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PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Ranging from our Impact Projects to our Night of Artivism
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PARTICIPANTS
Engaging with those 11 events over the course of the year
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PEOPLE REACHED
Through our social media and online content
PROGRAMS
Storytelling for Social Good at Sundance
Theater of Change Final Presentation
Storytelling for Social Good at Tribeca
FreeHer Quilt Making Event
Two Change Agent Trainings
Artivism Fellowship Work in Progress
Night of Artivism
EVENTS
Artivism Mixer
SigSpace: Creative Resistance Event
Reintroduction Dinner
The Artivism Ball
OUR FAVORITE MOMENTS
1) Ten artists came together with law students and community organizations in our foundational Theater of Change Workshop, a 5-day course co-taught by BAC and Columbia Law School.
2024 Theater of Change Final Presentation
2) For the culmination of our 2024 Artivism Fellowship, fellows Ari Afsar and Wildlin Pierrevil presented their original pieces of artivism at Abrons Art Center, in partnership with the Justice Beyond Punishment Campaign, to address state violence and advocate for more effective approaches to safety and justice.
2024 Fellows Ari Afsar and Wildlin Pierrevil at the Night of Artivism
3) The Artivism Ball at 583 Park Avenue was a joyous night of celebrating the power of art to transform our society and honoring Colman Domingo and Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari.
Resistance Revival Chorus performing at the 2024 Artivism Ball
Check out this video from BAC Co-founder and Board Member Adrienne Warren about regrounding in our OG mission!
We’re regrounding in our founding purpose: to utilize the power of the arts to ignite action and drive meaningful change. We’re focusing our energy on initiatives connected to the criminal legal system in New York City and State.
Our intervention? Artivism that spark action! We’re creating issue-focused, impact-driven stories that make change not just irresistible, but possible. Our unique approach generates powerful art that powers change.
What about the theater industry? We’re finding ways to activate YOU so you can use your talent to solve some of today’s most pressing social issues such as the criminal legal system.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE WHERE IT COUNTS
Hear directly from our participants
2024 Theater of Change Participant
“[I see myself using the Theater of Change methodology] in everything, everywhere. The methodologies that I learned in Theater of Change completely heightened and shifted my ways of thinking about art and activism separately and together. I will be infusing these methodologies into my personal poetry and art and in the ways that I interact with art & activism in general. And when we add the things we learned about intentional listening and contribution, I absolutely see myself using all that I learned here in areas all throughout my life as an artivist.”
2024 Change Agent Training Participant
“I feel that often Company Managers are trained to be docile and complacent and go about their day without human emotion. [Change Agent] Training reminded me that I am allowed to connect with our company members, hear their concerns, celebrate their successes, and hold people in power accountable for decisions that they make that affect people, the show, the community & the industry.”
Ari Afsar, 2024 Artivism Fellow
“The Artivism fellowship at BAC was one of the most meaningful and impactful artistic experiences I have ever had. The intentionally of Dria Brown and Leia Squillace to ensure the piece centered impacted-community while also focusing on supporting the needs the fellow was awe-inspiring. The intersection of art and activism is a difficult balance that they led beautifully. They steered us to focus on our target audience while also ensuring our art was presented on the highest degree. Overall, the most incredible part of this process was collaborating with 6 community advocates in curating the arc of the piece, the sharing of songwriting, the IP, and eventually sharing the stage together. We built community, trust, and collaboration and that was baked into the DNA of the fellowship.”
DEVELOPING LONG-LASTING PARTNERSHIPS
Aaron Glick
Aaron Tacy
Adrienne Becker
Adrienne Warren
Alexandra Bishop
AMC Networks
American Endowment Fund
American Online Giving Foundation
Amy Asch
Andrea Nellis
Angela Pietschmann
Ars Nova PGM
Arts FMS
Ashley Morton
Barbara Whitman
Ben Wexler
Bernard Telsey
Black Theater United
Bonita Hamilton
Brian White
Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids
Capacity Interactive
Carolyn Tharp
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Chesray Dolpha
Chris Jaehnig
Christopher Wheeldon
Ciara Gogan
Civil Solutions
Clive J. Davis Foundation
CLUE TOURING LLC
Co Collective LLC
David Bennett
David Neumann
David Rockefeller Fund
Dennis Stowe
Department of Cultural Affairs
DeWayne Snype
Diana DiMenna
Disney Worldwide Services, Inc.
THANK YOU
TO OUR FY24 DONORS*
DJ Martin
Dori Berinstein
Dramatists Guild Foundation
Elisa Haas
Elizabeth Emens
Elz Cuya Jones
Eric Gelb
Erica Hughes
Erica Tuchman
Evan Vorono
Fidelity Charitable
Gavin Creel
Get Lifted Film Co.
Gillian Pensavalle
Gloria Zarate
Goldie Patrick
Hannah Lyons
Heidi Griffiths
Henry Tisch
Hispanic Federation Fund
HJ Revocable Trust
Holly Coombs
Ian Bales
Ian Bates
Idina Mentzel
India Haggins
Jason Weston
Jeffrey Coleman
Jeffrey Seller
Jeremy Robins
Jewish Communal Fund
Jill Furman
Jimmy Jackson
Joanne Baker
Joel Veenstra
John Gore Organization
Joni Hayden-Summerton
Jordan Roth
Joshua Work
Josie McCoyJujamcyn
Julie DeVore
Julius C. Green
Justin Paul
Kate Berry
Kavita Bali
Kendall Thomas
Kevin McCollum
Knickel Family 12° to Dreams Foundation
Kyle Ranson-Walsh
Kyrie Courter
Laura Hassell
Lawryn LaCroix
Lee Perlman
Leticia John
Marc Hirschfeld
Marcia Sells
Matt Kupchin
Matthew Rego
MBL Productions, Inc
McKenzie Murphy
Melanie Brister
Meta
Michele Warman
Microsoft
Miranda Family Fund
Miriam Michaels
Morgan Stanley Giving Fund
National Endowment for the Arts
National Philanthropic Trust
NBC Universal
Nederlander Organization
Nevin Steinberg
Nicholas Hipple
Noah Weintraub
Patrick Rosengrant
Payne-Brodeur Giving Fund
PayPal Giving Fund
Platespinner Productions
Rachel Chavkin
Rebecca Linn
Rebecca S. Fleming
Rishauna Zumberg
Roger Dykeman
Ron Milon
Rona Siddiqui
Ronald Simons
Sara Debolt Ramirez
Schwab Charitable
Shannon Weiss
Shawna Grajek
Shifra Bronznick
Sid Solomon
Spring Point Partners
Stacey Mindich
Stage Entertainment
Stage Managers' Association
Steven David
Susan Frost
Susannah & Cedric Bien-Gund
Taeler Cyrus
Taylor Maimbourg
The BDM Family Foundation
The Diller von Furstenberg Family Foundation
The Gersh Agency
The Theatre Leadership Project (TTLP)
Thomas Kail
Thomas Schumacher
Tia Powell Harris
Tiger Baron Foundation
TodayTix, Inc.
Tracy Burnett
Universal Theatrical Group
Warner Bros Entertainment
Will Chase
Xotchil Musser
Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari*This FY24 list reflects gifts received from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. If you believe there has been an omission or mistake, please contact our Finance and Operations Manager, Abagael Cheng at abagael@bac.nyc.
