#WHILEWEBREATHE: A NIGHT OF CREATIVE PROTEST to Feature Works by Charles Randolph-Wright, Arvind Ethan David & More

Producers Brian Moreland (Blue) and Arvind Ethan David (Jagged Little Pill) have announced #WhileWeBreathe: A Night of Creative Protest in benefit of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc and The Bail Project, Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD), BYP100 Education Fund, Forced Trajectory Project (FTP), The Justice Committee, and SONG. The evening will feature at least 11 world premiere short works, written and produced in response to this crux moment in American history.

#WhileWeBreathe made the following statement:

We are a group of BIPOC Artists and Allies, unconditionally committed to ending police and state brutality, institutionalized racism and the interrelated structural issues of racial and economic injustice, both in the broader world and in the theatre and entertainment industries.

These issues have been with us too long and are now tragically exacerbated by the corona virus pandemic.

We know that Black Lives Matter.

We are optimistic that this crux moment can bring reform and meaningful systemic change. We are motivated by the fierce energy of now.

We believe that as storytellers, we have an obligation to contribute to this moment. We have the platform and the freedom and the breath to speak truth to power and tell the stories that reveal the common truth in us all.

"I can't breathe" cried George Floyd, cried Eric Garner and too many untold others before they were murdered.

We can breathe, and While We Breathe, we will use our breath to tell our stories, and use those stories to raise awareness, to raise funds and to make change.

Our words have power, they have fire, they have force.

While We Breathe: listen, learn, act.

#WhileWeBreathe will premiere on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at 9PM EDT/ 6PM PDT on WhileWeBreathe.com, as well as YouTube Live and Facebook Live. Following the premiere, all of the works will be available for viewing after the event has concluded.

#WhileWeBreathe, A Night of Creative Protest will include new works written by Lee Edward Colston II (The First Deep Breath, "For Life"), Arvind Ethan David ("Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"), Cheryl Davis (The Bones of Giants, "Law & Order: SVU"), Nathan Alan Davis (Nat Turner in Jerusalem, "Sorry For Your Loss"), Steve Harper ("God Friended Me," "American Crime"), Bianca Sams (At Rivers End, "Charmed"), Keenan Scott II (Thoughts of a Colored Man, "A Luv Tale"), Aurin Squire (Fire Season, "Good Fight"), Khari Wyatt (Stomping Down at Sugar's Love, "Africana!"), and Karen Zacarias (Native Gardens, Destiny of Desire). Directors will include Steve Broadnax III (The Hot Wing King, The Hip Hop Project), Bianca LaVerne Jones (Armed, FEAST), Patricia McGregor (Lights Out, Nat King Cole The Public's Hamlet), Pratibha Parmar (Nina's Heavenly Delights, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth) and Charles Randolph-Wright (Motown: The Musical on Broadway, TV: OWN's "Greenleaf"). Casting is ongoing and will be announced at a future time.

Shannon Baker Davis is the Head Editor. Mandi Price is the Postproduction Supervisor. Casting is by Venus Kanani, CSA and Benton Whitley, CSA of Stewart/Whitley. Music clearances by Concord Music. Digital marketing is conducted by Situation Interactive and additional marketing by Way To Blue. Pro-bono legal representation is by Sidley Austin LLP. Matt Ross Public Relations is the press representative. Special thanks to Leigh Dana Jackson, Nichelle Carr, Lisa Gifford and Olivier Sultan.

All involved have donated their time and talents to benefit the movement and the NGOs listed below.

Creators, performers, and directors who are interested in participating in future events with #WhileWeBreathe or submitting new works can contact the team on info@WhileWeBreathe.com and find more information here.

#WhileWeBreathe will benefit the following organizations. Donations can be made at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ldf_wwb

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is America's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments. www.naacpldf.org

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit organization designed to combat mass incarceration by disrupting the money bail system a?' one person at a time. Your gift can help pay bail for someone as an act of solidarity with local communities. www.bailproject.org

Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) is a national training intermediary focused on transforming the practice of Black organizers in the U.S. to increase their alignment, impact, and sustainability to win progressive change. BOLD carries out its mission through training programs, coaching, and technical assistance for BOLD alumni and partners. www.boldorganizing.org

BYP100 Education Fund is a national organization of Black 18 to 35-year-old activists and organizers, dedicated to creating justice and freedom through a Black queer feminist lens. We focus on leadership development, direct action organizing, issue advocacy, and political education. BYP100 prioritizes the issues of historically silenced and vulnerable groups within Black communities a?' specifically queer, trans and gender nonconforming, poor, disabled, and undocumented people. www.byp100.org

Forced Trajectory Project (FTP) is a long-term multimedia project that began in 2009 documenting the rippling effects police violence has on communities beginning with the families who have lost their loved ones to police murder. Utilizing Moving Pictures, stills, and sound, the project's goal is to paint an intimate and accurate portrait of the "forced trajectory" these family members find themselves on after their loved ones are killed. www.forcedtrajectory.com

The Justice Committee is a grassroots organization dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. At the heart of JC's work has always been supporting and uplifting the leadership of families who've lost loved ones to the police. www.justicecommittee.org

SONG is a home for LGBTQ liberation across all lines of race, class, abilities, age, culture, gender, and sexuality in the South. It builds, sustains, and connects a Southern regional base of LBGTQ people in order to transform the region through strategic projects and campaigns developed in response to the current conditions in our communities. www,southernersonnewground.org