Bishop Arts Theatre Center Receives National Award

The Bishop Arts Theatre Center was awarded the 2019 Peter Zeisler Memorial Award during Theater Communications Group's national conference on Friday, June 7, 2019 at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida. The Award recognizes an individual or organization whose work reflects and promotes the ingenuity and artistic integrity that Peter Zeisler, late executive director of TCG, prized. The honorees pioneering practices in theatre, are dedicated to the freedom of expression and are unafraid of taking risks for the advancement of the art form. In honor of Peter's uncanny ability to introduce talent to the rest of the field, the nominees have been recognized nationally for their work.

The award was received by Executive Artistic Director and Founder Teresa Coleman Wash. In her speech she shared, "We don't believe in pandering to our audience but rather to challenge our patrons so they come back wanting more. Pearl Cleage once said, If people are uncomfortable in the face of truth, they have some work to do on themselves as we all do! Helping people see the world and themselves differently is at the heart of what art can and should do. This award validates that ideology and encourages us to stay the course no matter how arduous the journey."

Previous recipients of this award include Mildred Ruiz and Steven Sapp, The Foundry Theatre, and the Dallas Theater Center's former playwright-in-residence Will Power.

Nestled in the heart of Dallas Oak Cliff community, the Bishop Arts Theatre Center is an award-winning, multicultural, multi-discipline theatre company. Founded in 1993, the mission of the organization is to cultivate a diverse and vibrant arts community while creating opportunities for local and emerging artists through performances and education. The BATC offers a full season of theatre performances, jazz concerts, a speaker series and year-round arts education programs. Each year, the theatre impacts nearly 50,000 people nationwide.