The Campfire Project Will Receive 2024 Paul Robeson Award

Actors’ Equity Association and the Actors’ Equity Foundation have jointly announced that they will bestow the Paul Robeson Award for 2024 on The Campfire Project.

The Paul Robeson Award honors individuals and organizations who leverage theatre to go beyond the stage to enact their commitment to the freedom of expression and conscience, their belief in the artist’s responsibility to society and their dedication to the betterment of humankind. It is the only award jointly administered by the union and the foundation, given annually since Robeson himself received the first citation in 1974. 

The Campfire Project promotes arts-based wellness in refugee spaces and empowers refugees to step into the spotlight, explore their creativity and refocus on their humanity.

“We are deeply moved by this honor,” said Jessica Hecht and Jenny Gersten, the co-founders of the Campfire Project. “We can finally properly, publicly thank [Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director] Tom Viola for launching our mission and name the dozens of artists that have accompanied us around the world to take the work we know and love to the refugee community at large. We share this award with them.”

“The Campfire Project resonates deeply with Paul Robeson’s mission of leveraging theatre beyond the stage to enact freedom of expression and conscience, and a belief in the artist’s responsibility to society and a dedication to the betterment of humankind,” said theatre artist Fareeda Pasha, who nominated the Campfire Project for this award. “Campfire is an active, dynamic force that doesn’t stop with theatre games and therapy groups. Hundreds of diapers, bottled water units, winter coats and other necessary supplies were delivered by the Campfire crew for the residents of the camps; theatre and therapy are a part of servicing practical, deeply human needs. In short, Campfire serves mind, body and soul for people often overlooked and in extremes on all three levels.”

This award will be presented as part of the Actors’ Equity Foundation Awards ceremony on June 24 in New York City.

About the Campfire Project

The Campfire Project, founded in 2017 by Jessica Hecht and Jenny Gertsen, with Maura Tierney and Katie Flahive, promotes arts-based wellness in refugee spaces and empowers refugees to step into the spotlight, explore their creativity and refocus on their humanity. Think of them as a carnival for the body and soul!

Their programming is developed by creative artists and therapists, who are trained in using the arts for wellness and therapeutic support. We engage various arts practices to cultivate participants’ skill sets and capacity to manage their psychosocial needs. The Campfire Project’s overarching goal is to empower refugees and asylum seekers to explore their creativity, refocus on their humanity and foster their resilience.

They have worked in diverse settings including refugee camps and settlements serving displaced communities from across the globe:

• Upcoming, July 2024: NYC
• 2023: Palorinya Refugee Settlement, Uganda – Working with refugees from South Sudan
• 2022: Moldova – Working with Ukrainian refugees
• 2017-2019: Ritsona, Greece – Working with refugees from Syria, Turkey, Africa, as well as other locations across the Middle East

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