Diversionary Theatre Announces The Launch Of The RISING TIDE COMMISSIONING PROGRAM For LGBTQ BIPOC Artists

Diversionary Theatre has received support from the National New Play Network's Bridge Program in support of Diversionary Anti-Racism Action Plan and the launch of The Rising Tide Commissioning Program.

Regarding the new commissioning program, Executive Artistic Director, Matt M. Morrow says, "We are so grateful for The National New Play Network's Bridge Program for their belief in our work in realizing our Anti-Racism Action Plan and this commissioning program. I'm also thrilled beyond belief to welcome Farah Dinga and Kenny Ramos into our intimate artistic family here at Diversionary. I look forward to collaborating with them both over their two year residency and supporting the work they create."

Through Diversionary Theatre's Rising Tide Commissioning Program, Kenny Ramos will be developing a new play that centers two-spirit, Kumeyaay experiences in reservation and urban settings in southern California; and Farah Dinga will be developing a new play inspired by South West Asian mythology that mixes magic realism with the queer American experience.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Farah Dinga is a San Diego based theater artist. Trained at UCSD, she has performed on numerous stages including: La Jolla Playhouse, New Village Arts, MOXIE Theatre, and many more. As a theatre artist, her work holds an emphasis in diversity, inclusion, and equity, in order to create safe spaces and accommodations for minority students and artists to be heard and grow their craft. This includes her time as the Artistic Director and founder of The Octopus Literary Salon's dramatic program that provided opportunities to communities of color to take part in theatre and showcase their work.

Kenny Ramos (Barona Band of Mission Indians, Kumeyaay Nation) grew up on the Barona Indian Reservation and started his theater career in San Diego at Starlight and Moonlight Stage Productions before attending UCLA, where he earned a BA in American Indian Studies. He is currently an ensemble member at Cornerstone Theater Company and Native Voices at the Autry and has also performed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, Rose Theater Omaha, Perseverance Theatre, Passage Theatre, and the Denver Center. Kenny is a recipient of First Peoples Fund's Cultural Capital Fellowship and is the first Native American to receive Theatre Communications Group's Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship. Kenny is passionate about creating theatre that centers Native perspectives and challenges settler colonial realities of American society, and when not performing, he works with California Native Vote Project and is actively involved with language revitalization efforts and two spirit advocacy within his tribal community.

National New Play Network is an alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. Founded in 1998, NNPN continues to revolutionize the new play landscape through the strength of its member theaters, collaborative efforts, and its nationally recognized programs and services for artists and organizations.

The goals of the Bridge Program are two-fold:

• To incentivize NNPN Member Theaters to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays by theater artists who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) in their re-imagined 2020-21/2021 seasons.
• To incentivize and support NNPN Member Theaters in developing and implementing anti-racist practices in their production of new plays by, for, about, and with BIPOC theater makers.

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