Roundabout Theatre Company Inc

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY CELEBRATES THE POWER OF THEATRE BY SPOTLIGHTING CLASSICS FROM THE PAST,CULTIVATING NEW WORKS OF THE PRESENT AND EDUCATING MINDS FOR THE FUTURE.

4A - THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: DURING THE 2020-21 SEASON, ROUNDABOUT'S VENUES REMAINED SHUTTERED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. ROUNDABOUT PIVOTED TO 100% VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS, WHICH REACHED 7,343 HOUSEHOLDS: ROUNDABOUT REMOTE, AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED BELOW, FEATURED FOUR PRODUCTIONS FROM ROUNDABOUT'S ARCHIVES, INCLUDING TWO BROADWAY REVIVALS, ONE OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL, AND ONE OFF-OFF-BROADWAY PREMIERE. THE REFOCUS PROJECT, WHICH STRIVES TO MAKE THE THEATRICAL CANON MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE BY PRESENTING WORKS BY UNDERREPRESENTED OR MARGINALIZED PLAYWRIGHTS OF THE PAST. IN FY21, FOR THE PROJECT'S INAUGURAL SEASON, ROUNDABOUT STAGED VIRTUAL READINGS OF FIVE PRODUCTIONS BY BLACK AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. SEE BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILS. REVERB THEATRE ARTS FESTIVAL, WHICH LAUNCHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, TO CREATE A COLLABORATIVE FESTIVAL OF WORK DEVISED EXCLUSIVELY BY ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES. TRIVIATINE: A SERIES OF THEATRE-RELATED VIRTUAL TRIVIA EVENTS. AS THE WORLD ADAPTED TO THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR PIVOTED TO A NEW REALITY, ROUNDABOUT MAINTAINED OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS INCLUSIVE TO THOSE OF ALL ABILITIES AND TO NORMALIZE THAT INCLUSIVITY AS PART OF THE TYPICAL THEATERGOING EXPERIENCE. BOTH ROUNDABOUT REMOTE AND THE REFOCUS PROJECT READING SERIES WERE CAPTIONED FOR OUR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING AUDIENCES AND IN ADDITION, REVERB THEATRE ARTS FESTIVAL WAS CAPTIONED, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETED, AND AUDIO DESCRIBED.

4B - ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT: ROUNDABOUT IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A NURTURING HOME TO ARTISTS AT ALL STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. WHILE THE 2020-21 SEASON DID NOT INCLUDE ANY IN-PERSON PRODUCTIONS DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE WERE ABLE TO PIVOT MANY PROGRAM ACTIVITIES TO A VIRTUAL SETTING AND EVEN LAUNCH NEW PROGRAMS IN RESPONSE TO BOTH THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THE NATION'S RACIAL RECKONING. WITH PRODUCTIONS HALTED, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT MOVED ONLINE, AND READINGS VIA ZOOM PROVED PRODUCTIVE FOR ARTISTS. ADAPTING TO THIS NEW FORMAT, WE EXPANDED THE LENGTH OF READINGS, FINDING THAT MORE TIME WAS NECESSARY FOR THE CREATIVES TO DO THEIR BEST WORK IN A VIRTUAL SETTING. WE DEVELOPED NEW PLAYS FROM ESTABLISHED PLAYWRIGHTS LIKE THERESA REBECK AS WELL AS NEW WORKS FROM EMERGING VOICES LIKE ELIANA PIPES AND CLAIRE KEICHEL. WE ALSO FEATURED A CLASSICAL PIECE FROM OUR COMPANY IN RESIDENCE, FIASCO THEATER, CHALLENGING OURSELVES TO DO FIND NEW WAYS OF APPROACHING PHYSICAL COMEDY WITHOUT PHYSICAL PROXIMITY. WHILE READINGS LIKE THESE WERE NECESSARILY SHARED ONLY INTERNALLY, WE ALSO LOOKED FOR WAYS TO KEEP OUR AUDIENCE AND SUPPORTERS ACTIVELY ENGAGED WITH ROUNDABOUT'S WORK. TO THIS END, WE LAUNCHED ROUNDABOUT REMOTE, A PROGRAM TO SHARE DIGITAL VERSIONS OF SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PAST PRODUCTIONS. PARTNERING WITH BROADWAY ON DEMAND, AUDIENCES COULD STREAM "A SOLDIER'S PLAY", "TALLEY'S FOLLY", "HARVEY", AND "TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR POCKET." ROUNDABOUT ALSO LAUNCHED A NEW PROGRAM, THE REFOCUS PROJECT, AIMED AT RESHAPING THE AMERICAN THEATRE CANON. AS A COMPANY WITH A HISTORY OF PRODUCING REVIVALS, ROUNDABOUT TOOK IT AS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TELL A MORE COMPLETE STORY BY ENSURING THAT WE EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF A "CLASSIC" PLAY, LOOKING TO HIGHLIGHT STORIES FROM COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED ON STAGE. IN THIS FIRST YEAR, THIS PROGRAM CENTERED ON THE WORK OF BLACK AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. FIVE PLAYS WERE SELECTED TO HAVE READINGS, WHICH WERE SHARED DIGITALLY AND MADE AVAILABLE TO STREAM FOR FREE FOR FOUR DAYS EACH. WE PROMOTED THESE READINGS BOTH TO GENERAL AUDIENCES AND TO OUR PEER THEATRES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IN THE HOPE THAT SEEING THESE HIGH-QUALITY PLAYS WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHER THEATRES TO PRODUCE THEM AND JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT OF DIVERSIFYING THE PLAYS THAT ARE MOST FREQUENTLY GIVEN MAJOR REVIVALS. THE REACH OF THESE READINGS WAS OUTSTANDING, AND THE READINGS WERE SUPPORTED BY ROBUST AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT WORK, RANGING FROM PANEL DISCUSSIONS TO AN ESSAY SERIES ON THE SUBJECT OF LITERARY ANCESTRY FROM CONTEMPORARY BLACK PLAYWRIGHTS. GREAT COLLABORATIONS WERE FORMED, AS WE HIGHLIGHTED THE WORK OF OTHER COMPANIES WORKING TO EXPAND THE CANON, INCLUDING HEDGEPIG THEATER ENSEMBLE, PROJECT1VOICE, AND CLASSIX, IN ADDITION TO DONATIONS BEING MADE IN SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS AT BLACK THEATER UNITED. THE SEASON ALSO FEATURED THE SIXTH AND FINAL YEAR OF OUR ARTISTIC AND EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. IN ADDITION TO THE EDUCATION COMPONENT OF THIS PARTNERSHIP, ROUNDABOUT HOSTED THE SIXTH ANNUAL COLUMBIA@ROUNDABOUT READING SERIES, HELD FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR THROUGH THE ZOOM PLATFORM, WHICH RESULTED IN BROADER AUDIENCES GETTING TO KNOW THE WORK OF THESE STUDENT WRITERS. THE SERIES INTRODUCED THREE RECENT COLUMBIA GRADUATES TO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND BROUGHT THESE TALENTED YOUNG WRITERS INTO THE ROUNDABOUT FAMILY. THESE ARTISTS WERE ALL INVITED INTO THE SPACE JAM PROGRAM. OVERALL, THE 2020-21 SEASON FEATURED 13 READINGS, OF WHICH 7 WERE NEW WORKS, AND 7 WERE WRITTEN BY BIPOC PLAYWRIGHTS. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO WORK WITH ARTISTS AT THE VARIOUS DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF 23 COMMISSIONS. OUR PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF ARTISTS ALSO PIVOTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE PANDEMIC. KNOWING THAT ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES WERE SEEKING ENGAGEMENT IN NEW WAYS, WE LAUNCHED ROUNDABOUT THEATRELAB, A SERIES OF ONLINE COURSES TAUGHT BY ARTISTS ACTIVE IN THE FIELD IN THE AREAS OF PLAYWRITING, SONGWRITING, AND DIRECTING. WITH 15 CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE 2020-21 SEASON, TAUGHT BY 13 DIFFERENT ARTISTS, ROUNDABOUT WAS ABLE TO BRING ARTISTIC ENGAGEMENT TO LEARNERS FROM NEW YORK TO CHICAGO TO DUBLIN, ALL WHILE GETTING A PAYCHECK INTO THE HANDS OF ARTISTS STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET DURING THIS DIFFICULT PERIOD. THE PROGRAM RECEIVED EXTREMELY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS, AND ALMOST EVERY CLASS SOLD OUT ALL AVAILABLE SLOTS. ANOTHER PIVOT WAS MADE BY SPACE JAM, THE PROGRAM CREATED TO PROVIDE PLAYWRIGHTS WITH THE SPACE, TIME, AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO CREATE GREAT WORK. WHILE THE MAIN FEATURE OF THIS INITIATIVE IS USUALLY TIED TO TURNING ROUNDABOUT'S REHEARSAL STUDIO INTO A WRITERS' ROOM FOR A WEEK-LONG RETREAT, WE INSTEAD EXPERIMENTED WITH MAKING A VIRTUAL WRITERS' ROOM. AN IN-PERSON SPACE JAM SESSION CAN ONLY ACCOMMODATE 10 - 12 ARTISTS, BUT VIRTUALLY WE WERE ABLE TO INCLUDE 37 IN FEBRUARY AND 34 IN MAY, ALLOWING ARTISTS WHO HAD LEFT THE NY AREA TO PARTICIPATE AND FORGING STRONG CONNECTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY LED TO NEW COLLABORATIONS AMONG PARTICIPANTS. WE WERE ABLE TO HOLD ONE IN-PERSON RETREAT IN AUGUST 2021 AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED USE OF THE VIRTUAL FORMAT IN THE FUTURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SUCCESS DISCOVERED IN THIS FORMAT. WHILE ANOTHER ASPECT OF SPACE JAM USUALLY INVOLVES SEVERAL RETREATS TO SPACES/PARTNERS OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK, THESE WERE OBVIOUSLY LIMITED BY THE PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO ARRANGE ONE RETREAT FOR COMMISSIONED PLAYWRIGHT KIM ROSENSTOCK, WHO WAS SENT TO HERMITAGE ARTISTS RETREAT IN SARASOTA, FL TO WORK ON HER PLAY FOR ONE WEEK. IN OUR RESIDENT ARTIST PROGRAMS, FORMER DIRECTING FELLOW MIRANDA HAYMON WAS PROMOTED TO RESIDENT DIRECTOR, JOINING ANNE KAUFFMAN AND REBECCA TAICHMAN. WE ALSO ADDED TONY-WINNING DIRECTOR KENNY LEON AS SENIOR RESIDENT DIRECTOR, FOLLOWING OUR SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION WITH KENNY ON A SOLDIER'S PLAY, AS WELL AS HIS LEADERSHIP WITH OUR PARTNERS AT BLACK THEATRE UNITED. 2019-20 DIRECTING FELLOW CRISTINA ANGELES ALSO MOVED INTO THE ROLE OF ASSOCIATE ARTIST, JOINING THIS GROUP OF MORE THAN A DOZEN RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THE THEATRE COMMUNITY FROM THE WORLDS OF PLAYWRITING AND DIRECTING WHO ALL FIND AN ARTISTIC HOME HERE. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THE ARTISTS ARE GIVEN A STABLE BASE OF SUPPORT AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING PROJECTS AT ALL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. AS ROUNDABOUT WORKED TO ADVANCE OUR EFFORTS IN THE AREAS OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM, THESE ARTISTS IN OUR CIRCLE WERE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS ALONGSIDE STAFF IN PROVIDING ESSENTIAL IDEAS AND FEEDBACK, AND WE INCREASED THE FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS WITH THEM AS BOTH THE REFOCUS PROJECT AND OUR OVERALL SEASON PROGRAMMING WAS TAKING SHAPE. THE ROUNDABOUT DIRECTING FELLOWSHIP WAS PUT ON HOLD DUE TO THE LACK OF PRODUCTIONS, BUT WE DID MOVE FORWARD WITH BRINGING IN OUR SECOND COHORT OF THE ROUNDABOUT DIRECTORS GROUP. THIS GROUP HAD BEEN FORMED THE PREVIOUS SEASON WITH THE INTENTION OF ACCELERATING THE PIPELINE OF DIRECTORS COMING FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES WHILE PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO A LARGE NON-PROFIT AS WELL AS PEER MENTORSHIP AND SUPPORT. THROUGH MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH GUESTS RANGING FROM TONY-WINNING DIRECTORS TO ARTISTS WITH EXPERTISE IN PERSONAL FINANCE AND SELF-PRODUCING, THE GROUP COVERED A WIDE VARIETY OF TOPICS. ALTHOUGH THE COHORT WAS FORCED TO MEET ENTIRELY ONLINE, GREAT BONDS WERE FORMED. WE HAVE OFFERED THE SECOND COHORT TO STAY WITH THE COMPANY FOR AN ADDITIONAL YEAR, ALLOWING FOR THEM TO SEE HOW ROUNDABOUT WORKS WHILE FULLY IN PRODUCTION, AND WE WILL ALSO BRING IN A THIRD COHORT FOR THE 2021-22 SEASON.

4C - EDUCATION: DURING THE 2020-21 SEASON, EDUCATION AT ROUNDABOUT IMPACTED OVER 400,000 STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND ADULTS, AND ENGAGED WITH 6,000 TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM MORE THAN 450 SCHOOLS. THESE SCHOOLS ARE PRIMARILY NYC BASED AND REPRESENT ALL FIVE BOROUGHS. ROUNDABOUT'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS USE THE STIMULATING POWER OF THE ARTS TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE, USING THEATRE TO PROMOTE SOCIAL EQUITY THROUGH THREE CORE PROGRAM AREAS. IN A YEAR OF HYBRID EDUCATION AND REMOTE THEATRE MODELS, ROUNDABOUT'S SEASON FEATURED A DIVERSE SLATE OF PROGRAMMING. THIS INCLUDED THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE VIRTUAL THEATRE CURRICULUM ON BEHALF OF THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CALLED THE REMOTE ARTS LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. WE FACILITATED IN-SCHOOL CLASSROOM RESIDENCIES, SCHOOL WIDE PARTNERSHIPS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS. WE CONTINUED TO HOST OUR FREE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM, ROUNDABOUT YOUTH ENSEMBLE, WHILE EXPANDING AND EXTENDING OUR TECHNICAL THEATRE SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM, THE THEATRICAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (TWDP). BELOW IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAMS: TEACHING AND LEARNING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT ROUNDABOUT OFFERS A VARIETY OF WORKSHOPS TO ENHANCE EACH EDUCATOR'S ABILITY TO USE THEATRE AS AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOL IN THE CLASSROOM. THESE WORKSHOPS ARE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, AND AT DOE CITY-WIDE EVENTS. WORKSHOPS ARE OFTEN CUSTOMIZED TO MEET DIFFERENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES. [FY21 IMPACT: 2,780 EDUCATORS] ROUNDABOUT YOUTH ENSEMBLE IS OUR STUDENT-RUN THEATRE COMPANY WHERE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LEARNING BY MAKING ALL THE ARTISTIC, TECHNICAL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS FOR EACH PRODUCTION. IN THE FALL OF 2020, THE PROGRAM WAS FACILITATED ONLINE VIA VIDEO CONFERENCING. IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, THE ENSEMBLE TRANSITIONED TO IN PERSON WORK AT ROUNDABOUT'S AMERICAN AIRLINES THEATRE TO REHEARSE ITS ORIGINAL PLAY WHICH WAS PERFORMED OUTDOORS TO A LIVE AUDIENCE VIA THE NYC OPEN CULTURE PROGRAM. THIS PERFORMANCE WAS ALSO RECORDED AND POSTED TO YOUTUBE, REACHING A LARGER AUDIENCE. [FY21 IMPACT: 44 STUDENTS; 18 SCHOOLS] SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR WORK AND TARGET MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO THE ARTS. THE VEHICLES FOR LEARNING IN SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS ARE INTENSIVE RESIDENCIES THAT ARE THOUGHTFULLY DEVELOPED AND TAILORED TO MEET THE GOALS OF INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS. THE RESIDENCIES PROVIDE IN-DEPTH PROGRAMS THAT CONNECT THE PROCESS OF THEATRE PRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM. RESIDENCIES CAN RANGE FROM 8-12 ARTIST VISITS IN A SINGLE CLASSROOM TO YEAR-LONG PARTNERSHIPS THAT TAKE PLACE IN SEVERAL CLASSROOMS OR GRADE LEVELS WITHIN THE SCHOOL. SPECIALIZED TEACHING ARTISTS WORK WITH EDUCATORS TO DETERMINE RESIDENCY GOALS AND SUCCESS MEASUREMENT TOOLS TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENCIES FULFILL TARGETED EDUCATION NEEDS. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, ROUNDABOUT WORKED WITH SCHOOLS PREDOMINATELY IN VIRTUAL FORMATS. SOME SCHOOLS, HOWEVER, REQUESTED IN-PERSON TEACHING ARTIST PROGRAMMING WHICH ROUNDABOUT WAS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE. [FY21 IMPACT: 2,637 STUDENTS IN 65 CLASSROOMS AND 12 AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS] REMOTE ARTS LEARNING PARTNERSHIP WAS DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST AND THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S OFFICE OF ARTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS TO AMPLIFY STUDENT VOICE AND EXPRESSION THROUGH THE ARTS WHILE DELIVERING CRITICAL GRADE APPROPRIATE REMOTE INSTRUCTION RESOURCES TO TEACHERS. THIS FREE, ONLINE THEATRE CURRICULUM FEATURED GRADE-BASED LESSON PLANS WHICH INCLUDED OPTIONAL VIDEO INSTRUCTION COMPONENTS AS WELL AS VISUAL PRESENTATIONS, AIDS, AND WORKSHEETS. [FY21 IMPACT: 400,000+ STUDENTS FROM ACROSS ALL NYC SCHOOLS] ROUNDABOUT REMOTE & THE REFOCUS PROJECT ENABLED THE STUDENTS AT PARTNER SCHOOLS TO VIEW RECORDED PRODUCTIONS AND STAGED READINGS PRODUCED BY ROUNDABOUT'S ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT. FREE ACCESS WAS PROVIDED TO TEACHERS FOR VIEWING IN CLASSROOMS AND FREE LINKS WERE ALSO PROVIDED TO STUDENTS TO VIEW AS THEIR SCHEDULES WOULD ALLOW. THE REFOCUS PROJECT, IN PARTICULAR, FEATURED TWENTIETH-CENTURY BLACK PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS AND WAS SUITED TO MATCH WITH CURRICULUM AND THEMES EXPLORED IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. FOR THIS PROJECT, ROUNDABOUT TEACHING ARTISTS AND EDUCATION STAFF CREATED AN ONLINE TIMELINES OF BLACK AMERICAN THEATRE AS A RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND AUDIENCES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND HISTORICAL CONTEXTS WITHIN THE PLAYS [FY21 IMPACT: OVER 2,000 STUDENTS RECEIVED FREE DIGITAL TICKETS] CAREER TRAINING CAREER DEVELOPMENT AT ROUNDABOUT OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRE-PROFESSIONALS INTERESTED IN THEATRE ADMINISTRATION CAREERS. PROGRAMMING INCLUDES EXPOSURE AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES LIKE HOW TO STAND OUT WORKSHOPS AND HIDDEN CAREER PATH DAYS WHICH IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES (IATSE), THE STAGEHANDS UNION. THIS YEAR, DUE TO VARYING NEEDS OF SCHOOLS AS WELL AS THEATRES BEING CLOSED, WE OFFERED THESE PROGRAMS VIRTUALLY. OUR TEACHING ARTISTS AND STAFF CREATED MULTIPLE VIDEOS AND SLIDES SHOWS, WHILE ALSO SITTING ON PANELS AND HOSTING SESSIONS FOR EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS. [FY21 IMPACT: 281 STUDENTS/PRE-PROFESSIONALS] THEATRICAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE FALL OF 2016, ALONGSIDE LABOR UNION PARTNER THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES, ROUNDABOUT LAUNCHED THE THEATRICAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH CONNECTS YOUNG ADULTS FROM TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES TO CAREERS IN TECHNICAL THEATRE. THIS THREE-YEAR PROGRAM TRAINS AND PLACES YOUNG NEW YORKERS INTO PAID PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS. THE PROGRAM IS INTENDED TO BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS THAT PREVENT YOUNG ADULTS FROM GAINING ECONOMIC STABILITY; TO BRING EQUITY AND DIVERSITY TO A FIELD OF HIGH-QUALITY, SKILL BASED JOBS IN A GROWING ECONOMIC SECTOR; AND TO EDUCATE AND ENCOURAGE A NEW GENERATION OF PASSIONATE THEATRE PROFESSIONALS. IN 2020-21 THE PROGRAM SHIFTED TO SUPPORT THE FELLOWS WHO HAD COMPLETED THE PROGRAM BUT WERE NOW UNABLE TO WORK IN THE THEATRE BECAUSE OF THE INDUSTRY CLOSURES. THIS PROGRAMMING INCLUDED IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL TRAININGS, MENTORING, AND A VARIETY OF WORK CALLS AND INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS AS THEATRES BEGAN TO RE-OPEN. [FY21 IMPACT: 50 FELLOWS AND ALUMNI SERVED] COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT THEATRE PLUS PROGRAMS ENHANCE THE THEATRE-GOING EXPERIENCE FOR THOUSANDS OF SUBSCRIBERS AND PATRONS TO HELP THEM LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE PRODUCTION AND ITS CREATORS. DURING THE 2020-21 REMOTE SEASON OF STREAMING PRODUCTIONS PROGRAMMING INCLUDED RECORDED DRAMATURGICAL DISCUSSIONS. [FY21 IMPACT: 2,281 PATRONS] UPSTAGE GUIDES PROVIDE AUDIENCES AND STUDENTS WITH DIGITAL ACCESS TO ARTIST INTERVIEWS, THEMATIC AND DRAMATURGICAL ESSAYS, DESIGNER STATEMENTS, AND RESEARCH MATERIALS RELATED TO ROUNDABOUT'S PRODUCTIONS. GUIDES FOR ROUNDABOUT REMOTE PRODUCTIONS WERE UPDATED FOR THEIR STREAMING VIEWING AND DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR THE REFOCUS PROJECT WERE CREATED AND PUT ONLINE FOR CLASSROOMS AND PATRONS ALIKE. [FY21 IMPACT: 1,125 ONLINE VIEWS] COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ARE POST SHOW EVENTS THAT AIM TO DEEPEN AUDIENCE MEMBERS EXPERIENCE WITH THE PLAY AND TO EACH OTHER. THE FORMAT IS INTENDED TO CREATE SPACE FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE, BUILDING A SENSE OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND THEREFORE, A STRONGER ROUNDABOUT COMMUNITY. IN THE 2020-21 SEASON FOUR REMOTE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS WERE OFFERED VIA ZOOM TO ALLOW PATRONS TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER. ONE EVENT WAS FACILITATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY TO CREATE SPACE AFTER THE VIEWING OF THE REFOCUS PROJECT AND INCLUDED PRESENTATION BY THE LIBRARY FOR THE PREFORMING ARTS AND THE SCHOMBERG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE. [FY21 IMPACT: 190 PATRONS]