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Theater in Asylum 2021 Year in Review

12/27/2021

We made it! As 2021 comes to a close, we want to reiterate our gratitude to the community who made this year possible. For the past few weeks we've been looking back at all we achieved this year. If you missed it, here are a few links:

And below, find a review of all Theater in Asylum produced and accomplished this year. And if you're in a position to do so, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our dreams for 2022. Once again, thank you.

2021 Major Events & Project

The Debates 2021

This project was an installment in our Debates series (Past iterations: 2016, 2020). Over the course of about six months, Theater in Asylum hosted voter education and engagement events, created a detailed voter guide, and produced an original online adaptation of the 2021 NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary debates. This project's goal was to provoke political understanding, confidence, and engagement in NYC's 2021 elections.
2021 Voter Guide
The Debates 2021 annotated script
Press releases: 3/18/21 , 3/29/21, 5/13/21
2 live, online performances May 27 & 28, 2021, 150 viewers
15 paid collaborators
3 Voter Education "Civics Happy Hours". The first focused on the power distinctions between NYC's mayor and City Council. The second focused on power distinctions between NYC's Comptroller, Public Advocate, and Borough Presidents. The third focused on the mayoral candidates running.
4 Debates Watch Parties and Political Analysis Meetings to promote voter engagement
1 Text Banking Party to get out the vote
3 candidates met by team members!

Paul with Art Chang

Malcolm with Maya Wiley

Emily met Kathryn Garcia but unfortunately we didn't get a photo.

Occupy Prescott

This project was a fully-produced play by Andy Boyd. Set in Prescott, Arizona circa 2011, Occupy Prescott followed five Occupy-Wall-Street-style demonstrators as they draft their protest demands and, in doing so, create community.
Performed outside at The Jalopy Tavern in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Press Release: 9/28/21
Press Features: Joey Sims review, Go See a Show interview, Adam Szymkowicz interview, Fordham Observer review
6 live, in-person performances October 16-31, 2021, all sold-out, 200 attendees.
19 paid collaborators

Cold Readings

This project is an ongoing play-reading group. Each week we gather to read and discuss a play without rehearsal. Facilitators introduce each reading and guide discussions. This project's goal is to encourage theater literacy as well as confidence in speaking about plays.
Each week we highlight an organization doing good work that we encourage attendees to donate to. We summarized this year's organizations in our Giving Tuesday post.
35 readings in 2021, mostly on Wednesdays. 3 readings were held in person, the rest were on Zoom.
Approximately 15 people at each, 530 people total.
9 people guest facilitated a total of 14 readings. The rest were facilitated by Theater in Asylum leadership.
63% of plays were by women, 52% were by people of color.
The oldest play we read was written in 1500. The newest play we read was written this year, in 2021.
We continued reading and discussing The Golden Collection. We will finish reading the Collection in January 2022.
We read and –still cold and unrehearsed– sang through one musical.

Our in-person reading at Prospect Park in July 2021

Non-production Highlights

Theater in Asylum won three grants this year: one from the Brooklyn Arts Council and two from the City Artist Corps.
Theater in Asylum released Transparency Commitments and a 2021 Financial Transparency Report
Theater in Asylum released Community Agreements and resources
Theater in Asylum revised its mission statement

2021 Timeline

January 6 - Cold Reading
January 13 - Cold Reading
January 20 - Cold Reading
January 26 - First dramaturgy meeting for The Debates 2021
January 27 - Cold Reading
January 31 - Theater in Asylum's 2021 Fundraising campaign ends
February 3 - Cold Reading
February 10 - Cold Reading
February 17 - Cold Reading
February 17 - Theater in Asylum wins a Brooklyn Arts Fund grant
February 24 - Cold Reading
March 3 - Cold Reading
March 10 - Cold Reading
March 17 - Cold Reading
March 18 - Civics Happy Hour: Mayor vs. City Council
March 23 - Watch Party: Meet the Candidates Forum
March 24 - Cold Reading
March 25 - Political Analysis Meeting: Unpacking the Meet the Candidates Forum
March 31 - Cold Reading
April 7 - Cold Reading
April 8 - Civics Happy Hour: Comptroller, Public Advocate, and Borough President
April 14 - Cold Reading
April 18 - Theater in Asylum releases Transparency Commitments
April 21 - Cold Reading
April 22 - Civics Happy Hour: The Mayoral Candidates
April 28 - Cold Reading
May 4 - First rehearsal for The Debates 2021
May 5 - Cold Reading
May 12 - Cold Reading
May 13 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
May 19 - Cold Reading
May 26 - Cold Reading
May 27 - The Debates 2021 live, online performance
May 28 - The Debates 2021 live, online performance, script published online
Throughout June - The Debates 2021 streaming on demand
June 2 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
June 6 - Cold Reading
June 10 - Text banking party to get out the vote
June 16 - Debate Watch Party with Political Analysis Meeting immediately after
June 22 - Primary Election Day, Theater in Asylum participates in Get Out the Vote efforts
June 23 - Cold Reading
June 30 - Cold Reading
July 11 - Cold Reading (in-person!)
July 14 - Cold Reading
July 15 - First dramaturgy meeting for Occupy Prescott
July 28 - Cold Reading
August 2 - Theater in Asylum win a City Artist Corp grant
August 11 - Cold Reading
August 15 - Cold Reading (in-person!)
August 25 - Theater in Asylum wins a second City Artist Corp grant
September 9 - Cold Reading
September 17 - First rehearsal for Occupy Prescott
September 29 - Cold Reading
October 16 - Occupy Prescott performance, in-person
October 17 - Occupy Prescott performance, in-person
October 23 - Occupy Prescott performance, in-person
October 24 - Occupy Prescott performance, in-person
October 27 - Cold Reading
October 31 - Occupy Prescott performances (two!), in-person
November 2 - General Election Day, Theater in Asylum participates in Get Out the Vote efforts
November 10 - Cold Reading
November 30 - Cold Reading
December 1 - Cold Reading
December 2 - Theater in Asylum 2021 Financial Transparency Report published
December 5 - Holiday party 2021's TIA collaborators
December 15 - Cold Reading
December 18 - Theater in Asylum's 2022 Fundraising campaign begins
December 28 - Theater in Asylum year-in-review published

2021 by the Numbers

Event attendees: approximately 950
2021 Season Donors: 115
Admin meetings: 69
Cold Readings: 35 (32 online, 3 in-person)
Rehearsals: 32 (15 for The Debates 2021, 18 for Occupy Prescott)
Live performances: 8 (2 online, 6 in-person)
Filming days: 5
Watch Parties: 4
Political Analysis Meetings: 4
Civics Happy Hours: 3
Published scripts: 1
Published voter guides: 1

Thank you!

We are so grateful to the artists, audience, volunteers, donors, friends, and family who made Theater in Asylum's 2021 season possible. We are so lucky to have such a vibrant and supportive community.

As we turn the page on 2021, we look with hope to 2022. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our 2022 season.

Happy New Year!

Peace, power, and love to you,
Paul, Katie, Kathryn
Theater in Asylum

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All the things we'll remember from 2021

12/23/2021

Dear friends,

Can you believe this year is nearly over? As we count down the final days of 2021, we asked our community to look back at all the things that brightened the year. What was unforgettable? What are we grateful for? On our blog we recently posted crowd-sourced lists of performances, books, music, and films we loved this year. And below here, find a list of moments we’ll never forget from 2021, as well as aspirations for 2022.

However you are spending these final few days of 2021, we hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on this wild year, and spend some time dreaming into the new year.

Have a happy new year, and we’ll see you in ‘22!

Peace, power, and love to you,
Paul, Katie, and Kathryn
Theater in Asylum

Ps. Theater in Asylum is raising money for our dreams in 2022! Help us achieve them!

The team of The Debates 2021, just after we wrapped filming for the "City on the Fritz" music video

Moments we’ll never forget from 2021

Getting vaccinated! **this was on many people’s submissions**
Going to live theater again! **this was on many people’s submissions**
First time dancing with a group of people in over a year
The entire process of directing Orlando.
Seeing my mom after over a year
Getting to do live theater again
The discovery of Boursin cheese and Costco tuna
Being in a large Covid-pod with Bread and Puppet, and creating a new show with lots of people, even during lockdown
Falling in Love, Streaming, New Job!
The first big dinner at an amazing Chinese restaurant after all my friends were vaccinated!
45 leaving office!
Being in rehearsal and laughing at an improvisation - in real time and space!
Writing grant applications that resulted in $125,000 for the not-for-profit I run
The many Cold Readings and play discussions, especially with so many new friends!
Kamala Harris becoming the first woman and first person of color vice president!
Occupy Prescott!!!!!
January 6th (not a highlight, but a moment I’ll never forget)
Took a vacation for the first time in a long time with no agenda or stuff to do
Gathering again with family! And returning to NYC - with the low COVID rates and lots of travel points. I spent 1 week each month at my timeshare between April and November!
When I saw all my co-workers at once in-person first time after the lockdown
The Colored Museum & Sweat Readings
Writing Scenes for The Debates 2021 with my cast mates
Filming my Music Videos
Bernie and his mittens. Highlight of 2021 fashion.
The TIA holiday party and meeting people in person whom I’ve worked with online for months.

A toast during TIA's 2021 Holiday Party (all guests were vaxxed and tested negative before attending)

Aspirations for 2022

A safe end to the pandemic **this was on many people’s lists**
Live.
I'd very much love to work with more students. It's been inspiring learning from the younger generation.
Be Happy
Continued happiness and travel!
Expand my Etsy Store, Work on More Productions, Stream More!
Build community and resistance through music !
To make space and time for my priorities, especially supporting people
Stay alive, keep writing, "keep hoping machine running" W. Guthrie
Get a new, more sustainable, job
Getting a mortgage/moving for the last time for the foreseeable future
Restart an exercise habit
Focus on reading again. Reactivate our feminist book club. Read through the 2019 Kilroy list of plays.
to get more unmasked and unmuted (as long as public health guidelines allow of course)
Finish my album
Travel the world again if safe
Be more present and less regretful
Spend more time on what matters and less time (stressing) on what doesn't matter.
Help the Democrats hold on to their majorities in Congress
Convince Kathy Hochul to sign the New York Health Act!
More theater! **this was on many people’s lists**

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Film and Television we loved in 2021

12/22/2021

Each year Theater in Asylum gathers lists of things we loved throughout the year. Below, find a list of films and television shows we loved in 2021, crowd-sourced from our community. And a big shout out to our friends at The Boxcutter Collective!

Films

The 40-Year-Old Version
Boxcutter Collective’s Dimension Zero
Encanto
The Green Knight
In the Heights
Judas and the Black Messiah
Nomadland
Norma Rae
Promising Young Woman
Spiderman: No Way Home
tick, tick... BOOM!
West Side Story

Television Series

Crash Landing on You
Diary of a Future President
Last Week with John Oliver
Loki
LORE
Schitt's Creek
Sex Education
The Morning Show
The Sopranos
Succession
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Ted Lasso
WandaVision
“I watch lots of trashy TV. I'm great on a trivia team. Ask me about the Real Housewives or the Kardashian Klan.”

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Music we loved in 2021

12/22/2021

Each year, Theater in Asylum polls its community to compile a list (and a playlist!) of our favorite songs, albums, and musical artists. Below, see our list of musical acts we loved in 2020. And see here for last year's list!

Emily Johnson-Erday playing at Occupy Prescott; photo by Shubhra Mishra, 2021

TIA's 2021 Spotify Playlist

Musicians & Bands

TIA’s musicians! Emily Johnson-Erday! Ama Encore! Ali Dineen!
Arooj Aftab
The Books
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Ella Fitzgerald, she’s a goddess
David Malloy
Greta Van Fleet
The Kaiser Quartett
Truly the entire portfolio of Manchester Orchestra.
Olivia Rodrigo
Willow Smith
Stevie Wonder

Albums & Compositions

30 by Adele
The Color Purple, Broadway Cast Recording, both 2005 and 2015
Goldberg Variations by Bach, played by Glenn Gould
digital druglord by blackbear
Planet Her by Doja Cat
Sediments we Move by Charlotte Greve+Wood River+Cantus Domus
i become birds by Home Is Where
Let Me Do One More by Illuminati Hotties
An Overview of Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins
The Rich are Only Defeated When Running for Their Lives by Anthony Joseph
Another Side by Leo Nocentelli
Queens of the Summer Hotel by Aimee Mann
Promises by Floating Points and Pharaoh Sanders with the London Symphony Orchestra
Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan
Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams

Songs

“If I Had a Hammer”, written by Pete Seeger, performed by many, including the cast of Occupy Prescott
Emily Johnson-Erday’s rendition of “This Land is Your Land”
“Don’t Shut Me Down” by Abba (a new song!)
“Say Neighbor” by Burrell
“Shelter Island” by Xavier Dubois Foley
“Liberated” by DeJ Loaf and Leon Bridges
“Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
“Rumors” by Lizzo and Cardi B
“The Feeling” by Sammy Rae and the Friends
“Bad Friend” by Rina Sawayama
“Prayer in Passing” by Ayanna Witter-Johnson with Anoushka Shankar

TIA's 2021 Spotify Playlist

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Theater in Asylum (TIA) is a New York-based theater company founded in 2010 to challenge and empower our community. TIA joyfully pursues a rigorous research and an ensemble-driven approach to theater-making. We create performances to investigate our past, interpret our present, and imagine our future. We prize space to process, space to question—asylum—for ourselves and our community.

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Theater in Asylum 2021 Year in Review

2021 Major Events & Project

2021 Timeline

2021 by the Numbers

Thank you!

All the things we'll remember from 2021

Film and Television we loved in 2021

Music we loved in 2021

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