Dear Friends,
We hope June has brought you good health as we enter into the fourth month of the COVID-19 pandemic and that you are staying safe.
June brought our nation, our state, and our local area a literal ground-shift. The response to the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many more at the hands of police, along with the unconscionable systemic racism that has diseased our country since it was founded, has been immense and overwhelming in a good way. We are, at last, waking up.
In the past few days we have written and rewritten this letter more times than we can count. How does one even go about addressing such a complex situation? Are we witnessing a revolution? If so, what is our role in it?
We know many of you reading this letter are feeling the same thing. Like many people, we are listening and learning from Black leaders who we are lucky enough to call friends, as well as national leaders, and we are reading books by BIPOC authors in order to educate ourselves. We are also trying our best to use our place of privilege to fight for change and by being vocal to our community, our families, our children, and by donating to organizations that are leading the way towards righting the social injustices that have been plaguing American society for centuries.
And yet… it doesn’t feel like enough.
As a company, we have paused over the past few weeks to deeply consider how best to engage on issues of racism. Acts of racism and injustice have no place in our country or our company. To our Black brothers and sisters who are grieving, suffering, and pleading, unequivocally, your life matters.
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has presented Honest Pint with obvious challenges. As of today we have no idea when we will be able to produce a show live and in-person. There is no end in sight to the pandemic; gathering in crowds is not feasible, advised, or lawful. Theatrical venues remain closed.
We had planned to bring a special live-streamed event to you this month. It was a really good one, too, about how our country decides who to vote for in a presidential election and why we just can’t seem to put a woman in the Oval Office.
A streaming performance of HILLARY AND CLINTON by Lucas Hnath will hopefully happen in the fall (or maybe in person in January, just in time for the inauguration of whomever gets elected in November!).
We also have moved SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS twice on the calendar. We had hoped to bring it to you at Pure Life Theater in August, but we will not be able to do that as of today.
That’s the long and short of it. We are pressing “pause” for three months, regrouping, hoping for change and a cure for COVID-19, listening, learning, and un-learning, understanding our own part in racism, and dreaming of a day when we can all be together sharing our stories.
Let’s commit to ensuring that Black voices are not silenced. Educating ourselves is the first step if we hope to make any progress in bringing an end to racism. Social, political, and economic discrimination against Black communities continues to exist. There is deep pain that needs to be healed. Let’s work together to make it happen.
Thank you for your steadfast support and belief in our work. We appreciate your ongoing financial help, and we appreciate your understanding of our decision to pause it for a little while.
We WILL be back when it is safe for us to come back. Safe for our artists as well as our audiences, whether that is in 3 months, 6 months, or maybe even longer.
Honest Pint is NOT going away. There are too many important stories to share and we think theatre has the power to change minds and help shape the cultural landscape.
Please take good care of yourselves in this unprecedented and unstable time. We can’t wait to see you in person one day soon!
DRINK DEEP!
— Susannah and David