Jump into the NET
On Record: Black Women Directors, Makers, and Leaders on Brilliance, Glass Ceilings and What's Next
Featured Blog: I Am From the 1900s
The mic moved around the circle and by the time it came back to Carmen Morgan she was crying. Not the polite tear that gets blinked away. The full thing. She set the mic down, gathered herself, and named what had just happened in front of a room that was already changed by it.
"This practice that was just made public is what happens all the time with Black women, for Black women. What others won't give us, we give to each other and fill each other up."
I want to start here, with six women on Saturday afternoon in Chicago handing each other a microphone and refusing to perform anything for the room.
What followed was two hours that the field will need a long time to metabolize. On Record | Chicago, livestreamed by HowlRound and now permanently archived, gathered Jackie Taylor, Lili-Anne Brown, J. Nicole Brooks, Ericka Ratcliff, Roxanna Conner, and Miranda Gonzalez at The Guild Row. Carmen, executive director of artEquity, held the room. Nathalie Thomas opened it.
The premise was the simplest possible question: what do you want on the record?…
Let’s Build A Better Field Together
-
Field Impact
NET advocates for ensemble theatermaking as a distinct element of the performing arts field, amplifying the collective voice of our 300+ member companies and individual practitioners for local and national impact. We collect data and research to do this work. We need your participation for strongest impact.
-
Field Connectivity
NET hosts in-person and online events, workshops, gatherings, and convenings to develop and deepen connections among NET members and colleagues, and provide opportunities for peer-based field learning and knowledge sharing.In addition to member-only events, we do offer programming and initiatives for the field at large
-
Field Sharebacks
Nurturing the ensemble community's growth, health and vibrancy, NET has distributed over $1M to support NET members' relationship building and exchange. See the sharebacks that detail this knowledge here. More resources are available to membership in our member portal. Expanded public resources coming soon.
If you are intrigued by or are passionate about collaborative artmaking, the theory and practice of collective creation or devising work, the vitality of the ensemble sector, or cross-sector collaboration for change and just transition, join us!
On the Blog
Get Connected
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Stay in the Know, Connect Across the Field.
JOIN THE NET
NET is shifting what membership looks like. We’re piloting a more connected, more engaged model—one where members aren’t just participants but active co-creators in shaping the movement.
SUPPORT NET’S WORK
NET is a lifeline. A practice ground. A sanctuary.
NET is a lifeline. A practice ground. A sanctuary. A refusal to disappear, a refuge, a rallying point, and a catalyst.
Your investment ensures that ensemble artists and collective creation practices endure this moment of upheaval. We know our field depends on the integrity of our interdependence. If we work together, there is abundance for us all. And so we gather—again and again—not just to respond to the fiery moment we’re living through but to activate and enact what is possible when we lean in, when we dare to be radically beholden to each other and ourselves.
NET SOCIAL MEDIA
Join our public Facebook group or one of our social media accounts to engage with the NET community! #TheFutureIsEnsemble
PROUDLY FUNDED BY
