A special message from the Board of Directors of Twin Beach Players to our theater family and friends,

We have all watched the events unfold over the last couple of weeks and our hearts go out to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubrey and their families, and to the many black people who have been negatively impacted by racial injustices. These three incidents, which were brought to light in quick succession, in addition to the stress of the global pandemic created quite the flashpoint. What we do now matters. This is a moment in history where we make the choice to do nothing or take action to make a difference in our world, in this community. We stand in support of and choose to be a part of the fight to end racial injustices in our nation.

Our hearts also go out to the millions of folks across the country that are working through their emotions of the current events and beginning conversations to understand each other’s perspectives. Sometimes national events seem so far away from our own small town and we forget that this affects us all in some way. Our little towns are not immune to racism and Calvert has a long history of such. I truly believe that we as individuals and as an organization can make a difference in the lives of folks both young and old in our community. We cannot change the entire nation today, but by doing our part through educating our community, especially our youth, being inclusive and working to make our theater as diverse as possible is a start.

I for one, have made a conscious effort to read in the last few weeks some of the literature and movies that are out there on the black experience in this country and I have been enlightened to some things I just didn’t understand. We can do more. Nationally, the conversation has been that we can make change through education, through one on one conversations and by expressing our civic duty to vote and call for policy changes. While we encourage our members to exercise their civic duty to vote, our greatest contribution as a part of this community will be to educate through the arts and to provide an inclusive and welcoming family environment for all.

The arts have always been an impetus for bringing awareness and calls to action for social change. The Twin Beach Players has been consistent in promoting diversity in our performances, both on stage and behind the scenes. We will continue to support other theater companies when they are unfairly criticized for their diverse casting, as we have in the past. As an organization, we are currently discussing some ideas on ways to help educate and promote social justice for all. While we appreciate all of our members, if anyone has a particular interest and passion to providing some volunteer time for a Diversity and Inclusion initiative in our organization, please feel free to reach out for an invitation to a board meeting as we are open to any and ALL ideas.

Please stay safe and know that we are still here for everyone.
We thank you from the bottom of our heart for your continued support.

Audra Vernier
President