Power Street Theatre

Mission and History

Power Street Theatre (PST) is dedicated to art for social change by investing in creative thought leaders, multidisciplinary artists, and community voices through prioritizing representation, accessibility, education, arts advocacy, and joy. We pride ourselves on creating access to the arts through our pay-what-you-decide ticket model, free childcare for our productions, free arts education courses for adults, providing stipends for participants in our community roundtable discussions and Story Circles, offering free open mic gatherings, and digital arts programming on our social media. Our unique approach creates opportunities for representation, connection, and equity and intentionally centers the voices of people and communities historically excluded from the arts.

PST was birthed in 2012 Gabriela Sanchez and Erlina Ortiz. Since then, we have evolved into a collective of resident artists committed to community-driven programming. Operating under the belief that every community deserves to hear and see their stories thoughtfully told on the big stage, PST has created a platform for our community and members to speak their truths and fight for what they believe in. Our programming focuses on creating community wellness through theater, not only for audiences to see their stories on stage but for community members to participate in the act of creating meaningful art in their neighborhoods.

Grant Summary

Power Street Theatre’s ultimate goal is to create art for social change, and that starts with us. From the communities we work with to the shows and programming we make, everything we do works toward our larger mission of fundamental social change through art. We seek to empower our community members, who are often overlooked and undervalued.

PST’s KCR Fund grant will support our ongoing program, Comunidades Conectadas: our community discussions around themes like mental health, social justice, and empowerment. This program is a unique series of community gatherings that fosters innovative dialogue amongst intergenerational community members and is built on accessibility, freedom of expression, and healing.

We want to remove the barriers that marginalized communities face. We want people to feel empowered to be leaders, tell their stories, and build meaningful relationships. When we give people the space for cathartic expression and the resources they need to heal, we empower them to advocate for themselves and others. That is at the heart of Power Street Theatre’s mission of art for social change.

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