The Kilroys, the collective of artists, producers, educators, and organizers taking action on gender parity, have revealed the 14 members of its new cohort.
This third generation, who will reimagine equity, power, and possibility in the American theatre, expands the collective’s reach across cities, disciplines, and generations. The 3.0 class includes Celia Mandela Rivera, Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel, Hannah Wolf, Jasmine Sharma, Karron Karr, Melissa Mickens, Minita Gandhi, Nikki DiLoreto, O'Malley Steuerman, Rosie Glen-Lambert, Santiago Iacinti, Scarlett Kim, T. Tara Turk-Haynes, and Tanya Everett.
Select 2.0 members will stay on over a transition period to serve as advisors.
The Kilroys operates through a model of shared stewardship with a rotating structure that resists hierarchy. Over the past year, the 2.0 class led a national search for the next generation, each nominating candidates from across the field.
“With extreme pride and jubilation, we introduce the next generation of Kilroys to the broader world,” said Kilroys 2.0 member Monet Hurst-Mendoza in a statement. “After an extensive interview process, we have selected 14 innovative theatre artists, activists, and educators passionate about making our industry more daring, holistic, and equitable. In a time when our country is shying away from its core values of liberty, justice, and equality, this cohort was carefully chosen for their strong vision, out-of-the-box thinking, and integrity. With their voices leading the charge, the American Theatre is primed for a desperately needed shake-up that will benefit everyone.”
"When we saw that the work of our collective had become meaningful enough to sustain beyond our own energetic capacity, we decided that replenishment would be a huge factor in its efficacy,” added Founding Kilroys member Sheila Callaghan. “The outgoing class of Kilroys met a host of challenges we obviously couldn’t anticipate, which underscored the importance of this elasticity. And the work isn’t done, but it’s also different work now. This new class of artists and thinkers are tasked with building a fresh community around the gaps. It's not about passing the torch through paths that are already well lit, but hoisting it into places where you can't possibly predict where the ground drops or if there are branches overhead or if people making decisions are staring at their feet. The Kilroys’ strength is their malleability, and this new class will shift as needed using the gifts of their time, their care, their service, and their own fierce interrogation of what lies in the dark.”
The Kilroys made a national splash in 2014 with the launch of The List, a spotlight on the most recommended unproduced plays by women, trans, and nonbinary playwrights. It quickly became a powerful tool used by theatres across the country, shifting the conversation on gender parity. In 2023, The Kilroys reimagined The List as The Web to celebrate the entire ecosystem of people who make new work possible. An expansion of the frame, The Web highlighted theatre artists across multiple disciplines who advocate for a more equitable theatrical landscape.
Visit TheKilroys.org.
