Centering Marginalized Voices

Implements intentional practices to center diversity, equity, and inclusion including selecting programming from marginalized voices, choosing diverse program leaders, reviewing casting and data policies, and committing to transparent governance and communication.

Creates and delivers no-cost, custom theater and arts programming to members of community groups in New York City, including specialized productions such as Sing Out! for participants at the Initiative for Women with Disabilities.

Organizes and hosts multiple community events annually, including fundraisers, Broadway-themed dance parties, and Launch Day events, with volunteer involvement in planning and execution.

Offers theater, acting, music, singing, and dancing classes, workshops, and camps through AWT You(niversity), including virtual classes, open mic nights, video projects, and student-participation shows and musicals. Provides Pay What You Can options, flexible payment plans, and financial assistance for tuition.

Manages ticketing for performances including ticket exchanges, at-door waitlists for sold-out shows, on-site ticket sales, and issuing tax receipts when performances are cancelled.

Produces the "AWTea with Mary" blog series to highlight participants' experiences with AfterWork Theater and their lives outside of theater, amplifying personal narratives.

Produces and presents a range of theatrical programs including musicals, plays, cabarets, and original productions, both in-person and virtual, with 66 performances hosted annually many of which sell out. Includes load-in operations, backstage support, and all-out rehearsals involving multiple casts.

Offers unpaid shadowing and apprenticeship opportunities in theater production roles such as direction, choreography, music direction, and stage management to build participant skills and experience.

Offers multiple financial accessibility options including Pay What You Can tuition, flexible payment plans, financial assistance providing 25-100% relief, and mechanisms to transfer or convert tuition credits to support broader access to programs.

Provides educational resources and training on effective allyship, including recognizing micro-aggressions, combating racist normalizations, active listening, centering marginalized voices, and understanding personal positionality and situational awareness in anti-racism work.

Hosts free community events including a slumber party on February 14, 2023, for girls of color aged 5–25 focused on self-care, fun, and access to beauty services, and a formal prom event celebrating girls in Central New York. The prom event included sponsorship and partnerships to provide free prom dresses through Becca’s Closet and Ninety-Two, removing financial barriers to participation.

Offers paid speaking engagements and presentations for schools and organizations, including keynote addresses and book readings, with past appearances at TEDx Ithaca College and the New York State Reading Association Conference. Each event booking includes unlimited audiobook downloads for the organization’s members.

Organizes hands-on outdoor experiences for girls of color, including a one-day Earth Day 2023 camping simulation featuring tent camping, fire pit activities, games, and bird watching facilitated by local nature experts, and construction/home-repair training through four sessions in Syracuse in fall 2024.

Sells the audiobook "Black Girls Don't Get Love" for $20, which is also provided at no cost to members of organizations that book speaking engagements.

Offers a Board of Education-approved screenwriting workshop curriculum to students in grades 5–12, teaching storytelling, character development, and Hollywood-standard formatting, with plans to implement the program in an Upstate New York school district.

Operates paid summer camp sessions for girls of color and allies, with three sessions offered in 2024 lasting 12 days total (June 29–July 10, July 13–24, and July 27–August 7), each priced at $399.

Provides girls of color and allies aged 13–25 with hands-on training in Hollywood-standard film production through workshops in screenwriting, producing, and acting. Programs include multi-day film training sessions in Central New York, such as the 2023 and 2024 summer programs, where participants create short work samples and pitch screenplays or story concepts to media industry judges. Winning screenplays and pitch decks are purchased and considered for inclusion in the "Black Girls Don’t Get Love" television series.

The organization engages in policy advocacy to advance the social, economic, and political well-being of Black women and their communities.