Newsletter Article: February 2021 The Powerful Voice of Lisa Young Lisa Young is an absolute force of nature! If you have ever witnessed her lively and effervescent energy in person (or even online), you will know that her powerful voice cannot be ignored or silenced. Lisa defies easy classification, but one is immediately struck by her trio of identities as talented theatre artist, engaging educator, and dynamic diversity advocate. Friend and fellow CTG Board member Steve Wilson said, “Lisa is simply one of the most charismatic people you will ever meet. I have had the pleasure of working with her at PHAMALY Theatre Company and now as a board member of the Colorado Theatre Guild. Lisa has evolved in that time from model student to transformational teacher, thoughtful listener to vivacious speaker, inspired thinker to captivating leader. I have seen my own relationship with Lisa develop from a mentor of sorts to a devoted follower. She is a dynamo who will change the landscape of theatre in Colorado for many years to come.” Her story is a fascinating mix of triumphs, challenges, and perseverance. Born in Louisiana, she moved to the Bronx, New York early in life. Her formative years were spent in the shadow of New York City and the bright lights of Broadway. Her interest in theatre began in after-school programs at her elementary school when she was just five years old. She was equally inspired by her Godmother who would routinely take her to Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. She remembers the moment she decided to be an actor - seeing Stephanie Mills play Dorothy in the original cast in The Wiz with Andre DeShields, Hinton Battle, Clarice Taylor, Ted Ross, and Mabel King. She moved to Colorado when she was 12 and continued acting through high school and college (Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA). But a stroke would alter her course forever. She was very ill during her senior year at college and eventually returned to Colorado. She decided she would start acting in the community and was poised to work closely with Shadow Theatre Company’s great Jeffrey Nickelson before his untimely death in September 2009. Never daunted, she sought out a company that might offer a nurturing energy. In 2010, she officially returned to the theatre when she The views and opinions included in this article belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the Colorado Theatre Guild. Colorado Theatre Guild | P.O. Box 101866 | Denver Colorado 80250 | ColoradoTheatreGuild.org | [email protected] was cast in PHAMALY’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Other favorite creative experiences were Sense and Sensibility, the Musical with Tin Roof in Colorado Springs, Recipe at the Savoy (a historic play about Five Points and redlining in Denver), Reach with Misfits (about New Orleans shortly after Katrina; her strong Louisiana ties helped for this one) and a monologues project with BETSY Stage, Being Here (sadly, the last show before BETSY Stage closed due to the pandemic). A well- rounded woman of the theatre, she has done it all - writing, acting, directing, production and stage management, scenic and prop design, costuming, front of house and sales, and sat on a few company boards. In 2017, she became a teaching artist at Boston P-8 in Aurora where she engages her students with vibrant and dramatic lessons every day. Her passion for advocacy runs deep. Central figures in her young life were her father, Pastor Jules Smith of Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in Denver, and her grandmother. Both provided early lessons that would shape Lisa’s activism and community engagement. Her father modeled lessons in empathy and civil rights when he shared accounts of his tireless efforts to educate impoverished Blacks in Louisiana. He would assist them in memorizing the preamble to the Constitution and often drove them to their polling sites to vote. Her grandmother told stories of walking miles to vote only to be turned away on some occasions. Despite these experiences, she impressed upon Lisa the vital importance of exercising her right to vote. Subsequently, Lisa was very active in voter registration efforts for students and Blacks while at college in Baton Rouge. She also participated in student-led protests surrounding the unlawful segregation of minority students and white students at Southern University and Louisiana State University. Following her stroke, she became president of the Disabled Student Union leading several protests that resulted from ADA violations and other inequities. For several years Lisa unsuccessfully tried to foster introspective dialogue among performing arts organizations about the long history of anti-Black practices, lack of representation of marginalized and underrepresented people and the missing voice of the BIPOC community. Finally, in May of 2020, following the deaths of Amaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and countless others, Lisa acted. After posing the question "What are we prepared to do to dismantle racism, anti-Blackness and inequalities in theatre and keep us safe from discriminatory practices?", she founded IDEAs. The acronym stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access Stage. Their mission is to “galvanize theater makers to take demonstrable action toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility”. If you have not heard of IDEAs, you will. Lisa acknowledges The views and opinions included in this article belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the Colorado Theatre Guild. Colorado Theatre Guild | P.O. Box 101866 | Denver Colorado 80250 | ColoradoTheatreGuild.org | [email protected] that the fight against institutionalized and systemic racism (and all the other -isms and -phobias) will be long and difficult. But her Facebook page of over 2,200 members from around the world has proven that the community is learning and leaning forward. She has witnessed people asking for forgiveness of past wrongs and volunteering time and creative energy to work together to do better. Lisa was recently named one of Denver Urban Spectrum’s African Americans Who Make a Difference 2020-21and has been recognized by the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado. She was also a nominee for the Statera Martha Richards Visionary Leadership Award. At the intersection of Lisa’s passion as artist/educator and her staunch advocacy for the underserved is her deep dedication to the Colorado theatre community. She is a vocal CTG board member who joined the board to affect change, but she cannot abide critics who do not offer solutions. She has chaired an active CTG Diversity Committee and worked to redefine the Henry Awards judging process. She wants a theatre community as vibrant and as rich as it was pre-pandemic, but one that is more inclusive and open to diversity. She believes we have an obligation to make theatre that matters and reflects the times we live in. While change may have taken longer than she had hoped, she is excited about the current direction of CTG. But her dreams extend beyond Colorado as she envisions a stronger role for theatre in the national conversation and movement for change. She firmly believes that we can’t be sedentary and return to business as usual when we have the chance to build a better community that is open and receptive to all of its members. So, what does the future look like for Lisa? Her indomitable spirit shines through when she says, “Eventually, I want to have a theatre company that is led with love and provides an artistic home for those who have passion and need support to realize their utmost potential as authentic artists. It can be done. I know it can.” The views and opinions included in this article belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the Colorado Theatre Guild. Colorado Theatre Guild | P.O. Box 101866 | Denver Colorado 80250 | ColoradoTheatreGuild.org | [email protected] .