Overview

Founded in 2015, Uprising Theatre Co piloted and employs a unique model for creating change by directly connecting the emotional engagement of theatre with the concrete action of community organizations. While theatre has traditionally critiqued gaps in society, it has often failed to lead individuals to take concrete action on issues of importance. In contrast, community organizations doing direct service work create significant impact, but typically struggle to connect with new volunteers and already-engaged constituents. Uprising innovates by connecting theatre with organizations as a way to immediately transfer emotional engagement into concrete action. In Uprising’s first three years Uprising has produced eight shows: five of those shows were original, one was a new work, and two were established scripts. For each show Uprising has partnered with 2-6 community organizations who are working on the issues presented in the show. These community organizations table at every performance and make a direct ask of the audience. Examples of asks have included in-kind donations such as books, cleaning supplies, children’s toys, or gift cards, signing up as volunteers, or doing direct advocacy work. Since its founding Uprising has partnered with 22 community organizations such as OutFront MN, Compassion and Choices, Women’s Prison Book Project, Transforming Families, Moms Demand on Gun Sense, Open Arms MN, and more.