Some words about Equity, Justice, Inclusion, Diversity and Reveling (don't miss the great links below):
Mission Statement: Puget Sound Revels (PSR) builds and celebrates community through traditional (and not so traditional) song, dance, and story drawn from many cultures. We seek to offer theater productions, seasonal celebrations, and educational opportunities for people of all ages, races, genders and across the community.
PSR achieves its mission by:
We can achieve this commitment by applying the power of creativity and imagination to the following goals:
1) creating “revel-y” opportunities for people of all ages, races and genders.
2) expanding our circle to include new stories, bring new performers, creatives, and collaborations into our reveling;
3) Recognizing that we have the power to stand unequivocally for antiracism, equity and justice within our organization and throughout the community.
A Deeper Look at Our History and our future (with some wonderful links to our past)
Puget Sound Revels is one of nine Revels organizations across the country carrying forward John (Jack) Langstaff’s vision of communal celebration – that we need art that connects us to each other (Revels, Inc). He sometimes talked about the “magic and medicine of music.” One of the oldest definitions of magic is the “capacity to change things.” How wonderful that we have music - a magical change agent at the core of the organization.
Our first production was a Spring Revels in 1993. Jack developed the script, but not until we found a partner for him. He wanted a First Nations storyteller to join him and whose stories he would build the script around. So, wonderfully, we began with Vi “taqʷšəblu” Hilbert – Upper Skagit Elder renown for her work to preserve the Lushootseed (Twlushootseed) culture and language. Her creation stories drew that first audience together as we all “lifted the sky” together. Her spring blessing at the end of the performance translated to “The people rejoice as the earth renews itself.” Our 1996 Christmas Revels featured local gospel singer and educator Deneen Grant, Boston-area Sax player and educator Stan Strickland (Go Tell It On the Mountain), and Puyallup storyteller Binah Paz. We also note that many of the communal traditions we highlight are about justice, struggle. For example here is Fourloom Weaver [link is coming] from our 2010 Christmas Revels (which was also in our 1999 Christmas Revels.
These examples highlight that diversity, inclusion, and justice have been PSR values since our beginning. However, we have much to do to become the organization we envision. In order to “celebrate and build community,” PSR participates in the eradication of systemic racism by acknowledging and understanding our privilege and advantages, facing internalized racism, and interrupting racism when we see it.
We use John Lewis’ amazing description of the Civil Rights Movement as a guide. Along with their tactics and actions, he said, they had to know within themselves the world they wanted to create. Through the power of creativity and human imagination, “we knew the world we wanted to be walking towards.” Puget Sound Revels wants to be walking (running, even) toward a world of equity and justice, toward the world in which the lives of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color's lives matter, co-creating the world that joyously celebrates and honors the whole wondrously diverse community and the deep communal bonds that exist when we know that we belong to each other.
The work is only possible when we do it together. Thank you for being our partner in it.
Mission Statement: Puget Sound Revels (PSR) builds and celebrates community through traditional (and not so traditional) song, dance, and story drawn from many cultures. We seek to offer theater productions, seasonal celebrations, and educational opportunities for people of all ages, races, genders and across the community.
PSR achieves its mission by:
- Nurturing the traditional arts – the seedbed of all the arts
- Honoring community, within which traditional expressions of the arts flourish
- Creating welcoming performances and celebratory gatherings
We can achieve this commitment by applying the power of creativity and imagination to the following goals:
1) creating “revel-y” opportunities for people of all ages, races and genders.
2) expanding our circle to include new stories, bring new performers, creatives, and collaborations into our reveling;
3) Recognizing that we have the power to stand unequivocally for antiracism, equity and justice within our organization and throughout the community.
A Deeper Look at Our History and our future (with some wonderful links to our past)
Puget Sound Revels is one of nine Revels organizations across the country carrying forward John (Jack) Langstaff’s vision of communal celebration – that we need art that connects us to each other (Revels, Inc). He sometimes talked about the “magic and medicine of music.” One of the oldest definitions of magic is the “capacity to change things.” How wonderful that we have music - a magical change agent at the core of the organization.
Our first production was a Spring Revels in 1993. Jack developed the script, but not until we found a partner for him. He wanted a First Nations storyteller to join him and whose stories he would build the script around. So, wonderfully, we began with Vi “taqʷšəblu” Hilbert – Upper Skagit Elder renown for her work to preserve the Lushootseed (Twlushootseed) culture and language. Her creation stories drew that first audience together as we all “lifted the sky” together. Her spring blessing at the end of the performance translated to “The people rejoice as the earth renews itself.” Our 1996 Christmas Revels featured local gospel singer and educator Deneen Grant, Boston-area Sax player and educator Stan Strickland (Go Tell It On the Mountain), and Puyallup storyteller Binah Paz. We also note that many of the communal traditions we highlight are about justice, struggle. For example here is Fourloom Weaver [link is coming] from our 2010 Christmas Revels (which was also in our 1999 Christmas Revels.
These examples highlight that diversity, inclusion, and justice have been PSR values since our beginning. However, we have much to do to become the organization we envision. In order to “celebrate and build community,” PSR participates in the eradication of systemic racism by acknowledging and understanding our privilege and advantages, facing internalized racism, and interrupting racism when we see it.
We use John Lewis’ amazing description of the Civil Rights Movement as a guide. Along with their tactics and actions, he said, they had to know within themselves the world they wanted to create. Through the power of creativity and human imagination, “we knew the world we wanted to be walking towards.” Puget Sound Revels wants to be walking (running, even) toward a world of equity and justice, toward the world in which the lives of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color's lives matter, co-creating the world that joyously celebrates and honors the whole wondrously diverse community and the deep communal bonds that exist when we know that we belong to each other.
The work is only possible when we do it together. Thank you for being our partner in it.