ABOUT IN LIVING COLORED

WHY IN LIVING COLORED EXISTS

In Living Colored was born from both frustration and hope.

As a young actor working at the American Conservatory Theater—and later searching for work throughout an industry that rarely reflected the beauty of its own art—I encountered a difficult truth: theater is a beautiful art, but it can be a nasty, ugly business.

Too much of an artist’s life is spent searching for an opportunity to create. And too often, when that opportunity finally arrives, the environment surrounding the work is not harmonious with creativity. The beauty presented onstage is not always reflected in the way artists are treated, supported, valued, or allowed to grow behind the scenes.

I began to imagine something different.

In Living Colored was created to build a community and a cultural institution where marginalized voices are given more than a temporary opportunity. They are given a platform, creative space, meaningful support, and the infrastructure needed to develop and share their work.

Our purpose is not only to create beautiful art. It is to build a beautiful and principled institution around that art—one whose business practices, human relationships, and artistic work reflect the same dignity, harmony, truth, and beauty that we seek to place on the stage.

In Living Colored exists because the values we present before an audience must also live behind the curtain.

— Michael Anthony Tatmon
Founder, In Living Colored