Conversations of Change

Our eighteenth installment features Carin Ford and Lisa Dawn Cave, with our host Courtney J. Boddie from the Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie Podcast, who have aligned with Black Theater United (BTU) to reimagine and confront the silence from the theater industry. 

Carin and Lisa Dawn are threaded together by theater and passion, what ultimately brought them to support BTU’s mission of empowering the community through activism in the pursuit of justice and equality for the betterment of all humanity. 

I wanted to help young Black people who are interested in the arts, especially technical theater, to let them know of the different jobs that are available in this industry - Carin Ford

BTU origins derive from a conversation surrounding the murder of George Floyd where the theater industry’s silence was being questioned. From there, Black individuals contacted their networks in an effort to gather a Black Theater Collective with the objective of communicating this issue to the world. In order to generate awareness, they needed to go outside of the theater. 

The organization operates on an educational mindset, which focuses on teaching individuals through a place of love. Without this abolitionists component, authentic change can never be imposed. One goal, alleviate the fear in transparency. To achieve this the organization has the following committees: 

  • Artistic Performance; examining the intentions with work and partnerships 

  • Mentorship 

  • Political 

  • Summit; conversations of change 

From its conception, there have been considerable actions taken from the industry. For instance, individuals are opening their doors to hold conversations regarding race. An action often combatted due to the fear of “losing” something when true transparency is tapped. It is not about minimizing but expanding. Instead of “I can’t” it must be “What can I do?” and having the awareness that nothing is done overnight, it has to be a continuous cycle of growth. 

Add another leaf to that dining room table so more people can sit with you - Allison Tucker

Individuals will reject change, but that is okay. Sometimes the best method is to highlight individuals’ thought processes. Unfortunately, our society has endorsed white supremacy where our white counterparts’ lack of awareness is excused and sometimes rewarded. Privilege is not a bad thing, just depends on how you use it. If you feel that you have privilege, ask yourself What can I do with this privilege to uplift the oppressed in the effort to construct a racially just world that honors our differences. 

Join us next week when Courtney interviews two guests: Christina Eskridge, full-time actor and Chelsea “ChelseaDee” Harrison, a creative envisionist. 

Carin Ford, sound engineer, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Theater from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Immediately after graduating, she moved to New York City and attended The Center for the Media Arts to study audio engineering and the Juilliard School to participate in an internship program for technical theater. After completing the Juilliard program, she was hired to take over the FOH mix on the tour of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” staring Lily Tomlin, written and directed my Jane Wagner.

Following that tour, Carin worked on over 30 shows including national and international tours such as Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables, and “City of Angeles.” 

Her Broadway credits include the most recent production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. In addition, Carin mixed Carousel (Revival), Hello Dolly staring Bette Midler, Shuffle Along, An American In Paris, Bullets Over Broadway, Big Fish, Bring It On, La Cage Aux Folles (revival), Finian’s Rainbow, Young Frankenstein, The Color Purple (original company), Caroline or Change, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Sussical The Musical, and Ragtime (the original company). She has worked with sound designers Scott Lehrer, Jon Weston, Jonathan Deans, Peter Hylinski, Tom Gibbons, Brian Ronan, and Peter Fitzgerald. Also, she has worked with prominent directors such as George C. Wolfe, Jerry Zaks, and Susan Stroman, to name a few.

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Lisa Dawn Cave is a native New Yorker who was born in Brooklyn. She attended the H.S. of Performing Arts and then Graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance. Stage Management is Lisa’s second career. She started her studies as a dancer/singer and worked professionally in that role for 10 years. She then transitioned into stage management and has been working consistently for over 25 years. Lisa Dawn has been an AEA Stage Manager Councilor for the Eastern Region for the past eight years and just recently re-elected in 2020 for the next four years.

Her other many credits include the Broadway productions: Shuffle Along, Fun Home, Rocky, The Humans, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Bring It On, West Side Story 2009, Come Fly Away, The Color Purple, Hot Feet, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, The Woman In White, Julius Caesar, Caroline or Change, Hollywood Arms, Into the Woods, Wild Party, Parade & Smokey Joe’s Café. She has worked with Directors, Choreographers, Composers and Authors: Hal Prince, George C. Wolfe, James Lapine, Jerry Zaks, Kenny Leon, Thomas Kail, Sam Gold, Daryl Waters, Jeanine Tesori, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Alex Lacamoire, Tom Kitt, Jason Robert Brown, Tony Kushner, Lisa Kron, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maurice Hines, Rob Ashford, Andy Blankenbuehler, Alex Timbers, Hope Clark, Savion Glover, Susan Stroman & Christopher Gattelli to name a few.

Lisa Dawn’s advice for up and coming stage managers is “know your worth even when it’s not told to you by others” and “always be the calm in the storm….”

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