Special Guest: Donna Walker-Kuhne: The episode features the “global leader in audience diversification,” Donna Walker-Kuhne. She discusses her 45-year career, including:
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Starting as a dancer in Chicago and later becoming a lawyer to “help change the world”.
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Her influential work with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Public Theater, where she focused on making Broadway audiences “look like a subway stop”.
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Her new book, Champions for the Arts: Successful Strategies for Engaging Dynamic Communities, which serves as a “how-to” guide for community and church engagement through the arts.
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Community Initiatives: The discussion covers the upcoming Harlem Week (celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Savoy Ballroom) and efforts to create a “Harlem Network” modeled after CNN to provide a platform for local organizations.
Mental Health in the Arts: Walker-Kuhne and Rogers emphasize the importance of mental health for performers, highlighting a series of panels discussing the unique pressures black men face in the theater industry.