Community Partners


Community partners are individuals and organizations with close ties to the community who assist the Manager of Community Partnerships and lead artists with various aspects of the project, such as:

 

 

Because we are outsiders to the community, we rely on our Community partners to make referrals and introductions to other community members on our behalf. Many cast members will come to us through our community partners.

Community partners will host Story Circles, inviting their constituents, members and friends to take part in the play development process by sharing their stories and experiences.

When Cornerstone began work on the BH Cycle Bridge Show, Broken Hearts, community residents from each of the four neighborhoods volunteered to give the playwright a tour of their community.

Community partners can help to identify rehearsal and performance venues. In fact, partners will often contribute their own facilities, hosting rehearsals and performances.

Sometimes we will need to hire technicians or crew members for the play. Community partners can help identify these resources. Other times, we will need a specific type of clothing or a particular prop that we cannot locate. Community partners will help direct to places where we can find them.

Community partners can promote Story Circles, auditions and performances in their community newsletters or church bulletins, and by word of mouth.

 

Community partners become the play’s co-producers, advocates and liaisons, building bridges between the company and the community.

 

The relationship between the theater company and community partners is built on mutual support. The partner’s contribution is in the form of communication networks and resources, and the company in turn supports the partners primarily by creating a work of art that reflects the spirit of the community, as articulated by its members.

 

Sometimes there are ancillary activities that provide more specific support to partners. In one instance, Cornerstone invited a community partner that was a healthcare organization to hold a health fair in the parking lot of the theater during the run of the show.