Radical Design is a 2 hour happy hour where Q, POC, and QPOC designers can meet with local artistic directors eager to expand their pool of designers.
The Philadelphia Design Center, The Bearded Ladies, Directors Gathering (DG), Power Street Theatre, Simpatico Theatre, and Theatre Philadelphia are teaming up to encourage equity and inclusion in the design community in Philadelphia with an event during Theatre Week. We are pooling resources to bring queer designers and designers of color from the area and surrounding cities to come to Philadelphia and meet with local artistic directors, producers, and directors. The goal is to increase the visibility of these designers and to connect them directly with theater makers and leaders in the city.
Designers tend to be hired by word of mouth and through personal relationships. If theaters, and theater leaders wish to expand their pool of designers, it can be difficult to do so through only websites and Google sheets. Radical Design seeks to connect designers from queer and POC communities directly with the makers and theater leaders in Philadelphia. It’s like a first date, but we did all the messaging, profile building, and virtual flirting for you.
This project assumes that the Philadelphia Theatre community is on a journey towards being more heterogeneous, equitable, and inclusive. The team behind Radical Design hopes to contribute to this journey by supporting radical designers in and outside of the city.
Directors: RSVP by January 25 at 5pm here: http://bit.ly/directorrsvp
Designers: RSVP by January 25 at 5pm here: http://bit.ly/designerrsvp
All designers are guaranteed a small honorarium and travel stipend if RSVP is received by January 25. All directors are guaranteed a travel stipend is RSVP is received by January 25.
The Philosophy behind Radical Design:
Do you need to consider yourself “radical” or your work “radical” to participate in Radical Design? No, this event is for Queer and POC designers of all styles, backgrounds, and points in their career as well as anyone who can hire them.
Designers tend to be hired by word of mouth and through personal relationships. If theaters and theater leaders wish to expand their pool of designers, it can be difficult to do so through only websites and shared Google sheets. This first event in the Radical Design series seeks to connect designers from queer and POC communities directly with the makers and theatre leaders in Philadelphia. It’s like a first date, but we did all the messaging, profile building, and virtual flirting for you.
What is Radical?
Financial transparency
Shifting the existing power paradigms of hiring and designer showcases
Paying designers for work that is normally just expected of them
Centering marginalized voices in the design community, in this case Queer and POC designers
Collaboration in the face of systemic and institutionalized oppression is radical
Philly Theatre Week:
Monday, February 11th - 4:30pm
Free - RSVP