CATAC
The Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC) was formed in February 2005 and received 501(c)(3) status in December 2006 in order to provide an administrative umbrella for the New World Performance Laboratory (NWPL). In 2020, the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, Gum-Dip Theatre, QuTheatr, and others, took over the Balch Street Theatre, in order to continue supporting emerging local artists and those of international reputation creating new work and experimenting with new forms of expression.
CATAC’s mission is:
To embolden innovative performances and artist-centered events that nurture social change and foster community.
CATAC’s aims are:
1) To establish a multi-use, multi-programmatic community cultural center that will serve the greater Akron community;
2) To create performances, exchange and training opportunities for students, artists, theatre practitioners, scholars, and others;
3) To offer educational outreach to the surrounding community through ongoing classes designed for diverse populations;
4) To expand the knowledge and practice of performance and to investigate the theatre’s possibilities to affect cultural change;
5) To maintain and enhance the international reputation of Akron as a center of performance innovation and research;
6) To improve understanding of human diversity and the creative act and to promote public comprehension of a wide spectrum of performance forms and techniques.
CURRENT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture/New World Performance Lab’s Pledge:
CATAC/NWPL commits to being “a brave space” and continuing to make The Balch Street Theatre a space where:
● It is safe to be who you are, regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, ability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
● Diverse opinions, dissent, and argument are not only accepted, but invited.
● Active listening and courageous exchange are fundamental values.
● Collective action, activism, and community engagement, both within and outside the walls of the theater, are cultivated, encouraged, and supported.
We affirm that CATAC/NWPL and The Balch Street Theatre have been and will be a place of diversity and inclusion. We confirm that the action of “Listening” is one of the actor’s primary tools of craft and we will work to “listen” to the communities and organizations around us that ask for our support.
We pledge to strengthen our existing relationships with QuTheatr Ensemble, Center for Applied Drama and Autism, and Ma’Sue Productions and seek to discover what true partnership and collaboration might look like together with other local, regional, national, and international performance groups.
We pledge to share our knowledge of the artistic and social justice actions, programs, performances, and initiatives that CATAC/NWPL has created and will create.
We pledge to interact with our community in new ways in order to empower each other to examine our sources, tell stories, sing songs, dance dances, and reconnect with the impulse to create.
