The Tribe

The Tribe was an award-winning immediate support network for theatre artists in Dallas providing collective support in individualized ways. Whether an incubation, workshop, reading, or creative brainstorm in a living room, The Tribe's goal was to support local artists and challenge their doubts in order to enrich the Dallas cultural landscape.

The Tribe was Katherine Bourne, Ruben Carrazana, Janielle Kastner, Dylan Key, Brigham Mosley, and David Price.

Although they operate outside of the standard theatrical system in Dallas, they don’t project a rebellious attitude. Kastner describes them as the ‘student council’ of the theater community, operating under principles of inclusion, creation and building a better city.
— Lauren Smart, Dallas Observer
The Tribe continues to produce quality work, learning as they go how to raise the money, and dispelling the idea that original work can’t happen in Dallas.
— Katy Lemieux, TheaterJones

Artivism: Art as Activism

Artivism: Art as Activism was a partnership between Big Thought, Southern Methodist University, and professional Dallas artists to provide teens with a platform to speak out against social and racial justice issues through artwork, poetry, and the performing arts. For this inaugural production, teens from across Dallas came together to speak truth to power by creating an original play that amplifies the voices that need to be heard and inspires audiences to take action.

Photos by Stephanie Drenka

Video by Jeremy Biggers


May I // a blessing project

Created by Ruben Carrazana and Janielle Kastner, and recipient of an Activating Vacancy grant from bcWORKSHOP, in collaboration with Downtown Dallas, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Arts, MAY I // a blessing project is a walkable art installation of blessings written by local young women for the Dallas community, manifested large-scale. Since young women are often taught to take up less space, projecting their words large-scale onto community spaces is a radical, inherently subversive act. Rather than seeking to “empower” young women, these pieces assert that young women already possess the requisite power to speak life into their community.

Photos by Zack Huggins

Video by Rob Martinez, Music by Siamese