The Inheiritance Project

The Inheritance Theater Project is a national arts organization that works with intersectional, intergenerational, and interfaith communities to build relationships across societal divides through collaborative theater projects inspired by shared cultural touchstones. Since its founding in 2015, the company has employed over 240 artists to engage over 12,000 people in 16 cities in the creation of original theater pieces. In FY 2023, we undertook two major projects. They are described below:Exodus: MemphisWe began work on a project in Memphis in partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (a Smithsonian Institution) to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jrs assassination in Memphis on April 4, 1968. This project concluded on April 4, 2023 after a series of 5 performances over 4 days in 3 different venues around Memphis. While the project started in the fall of 2022, we spent significant time on the ground in 2023, spending more than 100 staff days in Memphis.Selected Highlights? We held a material generation workshop with 30 Black artists from around Memphis in partnership with the Black Artist Alliance and a text study with interfaith clergy in partnership with the Church Health Center? We held a Memphis Musicians meet and greet at local community climbing gym Memphis Rox and held workshops with public and private high school students in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves? We facilitated a lunch theater workshop with seniors from 4 different senior communities from around memphis, hosted by the Memphis Central Library and the Memphis Library Foundation in partnership with Creative Aging of the Mid South? We worked with the following community partners throughout the process: Beth Sholom SynagogueBickford Oasis Senior Center Black Clergy Collaborative Bridges USACazateatro Church Health The CoolerCreative Aging of the Mid South Crosstown High SchoolFacing History & Ourselves Hattiloo TheatreJ.K. Lewis Senior Center Limit Breaker ChurchMemphis Jewish Community Center Memphis Jewish FederationMemphis Library Foundation Memphis Public Interest Law Center Memphis Public LibrariesMemphis RoxNational Civil Rights Museum Orpheum TheatrePlough TowersRock Development Corps Saint Mary's Episcopal School Temple IsraelTrezevant ManorWhite Station High SchoolAGAHOZO SHALOM YOUTH VILLAGE in RWANDAEach year, the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) provides over 500 orphaned and vulnerable Rwandan youth with the secondary school education, medical and mental health services, extracurricular activities, and loving family environment they need to heal from past traumas, access higher education and employment opportunities, and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.In partnership with ASYV, ITP embarked on its first international project, collaborating with students and staff at the village to create a brand new piece of theater that focused on exploring the ways collective creativity has the power to build relationships and community. The workshops mirrored the values of ASYV by focusing on how art can be utilized for equity, confidence, and healing and helped participants hone their public speaking and storytelling skills and build confidence communicating in English.