Collaboraction is bringing social justice work to the virtual world

This past week I had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Moseley (he/him), the Artistic Director of the Chicago-based social justice theatre, Collaboraction. I first heard of Collaboraction when I met writer, actress, and Collaboraction co-founder Sandra Delgado. Delgado is the wife of Anthony Moseley and along with a few other theatre artists, they officially created the company in 2001. 

"I wanted to create work for a young, diverse, enthusiastic audience," Mosesley said, explaining his early goals for Collaboraction. 

In June 2020, I attended one of Collaboraction's Crucial Connections shows on Zoom. The show is facilitated by Moseley and Dr. Marcus Robinson, the Executive Director at Collaboraction. Crucial Connections takes place on the third Thursday of every month and each show features diverse voices from across Chicago. 

Becoming: Unlearning White Supremacy
is another social justice workshop that 
is regularly offered by @collaboraction.

Moseley admits that it feels very different to host social justice discussions in a virtual setting. 

"A year ago, [Collaboraction] allowed a certain part of ourselves to manifest," Moseley said, referencing the shift to creating online content and programming due to the pandemic. In April 2020, Collaboraction hosted their first virtual Becoming:Unlearning White Supremacy workshop. 

"The whole landscape has changed. The air is different. But it's still doing something," Moseley said when asked what feels different about moving these workshops to Zoom. 

Moseley described Collaboraction's programming as being based in "reverse engineering the actions we want to see in the world." He emphasized that the company wants to inspire audiences to think critically and take what they gather from the theatre into their everyday lives. 

"If we want people to be active anti-racists, what kind of theatrical experience will raise the questions for us and the audience? What are the questions we need to be asking?" Moseley said. 

Raising questions about oppression and encouraging audiences to reflect on their own contributions to oppressive structures is especially important considering how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated situations of injustice. Collaboraction is laying the groundwork for change when it is needed the most.