“We are creating theater on land that has been cared for by the Wabanaki.  We honor their community and invite you to go to the Wabanki Reach website to learn more about the Wabanaki culture as well as about restorative justice and truth telling that is necessary for healing.

We encourage you to learn more about the peoples who cared for the land that you now reside on whether you’re from here in Portland or are visiting from away.  For more information about the Wabanki Confederacy, visit mainewabanakireach.org and to find out where land you are on, visit native-land.ca.

We also want to acknowledge that the history of Maine is deeply connected to the institution of slavery in the United Sates and that residents of Maine participated in both slavery and the transatlantic slave trade even after slavery was outlawed in the District of Maine.  While it may be easy to think of Maine and more specifically Portland as a very White place, we recognize that this is simply not the case and we are working to dismantle these harrmful ideas.  We encourage our audiences to visit the Abyssinian Meeting House (learn more at abyssinianmeetinghouse.org) or the Eastern Cemetery here in Portland to explore scholarship on the subject, like Lives of Consequence by Patricia Q. Wait, to learn more about this oft-neglected part of Maine’s history.

We recognize that the American Theater has also exploited, misrepresented and excluded communities of Latine, Asian, Indigenous and Middle Eastern descent for centuries.  Portland Stage is recommittding to telling authentic stories from diverse backgrounds that all of our audiences can experience and enjoy.

The above statement was taken from the playbill – “Conscience” written by Joe DiPietro from Portland Stage dated September 25 – October 13, 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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