Illinois

Statewide: What has changed for theater artists of color?

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published November 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM CST

“We’ve been asking for the system to change for years, and it hasn’t,” said Kevin Aoussou, associate director at Still Point Theater Collective in Lake View and founding artistic director of the Local Lab Collective.

Five years ago, a prominent letter rippled through the Chicago theater community, sparked by outrage at the murder of George Floyd. It put an industry in the spotlight, but did it make a difference?

Reporter Mike Davis set out to learn what has changed — and what hasn't.

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