Design Action is an intergenerational coalition of BIPOC and white designers

working to end racial inequities in the North American Theater

by confronting racism in our workplace and forging new pathways into the industry for rising designers of color.

HISTORY

Design Action began in July 2020 when designers Dede Ayite, Jane Cox, Rachel Hauck, Riccardo Hernandez, Clint Ramos, Donyale Werle, and David Zinn organized a "listening session" (facilitated by ArtEquity) — an attempt to begin to address the profound racial inequity and grievous harm in the field of American Theatre design by starting with those who were most vulnerable and letting their needs and experience shape the path forward.

One session became three — over 150 rising BIPOC designers participated in those initial sessions — and from that was born a weekly meeting of intergenerational BIPOC and white designers working to forge community, create opportunity and identify and address harm in the field of theater design.

Conducted for the first year and a half almost entirely on Zoom — and facilitated by a rotating group of theater makers including Ken-Matt Martin, Hannah Fenlon, and Sophia Skiles — the ever-growing membership of Design Action collectively created opportunities for inter-disciplinary and intergenerational networking, began conversations with our allies and co-workers in the industry, released the 5 Principles Document

In 2020, we collaborated with the American Theatre Wing to create the annual Springboard for Design program. And in 2023, Design Action worked with the Park Avenue Armory to produce the symposium “Sound and Color: the future of race in design.” Design Action has relationships with organizations such as the American Theatre Wing, the Park Avenue Armory, La Gente, the See Lighting Foundation, and Wingspace.

our Leadership

Current Leadership (2023)

Chair(s)

  • Kelly Lin Hayes

Executive Board

  • David Zinn

  • Jiyoun Chang

  • Jonah Bobilin

  • Shivanna Sooknanan

Advisory Council

  • Amara McNeil

  • Clint Ramos

  • Dede Ayite

  • Erica Lauren Maholmes

  • Ezekiel Clare

  • Jane Cox

  • Melanie Ahn

  • Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams

  • Nevin Steinberg

  • Rachel Hauck

  • Tal Yarden

Through its first year, Design Action was organized through a core leadership team, which acted as the managing branch of collective.

We entered a new phase of leadership in the Fall of 2021 with a centralized management structure composed of a dual chairmanship and executive board with both (self-identified) rising and established designers. Design Action is currently being led by designers Twi McCallum and Kelly Lin Hayes (interim Co-Chairs, along with interim Executive Board members Jonah Bobilin, Joe Cabrera, Jiyoun Chang, Erica Maholmes, and David Zinn) guiding the group forward into this new post-pandemic era of theater making.

At the end of 2022, Twi McCallum stepped down as co-chair and was replaced by Clint Ramos and Dede Ayite. In early 2023 a new Chair (Kelly Lin Hayes) and Executive Board (David Zinn, Jiyoun Chang, Jonah Bobilin, Shivanna Sooknanan) was elected. An advisory council (Amara McNeil, Clint Ramos, Dede Ayite, Erica Lauren Maholmes, Ezekiel Clare, Jane Cox, Melanie Ahn, Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, Nevin Steinberg, Rachel Hauck, Tal Yarden) was also established in this election as a third tier to our leadership structure with a more flexible time commitment.