WE ARE

a cultural agency creating community spaces for Black femme-identifying theater artists. In the years since its inception, WE HAVE collaborated with MANY of NYC’s largest cultural institutions to AMPLIFY THE WORKS OF EMERGING artists IN the theater.

 

MEET OUR FOUNDER

 
 

Renee Harrison is a Jamaican born - New Jersey raised and Los Angeles based actor and multi-hyphenate artist. A natural storyteller at heart, Renee marries her love for storytelling with her passion for empowering underserved narratives through intentional, authentic and creative mediums.

Coming from years of training in the theatre, it’s no surprise that the stage holds a special place in her heart. She is also the founder and creative producer of Black Girls Do Theater, or BGDT for short. Black Girls Do Theater, founded in 2016, is a cultural agency creating community spaces for Black femme-identifying theater artists.

In the years since its inception, she has collaborated with some of NYC’s largest cultural institutions, Signature Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, MCC Theater and more, to engage emerging theater artists with our shifting artistic landscape.

  • "Black Girls Do Theater is an essential community driven agency that supports and drives the theater community forward. Its model as a cultural and marketing agency is imperative to the growth of future theater and performing arts audiences. Too, its authentic and genuine attention to its audience is sparse in the marketplace and having collaborated with this team on projects since 2018, I can confidently say that this agency will change the industry for generations to come."

    Maya Shah

    Senior Marketing Manager, NYC & Company

  • "When my theater journalism criticism career was just burgeoning, BGDT became a place for me to write and gain experience profiling artists and formulating pitches. Now, I get to take that early and crucial knowledge everywhere I go including the offices of The New York Times. Black Girls Do Theater is an essential platform. And we are all better because of it. "

    Brittani Samuel

    Theater Critic & Journalist

  • "I was fortunate to meet Renee when we collaborated on marketing efforts with her under Black Girls Do Theater for our production of Aleashea Harris' On Sugarland. We were excited to partner with her on talkbacks, as well as work with her on packaging posts to support the artists and the production. We have since worked with her many times and she is one of our favorite collaborators whose work also lends itself to audience development specifically within communities that have historically been underrepresented in theatre while also creating space for those voices to be recognized and appreciated. "

    Brennie Tellu

    Marketing and Audience Services Manager, New York Theatre Workshop

  • "This year, Black Girls Do Theater partnered with two theatre companies here in LA, to market and advertise the shows that I performed in with those respective companies. The company has also hosted two nights at those theatres for their supporters at a discounted price, diversifying our audience through their marketing and facilitating meaningful conversation afterwards. Their participation brought a necessary inclusion, perspective and access to black women and people of color in the American Theatre space."

    Akilah Walker

    Actor, Producer, Director

  • "Black Girls Do Theater has been a source of community, joy, information, opportunity and inspiration for me for the past year! Professionally, I was able to book my first paid hosting opportunity in LA through this them as well. As a native New Yorker, this played a huge role in me establishing community in a completely different state."

    Destiny Mabry

    Host, Actress, Rapper, Comedian