Unprecedented Challenges Need Your Support

Last week, we shared the news that our $300K project in Jordan was terminated as part of the government's purge of all foreign aid and diplomacy programs.

With funds allocated by Congress, we were 6 months into our program for 60 young women in Jordan, introducing theatre as an effective way to advocate for women's rights, while building their self-confidence, leadership and communication skills.

Programs like ours - "soft power" diplomacy through the arts - have built bridges in regions where traditional diplomacy is limited. In places like Afghanistan, we gave hundreds of women a platform to raise their voices. In Palestine, we encouraged dialogue among youth through theatre, and in Myanmar, we brought laughter to vulnerable children.

We are on the ground in rural areas, schools, prisons, community centers, and marketplaces, working hand-in-hand with our partners in each area, fostering understanding between diverse communities, and representing the values of equality, generosity and respect. But now those bridges are being destroyed.

Our Jordanian partners had already spent 6 months of dedicated work - gaining permissions from Ministries, signing contracts with theatre professionals, conducting auditions across six governorates, securing venues, booking travel, and promoting the project. They invested time, energy and passion into this project only to be abandoned and unpaid for work already done.

“This is really shocking news for all of us -- that a grant from America is frozen in this way after we all made every effort to make this project a success,” our Jordanian partners wrote. 

This is more than a financial blow -- it’s a radical shift in how the US engages with the world... away from cooperation and respect, and toward disengagement and indifference.

Our mission remains: we work for human rights and advocate for social justice. While the US has damaged its credibility as a force for good, we will continue our programs that support freedom of expression, human rights and cultural exchange.  

If you believe in the power of the arts to build understanding, to uplift communities, and to challenge injustice, (link is external)stand with us now(link is external).(link is external) Share this message. (link is external)Support our mission.(link is external) Help us prove that these bridges are worth building.

We are heartbroken and angry. And we are not giving up. With your help, we will continue our four decades of work toward a kinder, more peaceful world.

Thank you for standing with us in these difficult times.

With gratitude,

Joanna, Michael, Casey and all of us at Bond Street Theatre