The EPE Advisory Board 

In the summer of 2020, EPE held a community discussion just a few months after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a tragedy that sparked a global call for justice and reform. During this meeting, our EPE community discussed and acknowledged the ways in which we, as a predominantly white organization, have participated in systemic racism. While we had always strived to expand the diversity of our work on and off the stage, we recognized that we simply had not done enough to include and uplift our artists of marginalized identities. This discussion resulted in the formation of the first EPE Advisory Board: a group of young, driven adults who would hold the organization to implementing anti-racist, anti-oppression, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion practices.

 Our Founders

Since our inaugural production in 2017, EPE co-founders Rachel Brady and Rob Thompson, have been responsible for selecting and casting our shows. Rachel and Rob take great care in selecting titles that can allow for incidental portrayal—where the artist’s personal characteristics are nonessential to the role — providing many opportunities to increase diversity on stage. When diversity in the casting pool allows, they also pursue titles that allow for intentional portrayal—where the artist’s personal characteristics are essential to the role—providing real opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds and identities to truthfully illustrate their lived experience. Rob and Rachel seek the advice, ideas, and input of the board and wider EPE community with frequency when making this decision, and allow any interested community members to engage in the artistic planning of the summer season.