BWW Video: Episode Six of Round House Theatre's Webseries Homebound with A Written Statement from the Theatre's Leadership

The sixth installment of Round House Theatre's Original Webseries Homebound is now live, with new episodes premiering every Monday through June 29. The 10-episode series is written by a different local playwright each week, and features 9 DC-area actors who would have performed on the Round House stage this spring.

Before viewing the episode, please read the following statement from Round House Theatre's leadership.

A statement from Round House Theatre's Artistic Director Ryan Rilette and Managing Director Ed Zakreski

Episode 6 of Homebound, Sometimes It Snows in April, was written and is set three weeks ago, when the killing of Ahmaud Arbery was still on every front page in America. Arbery's death at the hands of two white men while he jogged through a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia, weighs heavily on the mind of Craig during the episode.

It is a horrifying truth that Arbery's death is no longer front-page news. This past week, video emerged of George Floyd's death after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Our country has erupted in protests demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality against Black and brown people.

Round House stands with the protesters across the nation who are expressing their outrage over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others at the hands of police officers. We recognize that police brutality and the over-policing of communities of color are only two manifestations of systemic and institutional racism and we condemn such injustices in all forms.

In the midst of the worst health crisis of our lifetimes, when people of color-many of whom serve as essential workers-are being disproportionately hurt by both the pandemic and its economic fallout, it is unconscionable that our fellow Americans are not just overlooked, but murdered in broad daylight by white people in positions of power.

We can and must do better, America.

We know that art, equity, and justice go hand in hand. We support and applaud our vibrant community of Black artists, staff, teachers, supporters, audiences, and students who have made Round House a space where people gather to better understand our world. We are grateful to the artists of color who are working on Homebound in the midst of this crisis.

As a predominantly white theatre, Round House promises to serve as an ally to communities of color. We vow to use our positional power to fulfill our stated organizational value of Theatre for Everyone: to amplify voices that have been historically under-represented and under-resourced by the theatre field and to incorporate anti-racist practices and anti-sexist practices across all aspects of our work.

We pledge to model the America that we can be rather than the America that is sadly visible today.

Click below to view Episode Six of Homebound entitled Sometimes It Snows in April featuring Round House Theatre Resident Artists Craig Wallace and Maboud Ebrahimzadeh.

To view past episodes of Homebound, click here.