Each bi-monthly program in the series highlighted a different issue affecting our community, such as homicides in our area, poverty, lack of opportunity, drugs, and abuse. Our cabaret-style shows, which took place at the Brava Theatre Center, featured an original mix of hip hop, theater, poetry/spoken-word, call-and-response storytelling, dance, and singing with live music. We also included a special “Open Insight” section, in which the audience members interacted with the artists onstage-and in the process, become performers in their own right.
During the 2003 and 2004 seasons, with the support of a generous grant from the Columbia Foundation (and with Brava acting as our fiscal sponsor) Colored Ink produced a total of 10 successful shows from the “Two Generations, One Heartbeat” program, which brought in more than 1,500 total audience members. Outside the theatre, we took part in more than 80 outreach performances and led some 30 workshops within the Bay Area community.