Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Wolfe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tara, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve had the pleasure of working on some truly special plays and performances With our theater company, we always do projects that tie into something important, whether that be culturally, politically, or socially. The most meaningful for me was a piece called You Know Me. For it, I interviewed six volunteers who shared stories about abortion services they had received, and we turned those interviews into monologues. Some of them were performed by the women themselves, and the rest were done by performing artists in the community. What made it so incredible for me, besides the courage these women showed and the depth and complexity of their stories, was that one of them was my mom. I felt like I was able to get to know her on such a deeper level, and it was so healing for her to hear her story told without shame. The audience was so captivated and compassionate, and we really touched so many lives with that show. I’ll always hold it in my heart as one of the best projects I’ve ever done.

Tara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a theater director and producer, and like a lot of people I got into theater as a kid. It always felt like a place I belonged, and it was so fun to be involved in productions–I still feel that way to be honest. I got my BFA in Directing, and founded Kinship Theater after my graduation. A lot of my work centers around improv, which I’ve been doing for about twenty years now, as well as biographical stories. In the theater world, my whole philosophy is centered on consent, respect, and accessibility. I have been determined to fight exploitation and predatory practices for the last ten years or so, because I have seen the harm that does to artists and creatives. Making any art, theater included, is a vulnerable process that requires a lot of trust, and unfortunately a lot of people have taken advantage of that. I want to make sure that anyone who works with me knows they are safe, their boundaries will be honored, and we will do anything we can to eliminate obstacles between them and the art we are making. Maybe that’s an altered rehearsal schedule, or being in an accessible space, or keeping lights dim, or having fidgets, or allowing for more sick days. Whatever it is, I make it work because I think every voice has a place in our company. Being disabled myself, I recognize just how inaccessible the world, especially the theater world, can be, and I want to do everything I can to change that.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Honestly, artists need to get paid. Art has immense value, but somewhere along the way people sort of forgot that? We started to separate the idea of “art” from “entertainment,” but the problem is all entertainment IS art. When the pandemic hit, the only thing that got us through it was art! Listening to music, watching shows, seeing videos on YouTube, reading articles and books, making crafts, doing virtual tours of places like museums–when everything went sideways, all of us, every single one of us, reached for art. It distracted us, gave us comfort, helped us understand our feelings and relate to one another in a very scary and isolating time. And even after all of that, people still don’t want to pay for custom art, or go see a play, or attend a small band’s concert if there’s a cover charge. And I recognize that with the insane cost of living, including sky-high rent and increased cost on pretty much everything, people are hesitant to spend money. But at the same time, we’ll pay for an AI art app, or Spotify Premium, or whatever trendy, convenient thing seems worthwhile, so it’s not that we aren’t putting that money out there. We put our money where our values are, and I think people need to realize that paying artists is actually worthwhile! When artists are paid, they can keep making better art, and people can keep enjoying it! It’s a win/win. We just have to get people to see that. And for the love of all that is good, PEOPLE NEED TO STOP OFFERING TO PAY ARTISTS IN EXPOSURE.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I made the decision to pursue theater professionally, I was not yet disabled. All of my plans were based on the assumption that I would have a fully-functioning body, with all the privilege and potential that come with such a thing. Unfortunately, I learned a hard truth that all disabled folks know, and able-bodied people haven’t learned yet: we are all pre-disabled. Maybe it’s when you hit your eighties and your hips need replacing, or maybe it’s when you have a bad ski accident in your thirties, or maybe it’s when you develop a disease in your forties–it doesn’t matter; we will all be disabled in the end. But when I chose my career path, I didn’t know that, so I made my plans to be a starving artist who would work three jobs and live on someone’s floor so I could make my dreams come true. But once I was diagnosed, that just wasn’t possible anymore, so I had to pivot. I had to let go of the life and career I had thought I would have in favor of what I could actually accomplish in this new reality of mine. And as sad as that was and as angry as I felt, I don’t think I would be the theater producer and artist I am today if I had never been diagnosed. I now make work that is more aligned with my values, more intentional and impactful, because it costs me more to make it. And I don’t mean financially costs; I mean costs in energy, pain, symptom flares, and time. And I am so much more compassionate and understanding of accommodations and individual needs. Honestly, I’m proud of how I pivoted, and I always try to remind people that it is okay if your life looks different now than what you once hoped.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kinshiptheater.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kinshipdenver
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kinshiptheater
• Other: www.tcwolfe.com

Image Credits
All photos by Tara Wolfe