Our Values

Art and Social Change

PST nurtures a culture of access, advocacy, and appreciation for the arts. We utilize theatre to create spaces that encourage dialogue about political and social issues. 

We believe we are creating art of radical resistance and that honoring the stories of our community is revolutionary. 

​Collective Power 

As theatre artists, we believe in rising together. PST’s success has spawned from coming together as artists for a bigger dream beyond our own individual artistic successes. We can accomplish a lot as individuals, but we also acknowledge that we free ourselves from oppressive systems by coming together in movement work. We give and take, learn to negotiate, share our talents and resources, and know that our liberation is bound up with yours.

Equity 

PST works to dismantle hierarchies in order to build a more just and equitable future. We pay our artists. We believe in co-facilitation, and we strive to keep collective work centered in our organization. We invest in leadership of BIPOC and women. We compensate our neighbors for their expertise. We put money back into the community we work with. We cultivate community by striving to create safe and joyful spaces that allow for open communication outside of the limits of white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal hierarchies. Wepa! 

Transparency 

PST’s resident artists work together with the agreement to actively listen without assumption or prejudice. We are dedicated to holding ourselves accountable- we normalize receiving critique and feedback within ourselves, the artists we work with, and the community we want to continue growing with. We are not afraid to be vulnerable and share the ups and downs of our growth. 

​

Cross-Cultural Experiences 

We are committed to centering the intersectionalities of our identities. We prioritize sharing and supporting the narratives and leadership of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, immigrants, refugees, the LGBTQ+, and disAbled communities. We are always interested in continuing to expand our table and reach more communities. We know that preserving and uplifting cross-cultural experiences is vital to our multicultural society. 

Wellness 

In order to be the best versions of ourselves as leaders and collaborators, we prioritize well-being. Part of prioritizing wellness is making sure we have systems in place that support us- we pay our workers fair wages; we have grievance policies in place; we have sustainable workloads. Prioritizing mental and physical wellness is a domino effect; when we take care of ourselves, we can take care of our homes, our communities, and our environment. For us, wellness also means centering rest, recuperation, pleasure, and joy, as well as accepting when you are not well, being vulnerable, and asking for support. Centering wellness is paramount to a sustainable and healthy life. 

World-Building  

Nurturing our community through the arts creates a healthier, empathetic, and more well-rounded society. We bring radical joy to the world of theatre in non-traditional spaces and invite our neighbors to use their freedom of expression by taking up space; with our bodies, our language, our cultures, and our HERstories. By telling and preserving our stories as innovators, leaders, artists, designers, survivors, and historians we assert that we belong, we exist, and we’ve always been here. The impact of the work we do is consciousness-shifting: an understanding that WE have the power and theatre belongs to all of us.

​

“I believe that all organizing is science fiction - that we are shaping the future we long for and have not yet experienced.”

― Adrienne Maree Brown, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good