I want to educate the public about what's happening in the crisis itself and the courts, the refugees and how they are treated here, but also to make the performances as beautiful in that they will impart to the audience in a profound way. How do I put their stories in the most art form to go to the core of human being because what I need from this performance is a call to action for people to actually DO something. So, we can educate them and impact them in an emotional way so that people know what to do. It's on us. We need to be haunted by their stories. ~ Irina Kruzhilina

Irina Kruzhilina is an award-winning theater maker whose roles include director, scenographer, experience designer, playwright, professor, and artistic director.

Why is freedom to read so important? I think we take for granted the idea that a multiplicity of voices are accessible to us, and our libraries are places that represent the voices of everyone in the community. There's a court case called Little v Llano just came out of the 5th district of the 5th circuit court of appeals, the district covers Texas and Louisiana. This court case is threatening one of the most essential freedoms that we have which is a couple of First Amendment precedents that were established in the 60s-70s that say that very thing -- that books cannot be removed from the shelves based on just disagreeing with the partisan ideas or the ideas wherein...the threats to these freedoms are very real, and what I try to do is get out the urgent message that we could see the Supreme Court weaken the first amendment as it comes to free expression, as it comes to the freedom to read, as it comes to the ability to read what you want, think what you want about it, write what you want, and I don't know what could be more fundamental than that. That's the message I'm really trying to get across. ~ Rosie Stewart

Rosalie (Rosie) Stewart is Senior Manager of Public Policy at Penguin Random House. A skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and championing the freedom to read, Rosie has extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access. Rosie is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government

"One of the major ideas behind Fall of Freedom was not only to get some bold-faced names involved to this project to attract involvement, but to get regular folks to participate...We are all creative beings; we are all producing culture all the time...it's not just seeing the art on the wall, but the conversations we might have. These are important cultural acts that are unfolding on a daily basis and everybody is participating in them. You don't have to fall into this special category of "artist" to produce culture. "

~Laura Raicovich



Laura Raicovich is a New York City-based writer and curator based in New York City. Most recently, she curated the inaugural Counterpublic Convening, CIRCUS OF LIFE, in St. Louis, MO and is an initiator of Fall of Freedom, a national call for cultural resistance in the US.

Holding women back doesn't just harm women, it holds everyone back - our economies, our nations, our future. If inequality is limiting us all, why aren't we doing anything to fix it? To build the unity needed to move forward, we have to connect to people's values. What kind of world do they want? For me, the answer is clear: we need women's full participation - everywhere. Holding women back holds humanity back. And building a better world for women is better for everyone. ~Lina AbiRafeh

Lina AbiRafeh is a prominent women’s rights activist, author, and speaker, dedicated to eradicating inequality for women. With three decades of experience, she has worked in over 20 countries to create real-life solutions to the global challenges women and girls face. Lina is also the Founder and Chief Changemaker of Better4Women, her advisory firm delivering practical and innovative solutions for gender equality. Lina holds a master’s degree in international economics and development from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her work includes speaking and writing to ignite everyday activism, creating impactful change for women worldwide.

I came up with this idea that we would have workshops, and we would have formerly incarcerated people come to the workshops, and we would teach them about organizing and teach about women's suffrage, civil rights, and marriage equality. How impactful a group of people can be if they all have the same interest. They're voters. They can talk to the state legislators and tell them, 'I'm a voter and what they're doing is making my life really hard.' And, to my great surprise, it totally worked!

Amanda DuBois—attorney, social justice advocate, and author of the award-winning Camille Delaney legal-mystery series. Amanda DuBois is the founder and managing partner of DuBois Levias Law Group, one of Washington’s longest-standing, woman-owned law firms.

I was pleasantly surprised and [found it] incredibly fulfilling when we brought kids who I interviewed down to Florida and thank you to the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra -- they gave us the opportunity to bring these young activists into schools and introduce these young activists -- this is three days after the last election so other kids in these schools were feeling very defeated; in the beginning they were afraid to ask questions...and our kids were in their 20s now and said, "OK, so you're upset.so, what are you gonna do?" There was an exchange of energy between the two of them that was so absolutely gratifying. That was the cherry on top for me. ~Portia Kamons, librettist



SEVENTEEN is a symphonic portrait of young Americans confronting an unprecedented range of challenges, from gun violence to climate change. An orchestral work in four movements with spoken libretto of verbatim text, it’s a powerful representation of young lives at the cusp of adulthood in America today.

Portia Kamons is a writer and producer of theater, music, live events, and feature film. In New York City with En Garde Arts, she produced FATHER WAS A PECULIAR MAN, ANOTHER PERSON IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY, and BASETRACK LIVE, a verbatim multimedia work named in the top ten productions of 2014 by The New York Times.

Ron Ramin was born and raised in New York City. He earned his undergraduate degree at Princeton University, where he majored in music and studied privately with Milton Babbitt. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles where he composed music for 20 Primetime television series and 30 movies/telefilms.

Anything that brings us back into the center of ourselves, into the space that literally is your heart, the center of you and recalls the truth of who you are, you should feel better. So, you are responding to who YOU are, not as who you're protecting yourself from.

Kiana Webb is the founder and CEO of Glorious Arisings —a movement at the intersection of conscious leadership and spiritual transformation. Her work fuses leadership development, personal transformation, and spiritual wisdom to guide people toward deeper self-awareness, fulfillment, and meaningful impact.

We are making sure that the arts remain independent, well-funded, and accessible for all. Anytime anything rears its ugly head to challenge that, we will be there fighting for you. ~Erica Lauren Ortiz

Erica Lauren Ortiz (she/her) is a seasoned non-profit leader, arts advocate, and creative producer with deep roots in theatre, media, and cultural strategy. She currently serves as the Lead of Advocacy & Governance Programs at Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization at the forefront of building a just and thriving theatre ecology.