Reclaiming The Structure

In this piece, there is a shattering of the glass. Each artist confronts what it means to continue creating while the systems meant to support them remain unstable, extractive, or incomplete. Survival alone no longer feels sufficient. What emerges instead is a collective pivot toward care, ownership, and self-definition.

Taken together, these reflections capture artists in a state of becoming. They are not simply

responding to burnout or inequity, but actively reshaping how they relate to art, labor, and

community in real time.

Ryan & Jennifer

Ryan approaches creativity as his birthright. His work centers the belief that art does not require permission from institutions built on scarcity, and instead thrives when artists turn toward one another. Through collaborative screenwriting and devised theatre practices, he explores new models of authorship that emphasize collective ownership, facilitation, and shared responsibility. For Ryan, creating new platforms is about restoring agency to artists who have endured long seasons of waiting.

Ryan Ward HTE Justice Advocate Photo Credit: Regina Strayhorn

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Image Description: Ryan Ward, white male with above shoulder length hair. Looks down

That restoration is deeply personal. He recalls moments at HTE where creativity felt familial, where working alongside others fostered a sense of belonging and activation. Moving from acting into producing and writing rooms, Ryan has become invested in building spaces that honor both artistry and administration. His work reflects a desire to honor his birthright and to remind others that creativity belongs to them as well.

Jennifer believes it is our systems that need to be dismantled. As a Broadway co-producer, she is aware of the contradictions embedded in arts labor, particularly the challenge of supporting artists while operating within broken models. She identifies as a playmaker, someone who leverages her network to create access, especially for marginalized communities, while simultaneously questioning whether those opportunities are truly sustainable. Her concern lies not just in opening doors, but in dismantling the barriers that make those doors necessary in the first place. Jennifer speaks to the dangers of sustaining artists within systems that remain fundamentally harmful, noting how limited access to real, transferable skills perpetuates inequity. Her vision calls for fewer gatekeepers and more durable support, creating structures that allow artists not only to enter the room, but to remain whole within it.