Welcome to www.ilasiea.com
Actress Teaching Artist Activist
Ilasiea Gray is a multi-hyphenate social practice artist (actress, educator, director, writer, creator) and a proud recipient of a True West Award for her impactful work in the arts and arts education.
Actress
Teaching Artist
Ilasiea teaches in many capacities nationally ranging from schools, arts organizations, theatres, and runs her own acting programming for kids. She also works in several facilitation and professional development capacities by way of arts.
Activist
Ilasiea does socially relevant work on and off stage. She has an internationally published essay on inequity in the arts for young people of color and was recently named the first Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access (IDEA) Coordinator for the Arvada Center for Arts/Humanities.
Featured News
additional news & Performances
additional shows
CALAMITOUS AFFAIR... World Premiere in Washington D.C.
“A comic and cutting-edge theatrical chronicle about how we collaborate, as a brand-new Executive Director and her former boss return to the scene of a cross-cultural crack-up and rehearsal room revolt that sets the stage for an AD’s departure from the theater he launched with high purpose and blind spots. Restorative Justice is on the agenda but hard to find, as an ensemble re-unites and a right-wing Israeli Cabinet Minister materializes uninvited to spar with Eilat and Samad, radical artist-activists with agendas of their own, as their American hosts get caught in the middle, navigating treacherous terrain, in a journey of loss and learning, contrition and cancel culture – on both sides – all hanging in precarious balance.” – Washington Post
BLACK. (Tour)
Ilasiea originated her role and has toured Black. With a Capital B. with Curious Theatre Company for five years now. This impactful show about race, understanding, social justice, and honoring victims of police brutality is a must-see. After each performance, there is a facilitated community discussion with audience members that is equally as impactful as the show itself. Audiences have included: high schools, universities/colleges, conferences, JAMS (lawyers & judges group), City Council, Colorado Diversity Network, Colorado Business , Minnesota Housing, AHCH, Pueblo Museum, libraries, churches, and a host of other community organizations. Please click “View More” for booking information.
ACTING WHILE BLACK
Acting While Black was a featured finalist in The Breath Project – a national festival in honor of George Floyd, as well as a slightly longer version that appeared in the Arvada Center’s Award Winning Amplify series. Acting While Black is Ilasiea’s jovial one-woman piece chronicling some of her experiences with racism in the arts (up to the time it was created). She also has a part two of this series, Examining Arts Education While Black, meant to serve as a companion piece to her internationally published essay, Why Are There No “Great” Kids of Color in the Performing Arts?
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