Out of Hand Theater is a production company based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company puts on monthly “Equitable Dinners,” as well as short plays and group discussions to push advocacy and discussions on left-of-center policy issues. ¹

Activism

Out of Hand Theater has partnered with left-of-center groups to promote activism through its Shows in Homes. Among the one-act play themes it has performed are an anti-gun project with Moms Demand Action, a left-of-center criminal justice policy project with Georgia Justice Project, and a left-of-center political action project with Partnership for Southern Equity. As of August 2023, it partnered with the ACLU of Georgia on productions promoting left-of-center advocacy. ²

Equitable Dinners

Out of Hand Theater puts on monthly Equitable Dinners, which are a blend of short plays and small group discussions on the production. The events were originally organized as potluck dinners, but after the COVID-19 outbreak the “dinners” became virtual events held over Zoom. ³

Sponsors of the events include the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the King Center, Partnership for Southern Equity, United Way, the Urban League, and Atlanta Public Schools. The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation have provided funding for the events. ⁴

The theater also holds private, paid programs for businesses, schools, and municipalities, including Coca-Cola, BlackRock, Audible, Georgia Power, Seyfarth Shaw, Google, Mercedes-Benz, UPS, EY, Bain, Veritiv, the Arbor Company, United Way, YMCA, the City of Brookhaven, and Emory University. ⁵

Other Programs

Out of Hand Theater conducts Community Collaborations with other groups in the Atlanta area. These include film-based vaccine confidence program developed with the CDC Foundation and a child sex trafficking prevention program for Georgia middle school students developed with the Georgia Council for the Arts, Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Attorney General’s office, Wellspring Living, and Street Grace. In addition, it promotes projects addressing HIV concerns with the CDC and Positive Impact Health Centers. It has also conducted Juneteenth programs for the Home Depot Foundation, EY and UPS, and short plays and films for Habitat for Humanity International, Families First, and Leadership Atlanta. ⁶

The group also conducts the Institute for Equity Activism, a program that trains participants in art activism. ⁷

Leadership

Out of Hand Theater has three co-directors: Ariel Fristoe, who works as artistic director; Thomas Brazzle, who works as managing director; and Adria Kitchens, who works as director of equity and activism. ⁸

Ariel Fristoe founded the theater and teaches at Emory University. ⁹

Thomas Brazzle is the co-founder of production company, Whet Ink Productions which “re-imagines classics” through the view of “intersectionality.” ¹⁰

Adria Kitchens provides online coaching to teach concepts of “antiracism.” ¹¹

Maya Robinson is the chair of the board who is also the director of annual health programs at the Grady Health Foundation. ¹²

Financials

According to Out of Hand Theater’s 2022 990 form, the group had $910,454 in revenue, $857,050 in expenses, $411,674 in assets. ¹³

Several donors to the group that year include the Georgia Council on the Arts ($25,000+), John H. & Wilhelmina D. Harland Foundation ($25,000+), National Endowment for the Arts ($25,000+), National Center for Civil and Human Rights ($25,000+), the Rich Foundation ($25,000+), Zeist Foundation ($25,000+), Molly Blank Foundation ($25,000+). AEC Trust ($10,000+), Chestnut Foundation ($10,000+), City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs ($10.000+), Imlay Foundation ($10,000+), The Shubert Foundation ($10,000+), Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta ($5,000+), Fulton County Arts and Culture ($5,000+), Georgia Power Foundation ($5,000+), Richard Munroe Foundation ($5,000+), Puffin Foundation West, LTD ($1,000+), and the Lookout Foundation ($1,000+). ¹⁴

1. Green, Jesse. “First the Play. Then the Soul Searching. but What Comes Next?” The New York Times, June 16, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/theater/equitable-dinner-out-of-hand.html.
2. Fristoe, Ariel. “Theater Can Be Financially Viable and Serve the Greatest Community Needs.” SaportaReport, August 21, 2023. https://saportareport.com/theater-can-be-financially-viable-and-serve-the-greatest-community-needs/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
3.  Green, Jesse. “First the Play. Then the Soul Searching. but What Comes Next?” The New York Times, June 16, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/theater/equitable-dinner-out-of-hand.html.
4. Fristoe, Ariel. “Theater Can Be Financially Viable and Serve the Greatest Community Needs.” SaportaReport, August 21, 2023. https://saportareport.com/theater-can-be-financially-viable-and-serve-the-greatest-community-needs/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
5. Fristoe, Ariel. “Theater Can Be Financially Viable and Serve the Greatest Community Needs.” SaportaReport, August 21, 2023. https://saportareport.com/theater-can-be-financially-viable-and-serve-the-greatest-community-needs/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
6. Fristoe, Ariel. “Theater Can Be Financially Viable and Serve the Greatest Community Needs.” SaportaReport, August 21, 2023. https://saportareport.com/theater-can-be-financially-viable-and-serve-the-greatest-community-needs/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
7.  Fristoe, Ariel. “Theater Can Be Financially Viable and Serve the Greatest Community Needs.” SaportaReport, August 21, 2023. https://saportareport.com/theater-can-be-financially-viable-and-serve-the-greatest-community-needs/columnists/guestcolumn/derek/.
8. “Staff and Board – out of Hand Theater.” Out of Hand. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.outofhandtheater.com/staff-and-board-1.
9. “Ariel Fristoe Instructor, Theater Studies.” Emory University. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://theater.emory.edu/people/bios/fristoe-ariel.html.
10. “What We Do.”  Whet Ink. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.whetink.com/what-we-do
11. “Adria Kitchens: Woman-Centered Coaching: True Black Feminine.” AdriaKitchens. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.coachadria.com/.
12. “Maya Robinson.” Grady Health Foundation. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.gradyhealthfoundation.org/maya-robinson.
13. “Out of Hand Theater Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582619780/202411359349301996/full.
14. “Donors – out of Hand Theater.” Out of Hand. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.outofhandtheater.com/donors.