"Portland theater artist Bess Welden [is] a dynamic, intelligent force in Maine performance and education."
The Portland Phoenix
Bess is named a 2022 Creative Community Fellow - New England by National Arts Strategies.
illustration by Jamie Hogan for Portland Stage
photo by Katie Day
photo by Melissa Blackall
Black lives matter.
I, Bess Welden, share the following letter because I have supported white fragility and supremacy in U.S. theater. I have been seen doing so by the community of Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) theatermakers, and I see myself and my actions in this letter. I share this to amplify the voices of BIPOC artists and administrators in our field, and to hold myself accountable to my actions.
I humbly and gratefully acknowledge that I live and create on the unceded land of Wabanaki territory.