Empathy Theatre Project

Empathy Theatre Project is a team of playwrights, producers, directors, and musicians that work together to develop new theatre that fosters empathy in our divided country.

Our team writes and produces musical theatre about social and environmental problems that polarize our country--such as gender expectations, racial inequity, and land usage conflicts. With our shows, we hope to encourage compassion for those we may oppose, in order to facilitate lasting conversation and solutions. 

Our current musical, titled “We’re Still Here,” is about a proposed copper mine that pits the preservation of sacred Indigenous land against the survival of a rural town (inspired by a true story). Co-authored by Mesquakie Tribal Elder Alex Walker Jr. and our Executive Director / Playwright Cordelia Zars, we have created a powerful and educational production that amplifies indigenous voices and addresses the complexities of land conflict. We've forged strong partnerships with Indigenous artists to produce and act in this show, and celebrated our first sold-out run of We're Still Here at the Dairy Arts Center in 2023. We are thrilled to bring this production back to the stage in early 2025-- and we hope you come see it! Ultimately, we hope our story serves to remind us of our shared humanity, and to encourage empathy as a vehicle for developing long-term solutions to social and environmental issues dividing our country.