Founded in 2020, the BIPOC Critics Lab wil host its first bicoastal cohort between New York and San Diego beginning this fall
Joe Solis is the founder of the BIPOC Critics Lab, which will be co-hosted in 2026-27 by San Diego’s The Old Globe. San Diego’s The Old Globe is joining forces with New York’s The Public Theatre to co-host the 2026-27 edition of the BIPOC Critics Lab, an immersive training program created to expand the ranks of American drama critics and arts journalists of color.
BIPOC Critics Lab was launched in 2020 by Joe Solis, a New York-based culture critic and educator who was born in Honduras. He sought to create an educational space for writers whose work wasn’t represented in the field of cultural criticism due to lack of opportunities and other barriers.
Since the Lab was established, alumni of the 10-week program have gone on to work as freelance writers and and in editorial positions for media outlets that include The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, TDF Stages, American Theatre and more. From 2021-23, the program was administered by The Kennedy Center as part of the American Theatre Festival.
There was a cohort in 2023 with The Stratford Festival and Intermission magazine, and the Public has hosted the cohorts since then. The 2026-27 cohort will be co-hosted by the Public and The Old Globe. Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, who ran the Public Theater’s Shakespeare Initiative and directed its Shakespeare Lab before joining the Globe in 2012, said he’s thrilled to be part of the BIPOC Critics Lab’s first bicoastal partnership.
“We value the vital role drama critics and arts journalists play in shaping how the theatre community’s work is seen and understood — through features, reviews, and thoughtful coverage that interprets and amplifies the work on our stages,” Edelstein said in a statement. “Together with The Public, we will support, develop and invest in the next generation of BIPOC arts journalists and theatre critics, and help to ensure that they have meaningful opportunities, strong networks and the platforms necessary to share their work with the world.
Their voices contribute to a broader cultural conversation that reinforces the Globe’s mission to make theater matter beyond our stage, both in Southern California and across the nation. ” The bicoastal cohort will feature sessions throughout the Public and Globe’s 2026-27 seasons, including primary instruction on Zoom beginning in September and in-person opportunities at both theaters next spring.are being accepted through June 24.
There will be 10 positions available, five participants from the San Diego/Los Angeles region and five participants in New York. The most recent participants of the BIPOC Critics Lab at The Public include New York actor-playwright Serena Arora, Independent Spirt Award-nominated filmmaker Artel Great, experimental choreographer Ankita Sharma, Polish-born theater practitioner Julia Wojciechowska and visual artist and wirter Yashmita.
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