empowerment | mutual support session — Black and producers* of Color

Production managers often create space — for others, for artistic processes, for institutions. As key interfaces between artistic, organizational, technical, and administrative work, they hold many things together — often alone, often behind the scenes. But what about their own experiences, needs, and perspectives?

With this mutual support session, produktionsbande offers a safer space for production managers who identify as Black, Afro-German, or People of Color. The focus is on centering their voices, lived realities, and shared exchange.

The session will be moderated by Nara Virgens, a Black German-Brazilian production manager active in the independent dance and performance scene since 2015.

Together, we want to reflect on the following questions:

• What does it mean to work as a Black or PoC production manager — and to often be the only one in the room, on the team, or in decision-making processes?

• Tokenism is a frequent experience — being symbolically included while structurally excluded. What kinds of additional pressure does this create, and how do we cope?

• What are your peers experiencing in similar roles?

• What strategies, tools, or boundaries have you developed for yourself?

• Where (and how) does anti-racist work show up in your production contexts — or where is it missing?

• What needs and desires do you have for your practice?

• How do you navigate the many expectations placed on you?

• And: What can mutual support actually look like in our field?

This session invites you to listen, exchange, reflect, and imagine — together.

Nara (she/they) is a producer, curator, and DJ with a passion for dancing and connecting people. Raised in Rio de Janeiro and living in Berlin for 20 years, they have been active in the dance, performance, and queer party scene ever since. Nara currently heads the production department at Tanzfabrik Berlin Stage and has been an active member of produktionsbande - network performing arts producers since its founding. Additionally, they are a co-founder and co-curator of Emerging Change Tanzfestival, a dance festival that centers Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPoC) artists. They curate projects with the aim to transform structures and to create access, equity, and support networks where the QTBIPoC community is present.