Engagement
at Geva
Leading these initiatives is Rachel Y. DeGuzman, Geva’s Director of Engagement, Community Partnerships, and Public Curation
Engagement at Geva’s overarching objective is to connect more people and organizations with the productions presented on the theatre’s stages. Engagement at Geva programs include Geva Insights, Mondays at Geva, the Essie Calhoun Diversity in the Arts Awards, symposiums and more. The goal of these programs and initiatives is to build more connected relationships with existing patrons and partners. To build new and meaningful relationships with people and organizations with whom we have traditionally had no or little connectivity, the kind of sticky connectivity that endures.
Geva Insights
Hosted by Rachel Y. DeGuzman
Geva Insights is a series of post-performance conversations with thought leaders, experts, and members of the community who contextualize or provoke more in-depth consideration of the themes inherent to each play during the course of Geva’s season. These unscripted, unrehearsed chats are produced and hosted by Geva’s Engagement department.
Coming Up Next
Tuesday, 1/23/24
Guest: TBD | Host: Rachel Y. DeGuzman
About
TBD
Later This Season
Dial M For Murder
Tuesday, 1/23/24
Guest: TBD | Host: Rachel Y. DeGuzman
Mondays at Geva
The stages are dark on Monday evenings at Geva, so the art and action shift to the lobby and café where brilliant local visual artists, performers, musicians, and speakers broaden our consideration of the onstage productions. Geva Theatre invites the community to join us for a free series of art openings and to party for a couple of hours each month!
Featured Artists for
Dial M for Murder
Monday, 1/29/24
About
TBD
Later This Season
TBD
Dial M For Murder
Monday, 1/29/24
Engagement at Geva programs are sponsored, in part, by Volvo Cars Rochester 
Essie Calhoun Diversity in the Arts Award
Geva Theatre Center annually presents the Essie Calhoun Diversity in the Arts Award to an individual who or organization that promotes and encourages diversity in the arts. The award recognizes that art allows for the expression of truths and beliefs, and helps us gain an understanding of one another and our world. It further acknowledges that a mixture of cultures stimulates creativity, the sharing of ideas, and the building of a common collective future, which has always been close to Ms. Calhoun-McDavid’s heart.
The award was established in 2011 and named in honor of Essie Calhoun-McDavid, retired Chief Diversity Officer, Director of Community Affairs, and Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company. Ms. Calhoun-McDavid, a longtime advocate for diversity in the arts, was the first recipient of the award.
The award is designed by renowned Rochester glass artist Nancy Gong.
Past Recipients
- Dr. David Anderson (Sankofa)
- The Center for Youth Strings for Success
- Rachel Y. DeGuzman
- Shawn Dunwoody
- Garth Fagan
- Reenah Golden
- Delores Jackson Radney
- Tonia Loran-Galban (Akwesasne Mohawk, Bear Clan)
- Debora McDell-Hernandez
- Nydia Padilla-Rodriguez
- School of the Arts
- Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan
- David Shakes
- Dangerous Signs
- Thomas Warfield
Geva's Engagement Staff
Importance of Engagement
It’s no secret that the programming at Geva Theatre Center is evolving with the rest of the nonprofit theater world to begin to reflect the authentic creative expressions of more people, from multiple perspectives. As director of engagement programs, I ask myself, everyday, “How can engagement programs at Geva reflect the art on the stage and a strategic shift in vision and mission as well as contribute to building the meaningful relationships that are necessary to achieve equity and live up to our organizations anti-racism commitment?”
– Rachel
Contact Information
Rachel Y. DeGuzman
Director of Engagement, Community Partnerships & Public Curation
(585) 420-2010
RDeGuzman@gevatheatre.org
