The inauguration of President Donald Trump is at hand and for many of us in the world of theatre (and the arts in general) we are already feeling the storm of oppression that will most certainly engulf us. The announcement of Trump’s plan to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts has already given us a mighty blow. There is an uncertainty that sits in our hearts with the weight of a lump of steel as we wait to see how his policies and his parade of unqualified cronies continue to infiltrate our lives and affect how we live, love, and create. We, however, as theatre people shall remain undaunted, because we are the hopers, the dreamers, the visionaries, the voices that speak with confidence against oppression, the greatest optimists in the world. Theatre has taught us, through its challenges and against-all-odds circumstances, an optimism and drive to succeed that should frighten the powers that be. Theatre people are not afraid to use their voice, and I think our time has come to show this country both our resolve and our inherent value.