Out of Hand Theater: Using Performance to Build Dialogue, Equity, and Civic Connection

​Out of Hand Theater, an Atlanta-based organization working at the intersection of arts, social impact, and civic engagement since 2001, uses performance combined with structured dialogue to address systemic inequities and build community across lines of difference. Their innovative programs—including Equitable Dinners, Shows in Homes, and Community Collaborations—bring theater into intimate settings where creative storytelling opens hearts and facilitates conversations about racism, poverty, and injustice that inspire collective action. With an explicit commitment to anti-racism and addressing Atlanta's severe income disparity, Out of Hand partners with community organizations to create spaces where diverse participants develop empathy, deepen understanding, and imagine solutions to shared challenges. This work advances NCDD's mission by demonstrating how arts-based dialogue practices strengthen civic engagement, build trust across divides, and create the relational foundation necessary for collaborative democratic action.

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Out of Hand Theater has established itself as a pioneering force in using performance to advance social change, equity, and civic dialogue across Atlanta and beyond. Since 2001, the organization has combined theater and film with information and facilitated conversation to address structural injustices and build connections across lines of difference. Their distinctive approach brings performances into homes, schools, businesses, houses of worship, and public spaces, creating intimate settings where art opens hearts, information opens minds, and conversation inspires action. Out of Hand's programs—including Equitable Dinners, Shows in Homes, Community Collaborations, and Creative Kids—are grounded in addressing what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. identified as the triple evils of war, poverty, and racism, with particular attention to Atlanta's status as having the greatest income disparity in the United States.

Out of Hand's methodology demonstrates how creative expression can serve as a powerful infrastructure for civic engagement and collective problem-solving. Their Equitable Dinners program combines performance with structured dialogue around critical social issues, creating spaces where participants from diverse backgrounds engage deeply with topics that might otherwise remain superficial or divisive. Shows in Homes brings theater directly into living rooms, transforming private spaces into sites of community conversation and relationship-building. Community Collaborations partners with local organizations to address specific challenges facing metro Atlanta, using theatrical storytelling to illuminate systemic inequities while fostering the empathy and understanding necessary for collaborative solutions. These programs recognize that meaningful civic participation requires more than information—it demands emotional connection, trust-building, and opportunities for people to see one another's full humanity across differences of race, class, and lived experience.

Out of Hand's commitment to anti-racism shapes every aspect of their work, from program design to partnership selection to internal organizational practices. The company collaborates extensively with community partners to address structural inequities impacting African Americans at disproportionate rates in Atlanta. Their Community Impact Lab develops new artistic interventions for social change, while Creative Kids programs bring arts-based dialogue practices to young people, building capacity for the next generation of civic leaders. By positioning the arts as essential civic infrastructure rather than luxury, Out of Hand challenges conventional boundaries between cultural work and democratic engagement. Their approach echoes Congressman John Lewis's reminder that creative expression has always been integral to movements for justice and social transformation.
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To learn more about Out of Hand Theater's programs and explore partnership opportunities, visit https://www.outofhandtheater.org