Who We Are

The African American Theater Arts Troupe has several missions and goals that it is always striving to obtain. One of the primary missions of this Theater Arts Troupe is to have a direct affect on quality of life, for African American students. Additionally, AATAT provides an African American Scholarship Fund to encourage and support the professional growth of African American actors. While serving as a vehicle to expose African American theater to this campus and community, AATAT provides its students with an enriched college experience regardless of their history.

AATAT makes a strong effort to engage with people from the greater community of Santa Cruz. Since the Troupe's pioneer year, we have increased our outreach productions to the greater community by teaming up with the Santa Cruz Arts Commission, as well as the Seaside Arts Commission and the Community Partnership for Youth (CPY). CPY is an after school and intercession program that sponsors prevention programs for children from at-risk environments. The newest of our partnerships has been First Night Santa Cruz. The Troupe has an open door for such venues as the Louden Nelson Community Center, Cabrillo College, Monterey Peninsula College, the Oldemeyer Center at Seaside, Santa Cruz High, Harbor High, and several junior high schools in the Seaside, Monterey area.

AATAT combats the lack of support at UCSC through engaging educational activities that retain our students and help maintain quality educational programs for African American students and the wider community. We have been achieving this through the scholarship fund and exposing students to professional level productions that bring history and experience to life. AATAT served to set the tone for Rainbow Theater, produced a few years later.

​In addition to validating and affirming the cultural experiences of African Americans on campus, AATAT's goal is to raise funds for the awarding of the annual scholarships. The troupe delights in awarding at least five thousand dollars in scholarships to individuals participating in the program exhibiting exemplary academic performance. Since 1993, AATAT has raised over $120,000 in annual scholarship funding.

What We Do

​Workshops
• Workshops facilitated by AATAT students create an atmosphere to introduce theater performance and technique from a historical perspective
• Students engage in various theater games and improvisations
• Students participate in a discussion about higher education, social life, academics, and cultural awareness
Scholarships
AATAT offers four major scholarships through the African American Scholarship Fund, awarded annually to the most outstanding students.
These are awarded based on the consultation by a five-panel committee consisting of a financial aid officer, African American Student Life Director, an African American student representative, an SAA/EOP representative, and the AATAT producer/director, Don Williams.
Outreach
• Bring multicultural theater to high schools in Los Angeles and the greater Bay area.
• Offer information about the UC system, college and admissions in areas with a high minority population offering insight into college life, academics and the application process.
 ​Lectures
• Provide an analytical perspective on plays and playwrights of color.
• Educates students on the history of theater with an emphasis on African American playwrights, actors, directors and their presence in communities around the world.
• Explores the historic context and humanity of characters, from experiences of anxiety, depression, and trauma to compassion, love, and resilience.​

AATAT 30 Year Gala: A Message from Danny Glover

The African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT)

The African American Theatre Arts Troupe (AATAT) is a student-initiated and led program that came together under the leadership and direction of Donald Williams in 1991. AATAT was formed as a vehicle to create unity, higher visibility, and understanding of the African American culture here at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the greater Santa Cruz community. AATAT not only casts UCSC students from different educational backgrounds, but also casts students that have little or no experience with acting, technical, and administrative work. This allows anyone the opportunity to get involved with the program. The troupe is the only one of its kind in the UC System.

“AATAT had a vision of African American students having their voices, histories, and communities represented....”


​The story of the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT), is one of heroic struggle. Starting with a small group of students and one staff mentor, AATAT had no funds, office, or access to theater resources.
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But AATAT had a vision of African American students having their voices, histories, and communities represented. Today, AATAT performs to devoted audiences on the UC Santa Cruz campus, in local communities, and high schools throughout California.

The African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) is the only student African American theater troupe in the University of California system of ten campuses. For thirty years, AATAT has produced outstanding performances of playwrights such as Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, and Dominique Morisseau. 

“The story of AATAT is one of empowerment through uplifting others....”


Equally important is a unique place created by AATAT where African American students of all majors connect with their histories and find their voices.

​​The story of AATAT is one of empowerment through uplifting others. This calling has led each generation of AATAT students to create new forms of theater and service, including mentoring high school students and distributing over $100,000 in scholarships.

For more information, please email [email protected]