Chanel Bragg is proud to be the first African American woman appointed as the Associate Artistic Director in the over 55-year history of Arizona Theatre Company. Not only is she a multi-award-winning Director, Producer, Actress, Vocalist, and Teaching Artist, she passionately advocates for diversity within the arts and has for the past decade. She is integral in both ATC's Artistic and Education Departments. In 2009, Bragg co-founded The Soul of Broadway, a performance troupe in a producorial attempt to initiate the conversation about Race, Inclusion, and Representation. In 2016, she founded The United Colours of Arizona Theatre (UCAT) to diligently foster a powerful learning community that provides networking, mentorship, master classes, and other opportunities to future BIPOC creatives and arts leaders.

Bragg will be making her ATC directorial debut this winter with The Glass Menagerie, previewing in Tucson January 21, 2023, and in Phoenix February 16, 2023. Her re-imagination of this timeless classic will reflect humanity and the myriad of ways families are represented.

Recent recognitions include Phoenix Magazine’s Annual “Great 48” (2021), Arizona Capitol Times’“Leaders of the Year - Arts & Culture” (2021), and American Theatre Magazine’s “10 Rising Black Women to Watch in American Theatre” (2022).

In addition to her work off stage, Bragg has performed on stages across the country, most recently appearing in ATC’s 2022 world premiere of Justice.

To learn more about Chanel Bragg and Arizona Theatre Company, visit atc.org.

Arizona Theatre Company puts its artists and audiences at the heart of all it does. ATC’s performances bring people together to experience essential stories, from reimagined classics to contemporary plays, original works, and innovative musicals fostering continued conversation beyond the theatre walls. 

Founded in 1966 and celebrating its 55th season, ATC is Arizona’s only League of Resident Theatres member and is the only LORT of 75 theatre companies nationwide to operate in two major cities. Recognized as the State Theatre, ATC takes its role as the preeminent professional theatre company in Arizona seriously and understands it must lead the charge in representation through living its mission of creating world-class theatre about what it means to be alive today, inspiring curiosity and creativity, sparking empathy and joy – bringing ALL Arizonans together. 

ATC shares the power of theatre through a variety of outreach programs, educational opportunities, access initiatives, and community events. Including its nationally recognized ATCteen program and National Latine Playwright Award, ATC focuses on training artists, audiences, and community members about the creative power of theatre reaching far beyond the metropolitan areas of Tucson and Phoenix, enriching the theatre learning experience for all.

ATC reaches far beyond the metropolitan areas of Tucson and Phoenix, enriching the theatre learning experience for current and future audiences.

As part of ATC’s Living Our Values Initiative (LOV), the company strives to put its values at the center of who it is and what it does — continuously connecting its audiences, artists, staff, and stakeholders to its core values, creating a true sense of belonging, equity, and diversity within the organization and the communities it serves. Nowhere is this more important than the work it builds and performs on its stages. 

ATC is not just about providing a learning experience, it strives to be an accessible equitable theatre for all classes, races, creeds, genders, and religions. ATC carries the immense responsibility to be a beacon of artistic hope to the community by providing a humanistic platform for great stories to be told.

One of ATC’s leaders who is working on these initiatives is Associate Artistic Director Chanel Bragg.