Forum Festival 2026

May 22, 2026 at 6:00pm

What if theatre didn’t just reflect the world—but helped rewrite it? Forum Festival is where Baltimore works it out—out loud.

This year’s original forum play takes on the not-so-simple art of keeping a home, blending humor, honesty, and lived experience from community members who know it firsthand. Bringing together residents, artists, and policymakers in one shared space, the event invites the city to step into the story, speak back, and see what might shift.

On May 22nd, we invite YOU to join us in supporting this cause by engaging with this interactive performance. We use a play to play our way forward.

Tickets are free and open to the public. We encourage everyone to come, take action, and be part of the change our community needs!

FORUM FESTIVAL is where art meets action. Rooted in Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, this dynamic, participatory experience invites you to step beyond the role of spectator and into the role of change-maker. Through storytelling, dialogue, and real-time audience intervention, we collectively examine urgent social and political issues—and imagine tangible pathways forward. It’s a space for critical thinking, shared power, and community-driven solutions. Whether you’re an organizer, advocate, educator, or simply someone ready to challenge the status quo, this is your invitation to engage, disrupt, and co-create change.

Cast

Zeke Cohen
City Council President

George Hopkins
Director of Community Innovations, Robert w. Deutsch foundation

Del. Stephanie M. Smith
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 45th district

Chrissy Thornton
CEO and President, Associated Black Charities

Zeke Cohen was elected City Council President in 2024. Prior to being elected Council President, Zeke served as Councilmember for the 1st District.

Zeke grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, the son of a social worker and a psychiatrist. Zeke’s belief that “community comes first” was inspired by his mother’s stories of marching for Civil Rights and registering voters during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. After graduating from Goucher College, Zeke taught in West Baltimore and, as a teacher, was awarded the Elizabeth Lawrence Prize for Excellence. He attained a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Zeke started his nonprofit, The Intersection, to help young people learn community organizing and civic leadership. He ran for office with the belief that democracy only works when everyone has a voice in the process.

In July 2019, Zeke introduced the Elijah Cummings Healing City Act, making Baltimore the first city in the country to comprehensively legislate trauma-responsive care. The bill, which was signed into law in February 2020, and the movement that propelled it forward were created to help Baltimore heal from our enduring legacies of trauma, racism and violence.

In April 2019, Zeke sponsored the Gender-Inclusive Single-User Restroom bill, which helps ensure our city is safe and welcoming for all communities by requiring all single-user restrooms to have gender-inclusive signage. It was the first bill in Baltimore’s history to be signed at a Pride Parade.

In 2018, Zeke introduced the Transparency in Lobbying Act. The law tightens restrictions on lobbyists and requires lobbying disclosure forms to be posted online.

Zeke and his staff work tirelessly to deliver world-class constituent services and to provide transparency throughout the process. Since entering office in 2016, his office has resolved over 2800 separate constituent requests for assistance. These include requests for help resolving water billing disputes, removing abandoned boats from vacant lots, and expediting the repair of broken streetlights. Zeke believes in the power of organized communities and in the past two years, his office created community-driven task forces on the topics of transportation and public safety.

Stephanie Smith is serving in her second term as Delegate in the 45th State Legislative District. She proudly serves as the Parliamentarian for the Maryland House of Delegates, Chair of the Baltimore City Delegation, and Chair of the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee. In four legislative sessions, Stephanie has successfully served as primary sponsor of over 30 pieces of legislation.

An experienced and respected leader in Annapolis, Stephanie is a leading voice on issues of education, economic inclusion, environmental protection and real public safety solutions.

Stephanie lives in a multi-generational East Baltimore household that includes her mother, husband and two young sons. Stephanie is also a proud Baltimore City Public Schools parent.

A first-generation college graduate, Stephanie is an alum of Hampton University, the University of Delaware and Howard University School of Law.

Chrissy M. Thornton is the President and CEO of Associated Black Charities (ABC), a racial equity organization headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. With a career grounded in community empowerment, coalition-building, and economic justice, she brings a movement-driven approach to leadership and organizational growth. A native New Yorker, Chrissy is known for blending visionary strategy with hands-on execution, building professional pipelines, advancing digital inclusion, and convening community dialogues that drive meaningful change.

With more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, donor relations, digital engagement, grant writing, and program execution, Chrissy has a proven record of strengthening nonprofits through innovative fundraising strategies, board development, and organizational rebuilding. She has consulted with nonprofits nationwide and is the author of Stop Scrambling, Start Bringing Home the Bacon: A Guide to Establishing an Effective Fundraising Plan for Your Non-Profit Organization. A former real estate investor and franchise owner, she champions financial literacy, economic education, and entrepreneurship.

Chrissy is the founder of My Girl Power Matters, a women’s empowerment series, and is a Lifetime Member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is also a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and is affiliated with the Black Leadership Circle, Executive Alliance, CHIEF, and the Baltimore Women’s Civic League.

She serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the Greater Baltimore Committee, Baltimore Center Stage, The Arc Baltimore, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses (COGI), and the Advisory Board for the Liberal Arts College of Morgan State University. She is the sitting Chair of the Baltimore County Human Relations Commission and was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and, in 2026, by Comptroller Brooke Lierman to the Maryland Women’s Economic Advisory Council.

A graduate of Leadership Baltimore County and The Leadership, Chrissy holds a master’s degree in business with a concentration in Organizational Management and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism. She is a sought-after speaker on leadership development, generational communication, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, wealth building, and nonprofit stakeholder engagement.

At the core of her work is a commitment to building trust, creating opportunity, and advancing equity. Chrissy is not just leading an organization – she is advancing a movement for justice and empowerment.

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