Crystal Paul (she/her) is a Chicago-based writer and editor whose article about careers in technical theatre for artists of color raises the question: What has changed since the “reckoning” of 2020? In “The Pipeline,” she takes a deeper look backstage to see how promises made during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the aftermath of George Floyd are being held up today. In her own words, Paul says, “When you take a closer look at who is doing that work, you start to see more clearly the ways their backgrounds and perspectives also impact what audiences see and experience onstage—knowing how to light different shades of brown skin, understanding meanings and implications of certain clothing and costume styles, avoiding stereotypes when designing sets that depict the homes and communities of people from different socioeconomic classes.” (Photo by Erika J. Schultz)

Nicole Estvanik Taylor (she/her) is a freelance writer and a former managing editor of this magazine. In this issue, Taylor writes about how plays written with support from the Sloan Foundation have advanced science education among the general public. Writing “The Unpredictable Experiment” melded Taylor’s worlds, since after American Theatre, she worked in communications at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I write about both arts and STEM and see less of a border between the two,” she said of writing the article. “The people who work in those different spheres have a surprising amount in common, and so much potential to inspire each other.”