The Room Where It Happens

Earlier this week, my husband and I saw SIX. I looooooooved it.

From the moment those six queens walked onto the stage, my thinking brain went quiet and my emotional brain took over completely. I was hooked, utterly, for the entire 80 minutes of the show.

If you haven’t encountered SIX yet, it’s a musical that reimagines the six wives as Henry VIII not as historical footnotes, but as pop stars reclaiming their own narratives. The music, book, and lyrics are by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, who wrote the foundation of the show over about 10 days (!). They drew on research into the queen’s actual histories, a Beyoncé concert film, and a handful of real-life pop stars as character inspiration — and premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. SIX landed on Broadway in February 2020. What a journey.

I’ve gotta say, I’m a sucker for a good musical. The characters, the story, the songs, the lights, the choreography…it all has such power. There’s something about sitting (and dancing) in the dark with a room full of strangers, sharing something that I don’t think any other medium quite replicates.

In fact, it’s scientifically proven that live performances synchronize heart rates among audiences, which I think is just so incredible and special.

Art creates shared experience. It carries emotion, history, and imagination in ways that argument and information simply can’t. It teaches us something about being human. And, dang, if I didn’t feel connected to the rest of the audience in that theater (art does that, too!).

I’ve been listening to the SIX playlist on repeat all week. Bopping in my car, on walks with my dog, literally right now at my desk while writing this newsletter. It’s not the same as being in the theater, but it’s the next best thing.

We’re all looking for joy right now. Take a few minutes today and vibe to Hamilton, Wicked, Rent, In the Heights (can’t get enough Lin-Manuel…), Les Miz, Cats (ok, maybe not Cats), Hadestown, or whatever moves you. Vibe in hand, go for a bop outside and say hi to those you pass. Bring that vibe back home and consider dancing in your kitchen. Bonus points if you embarrass your children.

Hold onto that vibe. And bring the joy, queens.

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

p.s. — I did a thing. I launched another newsletter, this time on LinkedIn. Because you can never have too many newsletters, right? On the alternate weeks when this beehiiv newsletter doesn’t go out, I’ll be writing there about volunteering, philanthropy, and CSR (from a slightly different angle). You can read and subscribe here.

First time reading this newsletter, Word It Out? Subscribe here for a regular roundup of things I’m thinking about.

🎉 A FESTIVAL ABOUT BEING HUMAN

The name “Being Human Festival” just sounds intriguing! And it’s coming to a city (maybe) near you next month, beginning April 18.

The National Humanities Center is bringing this two-week festival to the U.S. for the first time. These community-focused events, organized and presented by local artists, scholars, and educators, highlight the incredible breadth of the humanities and how they add depth and meaning to our lives.

The festival is designed for everyday audiences. Learn more about what’s being planned and how you can take part here.

💸 WHO GIVES?

The Giving Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, and Bill Gates in 2010, is…not delivering.

In theory, the idea behind the pledge is fantastic: Members promise to give at least half of their wealth to urgent social issues, either while living or upon their death. In practice, it ain’t working.

Of the 57 individuals and families who signed in 2010, 32 are still billionaires — and they’ve grown 283% wealthier since signing. Of the $206B given by the original pledgers, 80% flowed to private foundations rather than NGOs, and only one couple, Laura and John Arnold, has fulfilled their commitment. Just 8 of the 22 pledgers who have since died gave away 50% or more of their wealth.

Curious to know more? This 2025 report from the Institute for Policy Studies is worth a read.

🤖 AI, ALWAYS AND EVERYWHERE

If you’re a funder trying to figure out how to navigate AI — whether you’re just starting to explore it or already have AI-powered grantees in your portfolio — Fast Forward has built a very cool resource hub.

Their Tools for AI Grantmaking page pulls together guides, reports, and frameworks from partners like Project Evident, Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Center for Effective Philanthropy, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and others — all designed to help funders move from curiosity to confident action.

Fast Forward also offers AI Philanthropy Workshops for foundation teams who want to go deeper. Worth a look. ✅

🧩 FROM WRITING TO DOING

Many of the ideas I share in this newsletter — about volunteering, philanthropy, social impact more broadly, etc. — also show up in my consulting work with companies, funders, and nonprofits. If you’d like to explore ways to work together, you can find more at Services - Mission Up.

💘 NONPROFIT LOVE

Deaf West Theatre Company was founded in 1991 to improve and enrich the cultural lives of the 1.2M deaf and hard of hearing individuals who live in the Los Angeles area.

As the only professional theater company in the western U.S. dedicated to Deaf-centered storytelling, Deaf West creates productions that integrate American Sign Language and spoken English. (I mean, I am just wowed…check out their website!)

Next month, a collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studious will bring ASL performances of songs from Encanto, Frozen 2, and Moana 2 to audiences around the world on Disney+. In June, their new original musical Elephant Shoes heads toward Broadway with a world premiere in New Jersey.

There’s so much more to this organization. Take a spin through the Deaf West website to be inspired and get involved.