Mission & Vision:
ACTION STEPS
Read about our mission, vision, and community commitments here >
OVERVIEW
TheatreSquared has taken the following first steps in its commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and access. This list is not comprehensive, as the work is a continuing effort that will evolve as new actions are taken over time.
Increased artist compensation with pay parity for casts and creative teams across venues—acknowledging that our artists are often our most diverse employees;
Completed a top-to-bottom revamp of the company handbook with an anti-racist lens, including hiring policies, onboarding, feedback, and performance evaluation;
Dedicated more than $100,000 to trainings, with dedicated staff support, for all staff and board, including: Principles of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Facing Bias; Microagressions; Equity 101; Race in the South; and Learning from and Navigating the Challenges of Organizational Change;
Launching a new group of Diversity Champions to help carry forward these practices throughout the organization, with budgeted lines for professional development and compensation;
Adopting a new, collaborative season selection process, with an explicit commitment to “counter systemic racism and bias by uplifting BIPOC playwrights and the work of traditionally underrepresented voices”;
Dedicated annual budget line for equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism work;
Created a new paid fellowship program prioritizing BIPOC candidates, with a pilot class of four full-time apprentices beginning in 2021;
Inclusive recruitment and hiring practices. More than 40% of TheatreSquared's 50-person full-time staff now identify as BIPOC, as does more than 40% of the T2 Board;
Research, adopt and post a Peoples & Land Acknowledgment, online and in person at the theatre;
Added numerous culturally specific organizations to our Lights Up! Partners, providing thousands of free tickets for members of underrepresented and marginalized groups;
Free access to professional therapists/counselors for all cast members in all productions and all staff;
Drafted and published a Patron Conduct Policy, sharing IDEA principles with audience members as well as community guidelines for interrupting and preventing harmful actions;
Undertook strategic training and DEI consultation sessions for members of T2 leadership including: Building a Sustainable Commitment to DEI; Operationalizing Equity; Pitfalls and Progress: Learning from and Navigating the Challenges of Organizational Behavior
Extensive additional departmental engagement with the “We See You White American Theatre” demands statement, with new practices adopted in marketing, development, production, and other areas on a wide range of items.
This process has been undertaken with the full investment of the TheatreSquared Board and leadership with a commitment to accountability and continued action.