OUR PLAN AND PROMISE:
Theatre Lab’s mission to “inspire, develop, and produce new work, artists, and audiences for the American Theatre” is only possible with a sincere commitment to the ideals of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity.
This is our promise.
Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of FAU, will begin our work by committing to the following actions:
- Continuing and deepening our commitment to Color Conscious Casting - casting which acknowledges race and serves to deepen theatrical conversations - for all readings, workshops, and productions. We will continue to make clear casting breakdowns public and available.
- Diversifying our artistic teams by seeking out BIPOC designers, directors, and playwrights. We commit to hiring at least one guest director each season and to re-examine and more clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and benefits of “Resident Designers”.
- Increasing commission opportunities for playwrights and continuing and deepening our commitment to equitable representation when awarding those commissions.
- Continuing our commitment to a 5-day work-week for all artists, technicians, and staff members.
- Establishing the Theatre Lab Scholarship Fund in order to expand opportunities for students. If a student cannot be paid to participate in an internship without jeopardizing their work study status, we will provide them with a scholarship equal to the amount of the contract.
- Ensuring all audience talkbacks are led by experts in the field/community members with direct life experience related to the themes of the play or reading.
- Providing free and voluntary training in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Practices in Safety & Consent to all staff and contract workers joining us for any project lasting more than one week.
- Increasing diversity among staff and continuing our commitment to transparent and inclusive hiring practices.
- Providing equitable access to professional development opportunities for all staff members.
- Advocating for diversification of existing governing boards in the FAU community.
- Continuing to use our programming and educational outreach initiatives to amplify calls for social justice and change.
- Broadening and deepening our partnerships with community organizations dedicated to fighting social injustice.
- Calling out injustices, advocating, and taking action to dismantle structures of systemic oppression in the Arts and Education industries.
In addition to the plans above, we commit to consistently re-evaluating our practices and identifying ways in which we can completely eliminate systemic racism from our organization and our industry.
In solidarity,
The Theatre Lab Team
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The staff & artists of Theatre Lab understand the power of story and how it shapes all we see, and so we would like to take a moment to #honornativeland by acknowledging that we make our home in Palm Beach County, Florida, the occupied land of ancestral stewards, the Tequesta and Taino, and the current home of the independent and sovereign Seminole Tribe of Florida.
We are privileged to make this place our home and that privilege requires us to understand its roots in stolen land built by stolen people. We respect and honor the elders, past and present, and express our gratitude to all who have stewarded and cared for this land long before us. As with all our work, we seek to invest in and lift up the stories of ALL people and to help build empathy and action toward a better and more just future.