We believe the involvement of our Staff, Company and Board in EDI conversations and planning is both necessary and mandatory. To create an actionable plan, we need all involved with SSTC to take part in the review of current practices, planning anti-racist protocols, execution of the plan, and periodic assessment.

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Our EDI work is now, and will continue to be, a living, changing document that will grow as we grow. We acknowledge that as individuals and artists we still have much to learn. Our ongoing hope is that together, we can build a more equitable, safe, and inclusive theatre.

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Land Acknowledgement:
We acknowledge that our theatre company is located on the on the traditional territories of the Council of the Three Fires, a united nation comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Bodéwadmi [Potawatomi]. The Chicagoland area is the ancestral homelands of the Potawatomi people, who cared for the land until forced out by non-Native settlers. The Ojibwe, Odawa, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Miami, Mascouten, Sac and Fox, Kickapoo, Ho-Chunk, Menomonee, and tribes whose names have been lost as a result of genocide also lived, gathered, and traded in this region. 

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Leadership and Staff:

• Our Board of Directors contains representatives of the Latino community, the LGBTQIA+ community. As we expand, we will continue to balance the representatives of our Board to reflect the community we serve. 

• Prior to the election of new board members, we commit to an annual examination of all Board practices, such as our “Board Member Responsibilities”, trustee term-limits, and financial commitments to ensure these practices do not present barriers to BIPOC participation.

• We also commit to building financial stability so that the Staff members can be paid a salary that is comparable to other small to mid-size theater staff salaries. 

• Just as the Board of Directors is expected to commit to a self-evaluation every year, the Artistic Director and Managing Director will also commit to the same. Open, constructive conversation about what is working and what can be improved will be discussed after a self-evaluation form is filled out by each person.

• Accusations of racism, harassment or any other exclusionary behavior by the staff or Board will be addressed immediately. Advisory Board members will be brought in to consult and mediate, unless they are involved in the accusation, in which case an outside mediator or legal counsel will be consulted.  

 

Pricing:

• We are committed through additional fundraising and grant writing to holding ticket pricing to a minimum to increase accessibility and decrease barriers to attendance. We will offer student/senior and industry discounts and hold our ticket prices to $25/$35.

• Staged Readings are free to all audience members, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience live theater.

 

Anti-Racism Training:

• We commit to attending ongoing bias training that is rooted in both bystander intervention and restorative justice. This will include anti-racist, EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and unconscious bias training. This training will be mandated annually for all company members, theatre staff and the Board of Directors.

• We commit to working to increase our outreach to BIPOC students and young audiences through new partnerships with local organizations, High Schools and Universities

 

Artists:

We commit to making SSTC a welcoming place for BIPOC artists through:

1. Widening the focusing of plays for production to include Latinx culture, themes and actors, LGBTQIA+ culture, themes and actors, and BIPOC culture, themes and actors.

2. Adapting rehearsal schedules and reducing weekday technical rehearsal to accommodate actors with day jobs. 

3. Increase the number of BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ Designers and technical artists employed for each show.

 

Safe Space:

SSTC is committed to creating a safe space for all and maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination or bias of any kind.

• SSTC will ensure that we distribute and explain our policies to everyone working at our theatre before the production begins. A protocol for conflict resolution and communication has been established and will be reviewed during the post-mortem of each production and amended as needed.

• Permissions will be obtained for the use of actor and designer information for marketing purposes. Our policies and procedures for marketing will be explained during the audition process so that actors can make an informed choice when it comes to accepting roles.

• Space will be given in rehearsals for all voices to be heard, and we will endeavor to create a sense of support and community as we move through the rehearsal process by maintaining open lines of communication and assigning an EDI advocate for each production.

 

Tracking Progress:

• SSTC commits to ongoing exploration and assessment of our EDI plan(s), including any feedback and responses to those actions from artists, staff, and patrons. Feedback will be encouraged through notices in programs for each show and on our website, and will be collected through the designated email: SubtextStudioTheatreinfo@gmail.com and shared with the Staff and Board of Directors.

• We will commit to holding yearly full-staff assessments of our EDI policies to explore what has or has not worked, to determine what parts of the plan need to be adjusted or expanded, and to add to the plan.

• We will commit to publicly sharing this plan on our website, accessible from the homepage. The results of the assessments will be added to the document on the website to retain transparency and hold our organization accountable. 



SSTC EDI Policies and Procedures

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We are currently working on actionable policies and procedures for all areas of our EDI Statement so that this document becomes more than just words - it becomes the way we move forward and ensure a place of equality for artistis and patrons.

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Our policies and procedures will be posted soon!