ACCOUNTABILITY

In June of 2020, our country was called to acknowledge and respond to the unjust racialized murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, James Scurlock, and too many others at the hands of police violence. The murders of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo remind us that this injustice continues and the colonial white supremacist delusions woven into American culture have once again been brought to the forefront of our national conversation.

As a company, we set aside time to reflect on our past and make space in the present to engage in direct action in support of the movement for Black Lives. We stand with and learn from the #BlackLivesMatter movement and we are determined to contribute to the transformation of the world starting with the transformation of ourselves.

As we share our accountability work, we would specifically like to acknowledge the vital learning that members of the collective received from Nicole Brewer’s Anti-Racist Theatre Training and the We See You White American Theatre movement’s list of demands. We would also like to acknowledge the labor and leadership of the artists of color within our ensemble, and the Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and change makers in our broader collaborative community and across the world who are working to make us all more free. With humility, we extend our deepest gratitude for these efforts and resources and we accept the responsibility we have been called into.

We are committed to evolution, and understand that this will be an ongoing and multifaceted process as we celebrate what has worked in our company while dismantling and learning from what has not.  Below we name past practices and behavior that perpetuated white supremacy culture and caused harm to Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and community members. We also outline the steps we are taking to repair that harm and to reduce and prevent future harm. We share these acknowledgements in an effort to lean in to transparency, hold ourselves accountable, create pathways toward healing, and move into a more just future.

We are determined to maintain open channels of communication and we value your feedback on these changes. If you have thoughts, stories, experiences, concerns, or questions you would like to share with us, please send them here where they will reach all members of our organization. We are grateful for your engagement in this process.