A STATEMENT FROM THEATRE CHARLOTTE
Theatre Charlotte is a community-driven arts organization. We believe that engaging in the arts is essential to human experience and it is our duty to honestly reflect on the world and our community. Therefore, we intentionally and rigorously work to break down barriers to attending, learning, and creating theatre—including those based on race, age, gender identity, sexuality, ability, and economics.
We are committed to fostering an environment that is kind, safe, welcoming, and equitable for all — patrons, artists, employees, volunteers, students, and families. This statement is not static, but a living commitment. We will continue to learn, grow, and hold ourselves accountable through action and collaboration with our community. Our work is continuous, and we are committed to it long term as we continue to reaffirm our principles of inclusion, equity, diversity, community outreach, engagement, and accessibility.
THEATRE CHARLOTTE’S COMMITMENTS
We are committed to creating an inclusive workforce and environment on and off stage. When we have a depth of inclusion and a spectrum of lived experiences in the room, it makes the room better. Better rooms make better institutions.
We are committed to telling a spectrum of provocative, inclusive stories on our stages, with integrity and at the highest level of production. Greater production variety of racial, gender, sexual orientation and ability on our stages will not only provide a more accurate reflection of our community but will also expand and elevate our artistic experience.
Our standing EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access) Committee, made up of Staff, Board and Community members will guide our efforts to transform our organizational culture into one that is fully inclusive, engaging and accessible to our community. The Committee will regularly review practices, policies, and procedures to identify and address any systems that need to change.
We will ensure that all staff and board receive inclusion training, both as part of onboarding and on an ongoing basis.
We will apply inclusion lens to all major organizational decisions and all current policies and procedures, recognizing that if a policy is not inherently inclusive, it is inherently exclusive.
While our policies prohibit exclusion and harassment in any form, we will reexamine and strengthen our procedures, policies, and reporting mechanisms. As a theatre, we recognize that all the people we work with are full and part-time staff, guest artists, and volunteers, and we will ensure that policies protect and empower all Theatre Charlotte guests and employees.
In all job postings, we publish salary ranges and seek out ways to expand our recruitment avenues.
We will ensure the board's culture is consistent with the theatre's commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We will, through intentional recruitment, continue to seek out BIPOC board members to replicate the multiplicity of the Charlotte community more accurately.
We will intentionally consider casting authentically and also seek opportunities to cast performers in ways that allow a story to be told through new lens. We recognize that our performers come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and aim to represent those experiences on Theatre Charlotte’s stage.