Our Engagements to Inclusion and Anti-Oppression
OVERVIEW
The time for change in professional theatre is long overdue. For too long, there has been systemic exclusion of talented artists and leaders who fully deserve robust opportunities and career advancement.
In September 2020, the 35//50 initiative invited the professional theatre in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (colonially referred to as Edmonton) to build a more inclusive theatre community that reflects our city’s changing demographics and to address historical and systemic inequities. WWPT’s board and staff universally commend and endorse the goals of this initiative as essential to creating increased equity in our sector.
Workshop West will continue to prioritize engaging under-represented artists and will continue to create opportunities for women, Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) as well as other equity-seeking communities at all levels of our organization. We will continue to track company hiring and board demographics through voluntary self-identification tools, and will share that information with our community yearly. We will also continue to look for new and innovative ways to support and create equity in our city including providing dedicated space and mentorship to support IBPOC playwrights and creators.
TO SUPPORT INCLUSION & ANTI-OPPRESSION, WE HAVE PRIORITIZED THE FOLLOWING ACTION ITEMS:
Reinforcing equity is at the core of WWPT’s strategic planning and organizational discussions.
WWPT engages in Anti-Racism training as an organization.
WWPT reviews its policies and processes (formal and informal) through the lense of equity to identify processes for potential bias.
WWPT recruits board members, committee members, staff, contractors, and volunteers who are reflective of the community, and strives to engage similarly diverse donors and sponsors achieving 35//50 demographic goals by 2024/25.
We have prepared the following statistics to engage in organizational transparency with regard to these goals.
