Vigilance | Professionalism | Respect | Trust | Transparency | Awareness
Until the #MeToo movement, I had cynically assumed that to rid my industry of sexual harassment and abuse of power was like trying to rehabilitate a child molester. Good luck!
I would never tolerate it under my leadership but had never imagined a worldwide movement would stem the tide. A code of conduct in place, even for the smallest theater companies, gives everyone involved peace of mind and a sense they are being well taken care of by leadership.
I’m starting a new theatre company and plan to have a strong code of conduct in place.
Chicago’s non-equity theaters are taking the lead in conduct accountability and have created a thrillingly comprehensive document.
The Chicago document stresses safety at every level including the importance of a non-equity deputy chosen by the current production participants. The NED acts as a peer liaison and reporting channel between participants and the leadership for communicating concerns.
At the same time, artistic director, Vicky Featherstone and her colleagues at The Royal Court Theatre in London created an industry code of behavior that received international recognition.
I plan, with my colleagues, to review both documents fully and create a version for our work.
#TimesUp, indeed.
The tweet image above is from the Twitter account of MN theatre critic, Kit Bix
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