Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Creede Repertory Theatre is striving towards a Culture of Belonging for everyone who comes through our doors. We have made great progress as an organization, and acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to do. We will continue practicing self-reflection by asking the tough questions, listening deeply to our community, and implementing practices and policies that affirm and uplift others’ humanity. We are committed to being your theatre, always.
The vision of CRT is to be a haven for artistic excellence, belonging, and intrinsic joy. For our artists to be truly excellent at CRT, we must see and support them. For our community to truly belong, they must be heard. To bring about true joy, we must continue to create spaces for connection, conversations, and deeper understanding. We will continue creating policies and procedures that make this vision possible.
In 2017 CRT initiated an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee made up of staff members and seasonal committee members, informed by the work done in society and the larger theatre world. In 2020 the CRT Board of Directors initiated their own EDI committee in collaboration with the staff Chair. Both committees strive to explore and integrate practices that make our commitment to creating a Culture of Belonging possible.
The current committee co-chairs are Jenni Harbour (Education Director) and Lori Heinrich (Development Director) supported by a team of ED&I Deputies from various departments in the Seasonal Company.
Pronouns
Why do some company members choose to list their pronouns?
We can’t always tell what someone’s gender pronouns are by sight alone. Asking for, using, and remembering personal gender pronouns are positive ways to support the people in our community. All company members are able to choose whether to share their pronouns in publication and print.
Some of our EDI Practices include:
Providing accessible childcare for company members with children.
Implementing at least one American Sign Language interpreted performance of each of our shows.
Including safe-guards in the rehearsal process specific to performed physical combat and intimacy.
Providing high-quality assisted listening devices for all performances in our Mainstage theatre.
Employing reduced bias hiring policies in our job searches.
Eliminating rehearsals where actors are rehearsing for 10 hours out of a 12 hour day (known as a 10 out of 12).
Giving equal opportunities to individuals regardless of ethnicity, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status.
Evaluating the stories we tell and the voices we elevate on our stages.
Welcoming different ideas and perspectives.
CRT RESOURCES
Below is a partial list of resources CRT Staff has utilized for Learning Labs and recommends:
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
We See You White American Theatre Demands
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong
Crip Camp directed by James Lebrecht & Nicole Newnham
WBEZ Chicago’s Code Switch Podcast, Changing Colors in Comics
The Possibility Spectrum: Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in Arts Organizations by Dr. M. Crystal Yingling
Black Lives Matter
As a theatre committed to the work of equity, diversity, and inclusion, CRT stands in solidarity with every person and organization committed to fighting racism in its many ugly forms.