Equity and Diversity Statement and Action Plan
(We are currently in the process of an internal audit to see where we have succeeded, and where we need to redouble our efforts considering the commitments below. Stay tuned for our 2021/22 progress report. The work has only just begun.)
A QUICK NOTE
In response to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, BCTC decided to release a short statement in support of Black Lives Matter. Since then, we’ve reflected on the work we’ve chosen to produce, the voices we’ve chosen to elevate, and where our attempts at diversity, inclusivity, and equity have succeeded and failed, in order to take action against systemic racism and other oppressive structures.
WHO WE ARE
Bike City Theatre Company is a small, democratic, volunteer-run theatre company based in Davis, California. We were founded in 2017 with the goal of sharing the scope of human experience through sustainable, community-oriented theatre. But our community--and our company--intersect with our nation’s history of economic, social, cultural, and racial oppression. We have no illusions: we understand that these systems of oppression are reflected in BCTC’s company practices, albeit unintentionally. Spurred by the national conversation, over the last three months we’ve engaged with our company members, our community, and the global theatrical community to determine how to create a more equitable, welcoming, and just space for all marginalized populations.
WHO WE ARE IN ACTION
Before the global pandemic, we began rehearsals for our after-school pilot project, Esperanza Rising. An adaptation of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s novel by a Latino playwright, it's designed to provide a free theatrical experience for elementary aged children of local migrant families. A part of the state curriculum, we chose Esperanza because it honors a history many local students may have direct experience with.
For the second year of our Salon Reading series, we began with trans playwright M.J. Kaufman’s Sensitive Guys with a cast of BIPOC and non-binary actors. We were scheduled to bring you Dance Nation with a majority female identifying, nonbinary, and POC cast; a collection of shorts by a local nonbinary POC playwright; Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, a story of the Black experience by a Black playwright; and in November, Salt Baby, an Indigenous-centered play by First Nations playwright Falen Johnson. As soon as it’s safe to do so, we’re putting these pieces onstage for you, our community.
In the face of the global pandemic, BCTC transitioned to radio drama. In the last 3 months we have produced original plays by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, non-binary, and female identifying writers. However, our quick pivot to the new medium has thus far led to a less diverse radio season than our previously scheduled live shows. We are paying special attention to the voices and work we choose to elevate and will be working to achieve more racial equity among our voiceover actors and playwrights in the coming year.
In July we performed an internal audit of all works we have selected since 2017. In the 2.5 years since our founding 44% of our selections have involved BIPOC writers and 50% have involved writers who identify as LGBTQIA+. After an internal demographic survey of our active Core, Company Members, and Interns with 100% participation we discovered that our collective is 38.8% POC, 38.8% LGBTQIA+, and that 44.4% of our company members are disabled or chronically ill. The majority of BCTC is female identifying, but the majority of our board is male identifying and white. We include these statistics to be radically transparent about where we are, and where we’re aiming to go.
OUR COMMITMENT TO ACTION
We’ve been reading and internalizing the actions outlined in “BIPOC Demands for White American Theater” from We See You White American Theatre and the “BIPOC Equity Action Plan” from the Bay Area Living Document. Based on our company’s extant goals, our resources as a small, non-profit organization, what we’ve begun to learn from our internal audits, and with specific attention to intersectionality, we commit to the following:
We commit to achieving a minimum of 50% representation of BIPOC writers within the next year (by August 2021) through focused recruitment in these communities.
We commit to including Indigenous land acknowledgements at the beginning of every rehearsal process, live performance, and donor event. (Ongoing)
We commit to including anti-racist and anti-harrassment clauses in all future contracts. (September 2020)
We commit to having a No Tolerance policy for harassment, prejudice, and discrimination towards anyone based on race, gender, sexual identification, or ability visible within our meeting, rehearsal, and performance spaces. This includes posting the notice in first rehearsals via Zoom during the pandemic. (September 2020)
We commit to creating both an ombudsperson position and a clear and explicit path of safe reporting for any damaging behavior. As part of that path, we commit to creating internal mediation and adjudication processes. (October 2021)
We commit to an annual internal Climate and Culture Survey to ensure a safe working environment. (September 2020)
We commit to ensuring that our Board demographics, values, and decisions reflect the values of the community we serve, with specific attention to racial, ethnic, gender and other identifiers. (Ongoing)
We recommit to a Board Membership that values means of support beyond capitalism/monetary responsibility, where people can offer their own unique trade, expertise or skill, connection, time and service that are beneficial to the growth of the theatre company.
We commit to financial transparency following the 2021 fiscal reporting year, which we will make available publicly, online.
We commit to reforming our ticketing practices for financial accessibility, allowing those with EBT cards to purchase tickets for $5.00 at all of our non-free shows. (August 2021)
We commit to seeking out and recruiting BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and differently abled theatre artists and leaders to join the organization through direct contact with regional producing bodies and cultural organizations. (Ongoing)
We commit to revising our mission statement to reflect these actions and changes by February 2021.
We commit to dissolving the role of Artistic Director in favor of a model of distributed leadership. (Transition completed by January 2022)
We recommit to searching out, promoting, developing, and producing work by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and differently abled authors that celebrate the diverse, joyful lives of those communities.
We recommit to intentional and meaningful inclusion, and support of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and differently abled staff, volunteers, administrators and decision makers.
We recommit to our “post-mortem” system, a system which lets artists respond anonymously to their experience with shows after the fact, with online access, for all production teams.
We recommit not only to keeping all casting choices open to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and differently abled actors, but also to actively reach out to these actors in order to bridge the accessibility gap of traditional auditions.
We recommit to getting to know the individual at auditions beyond their artistic work.
We recommit to prioritizing industry training for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and differently abled Casting Associates.
These actions are not a goal line, but a starting point. As our organization grows there is much more that can be accomplished. We commit to re-examining the action items laid out in these documents annually in order to continue diversifying.
WHAT’S NEXT
Our company’s mission offers that “we’re artists of the world, but seek to be influenced by the ebbs and flows of experience rooted in this place.” We’re a company within a place, within a flawed system that we’re working from within to change. We hope you’ll support us in this mission, and continue to support our creation of powerful, diverse, empathetic stories that delight us and help us grow.
Have an idea on how we can improve? We’d love to hear it. https://bikecitytheatre.org/contact-us
