WP Theater

WeSeeYouWhiteAmericanTheater

Response and Action Statement as of 6/21/22

For definitions of certain terminology used, please reference the glossary at the end of this statement. 

ABOUT WP THEATER:
Founded in 1978, WP Theater originally opened its doors to address the conspicuous underrepresentation of women artists working in the American Theater. However, Feminist organizations, including ours, have historically existed to represent white, cis-gender women. Although we are working to change this, WP remains a predominantly white and cisgender institution and we recognize our complicity in the systemic racism built both into our organization and the larger American Theater. While WP Theater has supported many BIPOC theatermakers throughout our history, the staff, leadership, board, and majority of artists who have created work at WP, as well as the majority of artists selected for WP’s Lab have been white. Our work supporting Women+ theater artists must be directly connected to our work to combat white supremacy and anti-Blackness, and to support BIPOC artists and welcome BIPOC audiences and communities into our spaces and stages. 

OUR PROCESS:

Since receiving the WeSeeYouWAT Demands in the summer of 2020, WP’s staff has been focusing considerable effort to compare these demands with our practices and to assess where we need – and will endeavor – to make change. WP invited Farah Bala at FARSIGHT to help us structure an intentional and safe process, centering the needs of those with the least power (based on position or personal identity). After our initial six months of discussions, WP added our Commitment to Change to our website to detail the ways in which we intended to engage in this work, provide resources, and honor the Indigenous lands we inhabit. Now, we are sharing this more robust response to the Demands and our proposed pathway forward.  

Many of these changes are detailed throughout this document and will continue to evolve as we work to make WP a nurturing space for Women+ artists – prioritizing artists who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color – to create, explore their voices, take chances, and be joyfully adventurous. 

OUR ACTIONS:
Although none of the work in any department stands alone, our departments have prioritized the following specific changes and actions; to focus on now and in the immediate future. 

Artistic 

Nurturing of Artists

Access in Curation and Artistic Planning

 Production Staffing and Casting

 Expand Our Invitation to Our Shows

 Artistic Notes and Feedback:

 General Management

 Development

Marketing and Press

 Production and Facilities

 Administrative Staff

 Leadership and Board

 Staff and Board Training

Beginning in FY22 and going forward, WP has committed $15,000 of our annual budget to provide antiracism, anti-oppression, individual and social identity, allyship, intervention, de-escalation, white fragility and other training for our staff, artists and board. We are also actively investigating the best ways to train our seasonal/temporary workers and artists.

 2020-2021 Trainings

 2022 Trainings

OUR COMMITMENT TO UNDERSTANDING AND DISMANTLING ANTI-BLACKNESS AND COLORISM:

Parallel to our focus on acknowledging and undoing the systemic racism and white supremacy in our practices, we are intent on deepening our understanding of anti-Blackness and colorism. WP recognizes that the WSYWAT Demands were born out of a movement protesting state-sanctioned violence towards Black people. We are examining our history and practices to see where we have historically perpetuated anti-Blackness and Colorism by centering and favoring lighter-skinned people and people of a similar skin experience. We acknowledge that race and ethnicity are often conflated and are often connected, but that ethnicity isn’t an automatic indicator of race. We acknowledge that people from similar racial or ethnic backgrounds are not a monolith, but have unique and individual experiences. We, as an institution, are committed to educating ourselves through training and dialogue with our community about how we can combat anti-Blackness and Colorism in our workplace while also prioritizing intersectionality. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY:

Beginning in July 2022, WP will publish an annual report that will include an assessment of our progress on these commitments, as well as updates and new goals and targets, as our conversation with our community continues. To that end, we welcome feedback about these commitments, including reflections on our actions, growth opportunities, and any lack of transparency. We hope you will email us your thoughts and suggestions at info@wptheater.org.

A MOMENT OF GRATITUDE:

We are grateful to the artists who put their time and energy into showing PWI institutions a way to shift forward towards achieving a more equitable American theater. 

GLOSSARY:

 

Our January 2021 Statement:

We are heartsick and angry over the continued senseless murder of Black people and ongoing systemic racism in policing in this country. This senseless loss of life in Black communities has been compounded by the disproportionate devastation of COVID-19 and economic injustice. We are grieving with our Black artists, colleagues and communities here and across the country. Black lives matter. 

Black folx, we are with you, you matter, your lives matter.

WP Theater is reckoning with the way that this institution has failed to support BIPOC Women+ artists, and perpetuated white supremacist structures on our stages, in our office, in our board, community and the culture at large. We are listening, we are working for change, and we are taking action against injustice in our communities, and naming the places where inequity and bias exists within our own organization. 

We have been complacent too long. Our silence has resulted in oppression and the perpetuation of white supremacist culture. We can no longer be complicit: change begins here. This list is just a beginning, as we, with full hearts, commit to taking steps towards change: 

WP’s INITIAL COMMITMENTS TO CHANGE AND ACTION:

Any statement is inadequate to hold all the ways that we have failed, and that theater as a whole has failed to take action against white supremacy and oppression on our stages and beyond.  WP commits to being held accountable for our failures, and to the commitments we make here.  We also commit to this document as a working document that will grow and expand as we learn and grow, in collaboration and conversation with our community.

For anti-racism resources and more information, please click here.
Last updated June 6, 2020