Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres
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  • Home
  • About EMACT
    • Board of Directors
    • Accountability in Community Theater
    • Bylaws
    • Contact Us
  • Membership
    • Join or Renew
    • Lifetime Achievement Awards
    • Grants
    • Member Directory
  • EMACT News
  • Upcoming Events
  • DASH Program
    • DASH GALA PHOTOS
    • DASH FAQ
    • DASH Application and Forms
    • DASH Consultants
    • DASH Categories
  • DASH Nominees & Winners
    • 2021-2022 DASH Nominees and Winners
    • 2021-22 DASH Consultants' Choice Winners
    • 2020-21 DASH Consultants' Choice Winners
    • 2019 - 2020 DASH Outstanding Achievement
    • 2018 - 2019 DASH Nominees and Winners
    • 2017 - 2018 DASH Nominees and Winners >
      • 2018 DASH Gallery
      • 2018 DASH Candids Gallery
    • 2016 - 2017 DASH Nominees and Winners >
      • 2017 DASH Gala Gallery
    • 2015 - 2016 DASH Nominees and Winners >
      • 2016 DASH Gala Gallery
    • 2014 - 2015 DASH Nominees and Winners >
      • 2015 DASH Gala Gallery
    • 2013-2014 DASH Nominees and Winners >
      • 2014 DASH Gala Gallery
    • 2012-2013 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2011-2012 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2010-2011 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2009-2010 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2008-2009 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2007-2008 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2006-2007 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2005-2006 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2004-2005 DASH Nominees and Awards
    • 2003-2004 DASH Nominees and Awards
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Multi-Racial Perspectives on the Changing Face of Theatre
  • Coronavirus Resources
  • Theatre Resources
    • Theatre Links
    • Careers and Degrees in Performing Arts
    • EMACT Sexual Harassment Policy
  • Donate
Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres

DIVERSITY, Equity, & Inclusion

EMACT is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion across our entire theater community. You can read our statement on Accountability in Community Theater here. In support of these efforts, we convened a DEI Task Force that has been specifically charged with assessing our current environment, and providing resources and opportunities to improve these aspects of our work. In November 2020, the DEI Task Force surveyed our past, present, and future members to begin assessing what work is already being done, and how we can best help. Those survey results are informing their current work, and the summary results can be viewed here.

The Task Force is working to bring comprehensive resources to our community, with ideas and projects in process including: 
  • Educational Forums
  • Policy & Guideline changes each organization can incorporate specific to DE&I, with their contracts (similar to Harassment Policies)
  • Templates for Audition Announcements, Audition Forms, Contracts, etc.
  • Community Outreach Programs & Networks targeting BIPOC and underserved citizens within each community
  • Final Dress invitations to local schools and educational groups
  • Talk back sessions with libraries, featuring playwrights, actors, technicians
  • Volunteerism and Volunteer hours for school development programs

We have also compiled this list of resources and links to help our theater community educate themselves on DEI issues, and create a more equitable landscape for all people in our community:

DEI Resources

EMACT DE&I Toolkit for Theaters
The work of EMACT's DE&I Task Force, a document which will help our member groups navigate starting a DEI Plan, create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and support all members of our community. 
  • Inclusive Audition Form Template
  • Instructions for Inclusive Audition Form

AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) EDI Resources
Clearinghouse of links, articles, books, podcasts and training which focus on equity and diversity issues in theater.

The Anti-Racism Collaborative (ARC)
A multi-racial collective of anti-oppression educators and activists committed to supporting the movement for racial justice and equity. ARC provides open to the public courses and workshops, organizational trainings and consulting, and social movement partnerships that transform culture and create social change.

A Nearly Comprehensive Guide to Creating an Accessible Theater
Written by Melanie Malson at George Washington U. 
for theatre practitioners, able-bodied or disabled, who are invested in making their theatre spaces and communities more accessible.

New Repertory Theatre's Anti-Racism Starter Kit
Curated list of links and resources for self-education and awareness. 

Safer Space Policy/Community Agreements (The Anti-Oppression Network)
Guidance and example language for creating inclusive spaces through community agreements and guidelines.

StageSource Anti-Racism Policies
Policy examples from theaters across New England to help you develop your own Anti-Racist policy.

StageSource Anti-Racism Resources
A clearinghouse of links to organizations, action plans, mental health resources, and more.

StageSource "Five Steps to Anti-Racism Accountability"

We See You: White American Theater (WAT)

A collective of multi-generational, multi-disciplinary, early career, emerging and established BIPOC artists, theater managers, executives, students, administrators, dramaturges and producers, addressing the scope and pervasiveness of anti-Blackness and racism in the American theater.​

ARTICLES & BOOKS of Interest

  • "The Ableist Effects of Creating “Post-Pandemic Theatre” During a Pandemic" - Allie Marota, HowlRound 12/8/20
  • "Act on Accessibility" - Katherine Fritz, American Theatre, Nov 2018
  • Black Theater Commons: A Call for Revolutionary Theatre 2020 - 18 articles by 18 authors about the state of American theater
  • HowlRound Theatre Commons: Anti-Racist Theater Blog
  • Mass Cultural Council: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Blog
  • "Phrases We Should Work to Eliminate from the Rehearsal Room" - Ashawnti Sakina Ford, 6/4/20
  • "What Racism in Theater Looks Like and How to Dismantle It" - Boston Globe, 7/2/20 (paywall)
​
  • The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin
  • How to Be An Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
  • ​The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander
  • So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
  • White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, by Robin Diangelo
​​​​
EMACT would like to thank the DEI Task Force for their ongoing work!
​

Chairs: Michelle Aguillon & Ken Fisher
Committee Members: Shani Adia, Tessa Berliner, Michael Colford, Susan Harrington, Gabrielle Hatcher, Sonya Joyner, Joseph Jude, Lisa Miller-Gillespie, Kara Chu Nelson, Jeomil Tovar-Gomez, Jason Hair-Wynn, Alicia O'Dwyer, Anna Silva, Donnie Baillargeon, Shawna Ciampa, Celia Couture, and Kai Chao.
Copyright © 2022 Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters