Varscona Theatre Anti-Racism Statement
The Varscona Theatre Alliance stands against the overt and systemic racism and discrimination that has been visited upon Indigenous Peoples, Black people, people of colour and their communities throughout history, in Edmonton, across Canada and around the world. We have witnessed your pain and we have not done enough to help. We acknowledge our failures, our lack of diversity and expertise and our complacency.
Theatre builds community and culture, so when those things need to change, we can be a powerful instrument. Our stories can inspire empathy and understanding, amplify voices that challenge the status quo and embolden revolution.
We commit to listening to voices that have been silenced for too long and to raising them up. We commit to continuing our self-examination as an organization, and will seek guidance through consultancy with BIPOC experts. For a start, we will:
Require anti-racism and inclusion training for Varscona staff, board members and our resident companies.
Offer Treaty 6 land acknowledgement before every show by our resident companies and at every board meeting.
Actively work to recruit board members who are diverse in terms of ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender and socio-economic background.
These actions will take time, and will necessarily grow and adapt as we continue to learn. We expect to be held accountable for doing better.
Our theatre, our community and our culture have a long journey ahead. We will not be neutral or silent along the way.
The Varscona Theatre Respectful Workplace Committee
In 2017, the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association initiated the Not In Our Space campaign in collaboration with the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). This campaign was developed to ensure healthy and productive working conditions for all individuals working in live performance across the country.
At the Varscona, we emphatically share the view of PACT and Equity that there should be zero tolerance for harassment, workplace violence, or discrimination in our theatre. To this end, we have decided to strengthen our policies and processes to support a Respectful and Safe Workplace. This work has led to the formation of the Respectful Workplace Committee.
Our Vision is to provide a safe space where artists can focus on developing outstanding productions, employees and contractors can focus on doing great work, and patrons can focus on enjoying great shows.
If you need confidential support for matters related to harassment, workplace violence or discrimination at the Varscona Theatre, you can reach out to any member of the committee listed below or through our committee email address - respectfulworkplace@varsconatheatre.com. The full version of the policy is available for you to look at below.
Together we will ensure that the Varscona is a safe space where artists can focus on developing outstanding productions, employees and contractors can focus on doing great work, and patrons can focus on enjoying great shows.
Sincerely,
The Respectful Workplace Committee
Ron Chalmers, President, Teatro la Quindicina 780.439.0233
Heather Klimchuk, Board member, Varscona Theatre 780.904.7277
Jim McKillop, President, Varscona Theatre 780.499.3340
Donal O’Beirne, President, Shadow Theatre 780.913.4895
Norm St. Arnaud, Vice-President, Varscona Theatre 780.446.9217