ANTI-RACISM COMMITMENTS

Here at IAMA Theatre Company, we are committed to inclusion, to amplifying voices of color, and to using the power of theater and community to create social change.

We condemn all systems of oppression that perpetuate inequality, fear, grief, and harm. We offer our listening and our empathy.

But, above all, we offer ACTION.

WHAT WE’VE DONE

• Created the annual “Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission” to serve emerging Writers of Color who have been minimally produced. Click here to see photos and bios of past recipients.

• Created the annual “Pass The Mic Festival,” a virtual play festival intended to amplify voices of the Global Majority, featuring short plays, monologues, musical guests, and town hall-like discussions with Artists of Color. Click here to learn about past festivals.

• Created a commission for Writers of Color at any stage of career.

• Ensured equity in our production teams by requiring that a minimum of 51% be Artists of Color.

• Implemented Anti-Racist education and training for our Ensemble Members, Staff, and Board of Directors with Katrina Frye and her team at Culture Shift Collective.

• Expanded our Board of Directors. Click here to see photos and bios of our Board of Directors.

• Expanded our Staff. Click here to see photos and bios of our Staff.

WHAT WE’RE DOING

• In a rigorous effort towards supporting Anti-Racist practices, we are outlining our expectations with Community Agreements, an Employee Handbook, and a new set of Bylaws, outlining the governance of the Ensemble created by our elected Ensemble Council. Click here to read our Professional Code of Conduct.

• Asking all participants to adhere to our Community Agreements when collaborating with us, and fostering an open feedback dialogue with every artist and staff member who decides to work with us.

• Creating internal policies to better deescalate conflict and unprofessional and/or racist behaviors in order to seek justice and reconciliation.

• Growing a company that accurately reflects our Los Angeles community by continuing to welcome an inclusive audience and company of Ensemble Members, Staff, and Guest Artists. Click here to see photos and bios of our Ensemble.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED

• Develop an education program that engages early career artists, and provides them a supportive and inclusive platform for artistic exploration across theater, film, and television.

• Continue to broaden our audience in the Los Angeles community and ensure that ticket prices are never a barrier to enjoying our work. Click here to learn about our partnership with TeenTix LA.

• Continue what we've put into play for the future and expand our vision to create even more dialogue and action, not only from within our organization, but to our larger Los Angeles community.

We are committed to the promise that when you see work at IAMA, you will also see all of the above in action.

We are committed to looking at our organization and how we can be held more accountable through our future programming and practices.

Our work is just beginning.