Hello EST Family,
Happy January!
After a much needed break and rest, the Transition Team is back to work.
As stated in our last newsletter, we completed our implicit bias training with RKG, and talked through the Equity & Justice Report. Our biggest take away is that it is crucial that we examine how EST has worked in the past and make conscious choices about what to keep and what to change. Our team convened in September of 2021 and for the past four months, we have spent our time sharing our extremely varied perspectives on EST, building a communal understanding of the lessons of the Equity & Justice Report, and researching leadership structures at other theaters along with taking anti-racist hiring training.
In addition to our Implicit Bias Training, we invited two leaders of theatre institutions who have undergone radical structural changes to share their insights about their experiences and what changes they feel are important to support the future of theater. After careful deliberation, the Transition Team has decided to move forward with a Shared Leadership structure.
To further understand our decision, we encourage you to read pages 39-41 of the report. As you read these pages, please remember our purpose is NOT to select candidates for these roles, but to create an equitable and transparent application process that enables every candidate to be evaluated without bias. (Please see the BIPOC Leadership portion of the report on page 41 and section "A" of the BAG proposal.)
Our next steps are to discuss job descriptions and create language specific to EST, as well as conducting an equitable hiring process (Please see page 45, # 1-6 of the report).
In addition to the readings indicated above, please visit the attached links to past EST meetings for a deeper understanding of our community's current status.
Annual Meeting 2020 (Password: 4R*?spLF)
RKG Equity & Justice Report Presentation (Password: F#7Ga&RG)
Annual Meeting 2021 (Password: $DIB18?0)
If you have any questions regarding this newsletter or any section of the reading material, please do not hesitate to email us at questions@ensemblestudiotheatre.org or you can reach out and email your individual representative.
*Please note that your questions will be brought to the Transition Team and the Team together as a whole will answer any questions that you may have*
Sincerely,
Eliza Beckwith, Focus Group
France-Luce Benson, Playwrights Unit
Erin Cherry, Member Council Co-Chair
Bjorn Dupaty, Black Affinity Group
Jahna-Ferron Smith, Young Blood
Linsay Firman, Staff
Lynnette R. Freeman, Est Membership
Russell G. Jones, Board
Lou Liberatore, Members Council
Mariel Sanchez, Staff Affinity Group
Elizabeth Van Dyke, Est Membership