Anti-Racism at Trinity Rep

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

EDIA is about looking at our people, spaces, and events through more than just one lens. We consider our world through multiple lenses; we constantly ask questions like, “How can we reach otherwise marginalized communities who have not interacted with our theater before?”

At Trinity Rep, this work is actualized through
three different branches:

• EDIA director (me)
• Staff EDIA Task Force
• And our Board’s EDIA Committee

Through this collaboration, we strive to transform our communities, stages, and classrooms into more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist spaces.

One way we did this in 2023 was by turning an idea of the Board’s EDIA Committee into reality. On June 22, we welcomed friends and partners from around the state. We hosted a reception with Trinity Rep staff and trustees, where we discussed opportunities for potential future collaboration, and connected with staff from the Division of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (DEDI) at the Rhode Island Department of Administration. Executive Director Katie Liberman, Artistic Director Curt Columbus, Sean Holley, the Board’s EDIA committee chair and RI Equal Opportunity Office Administrator; and Tomás Ávila, associate director of RI’s Division of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion shared remarks. Then, guests attended a performance of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

One of my favorite parts of that evening was seeing people network and connect about future
collaborations. For a few guests, this was their first visit to Trinity Rep. One guest remarked, “What an incredible evening! To be welcomed into Trinity Rep and have the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals was wonderful. Then to see such an incredible performance of Sweeney Todd, I couldn’t have asked for a better evening!”

I was just as pleased to see the idea brought forward by the EDIA Board Committee months before come to fruition. From brainstorming to planning, and finally welcoming this incredible group of people into our home – it was a proud moment.

Our work also focuses on inclusion. This season, we plan to offer ASL (American Sign Language) classes to staff to help them better communicate with patrons.

This work never stops, as we are always learning ways we can grow and better understand one another. Engaging in it with other EDIA professionals who are passionate about this work is extremely gratifying. I look forward to continuing these conversations and invite others to reach out and join us in the coming year

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of the 2022-23 Season!

Spring has sprung, bringing with it longer days, warmer weather, and winds of change. We often look at change in a negative light, but in this moment, we encourage you to think of the positive aspects that change can bring. Like spring, it can invoke a sense of looking forward to newfound experiences.

We have seen a great deal of growth in our EDIA work and in our continued efforts to make Trinity Rep an anti-racist theater. This work cannot be done by one person. It takes effort from our staff, administrators, resident actors, board of trustees, and you, our dedicated patrons.

Recent programming efforts include the rebranding of our Affinity Spaces. These groups are now Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). This reflects and reaffirms our dedication and commitment to providing support as well as safe spaces for our staff. We were honored to have Artistic Director Curt Columbus serve as the facilitator for our first LGBTQIA Group. Feedback from the inaugural meeting has been very positive, and we look forward to upcoming meetings. We plan to resume our
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and Ally ERGs in May.

On March 31, we celebrated Women’s History Month with a special lunchtime conversation. The event was titled “Celebrating Our Own.” A panel consisting of Costume Shop Director Amanda Downing Carney, Producing Director Jennifer McClendon, and Artistic Producer Gia Yarn, discussed their individual career journeys as women working in theater. It is important to celebrate our colleagues, and even more important to share our individual stories. We look forward to continuing to celebrate our staff and to highlight their amazing work at Trinity Rep!

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

As spring rapidly approaches, it brings a great sense of anticipation for not only warmer temperatures, but longer days, and the anticipation of change.

This is an exciting time at Trinity Rep, as we are deep in preparation for our next season and pressing forward with our EDIA efforts. Regarding play selection, I’m one of many members of an amazing team that meets to suggest and review options for the upcoming season. The team is led by Curt and composed of members of the acting company, staff, and senior managers. Each week, we read and discuss the plays, how they would fit at Trinity Rep, and how they would forward our mission of inclusion and equity.

As we strive to provide programming and education for our community, we also
continue to explore ways to engage with our audience. We will continue with our Post-Show Conversations series to allow patrons to engage in conversations about The Inferior Sex. Please
check our website and social media for more information on upcoming dates, and ways to engage with us.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Should you have any suggestions, feedback, or questions, reach out directly at MAustin@trinityrep.com

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

Happy New Year from EDIA at Trinity Rep!

The 2021-22 Season saw great strides in our EDIA efforts. Trainings continued for staff, members of the acting company, administrators, and our Board of Trustees, all with very positive reviews. A monthly newsletter was created in an effort to be transparent regarding our progress. In an effort to collect feedback and input on the needs of our community, we will continue to offer listening sessions throughout 2023. This is so we can provide the training and support that is needed by members of our community.

Last fall, we also established Post-Show Conversations in conjunction with the artistic department. The program invites patrons to join us around a conversation about the current production. Conversations are offered twice per production (or immediately thereafter), one via Zoom, the other in-person. These sessions allow participants to engage in conversation about the show, from asking questions ranging from play selection and artistic choices to more in-depth inquiries about a production’s themes and contemporary relevance. To date, we have hosted well over 100 people for these robust discussions. Please check each show page for dates and times of upcoming conversations. We would love to have you join us!

We continue to seek opportunities to engage and promote our EDIA efforts. Should you have ideas, suggestions, or comments, please feel free to reach out by email to maustin@trinityrep.com.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023!

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

This has been an exciting first year in overseeing EDIA efforts at Trinity Rep. I am honored to continue working with staff, administrators, and trustees who are so supportive of this work.

We are continuing the 2022-23 Season with EDIA trainings in our partnership with the consulting agency Farsight as well as Dialogues on Diversity.

Internal programming includes “Lunchtime Conversations” about a wide range of EDIA topics and “Feel Good Fridays” for mental health. We are also proud to announce that our BIPOC and White Ally Affinity Spaces are active, and we are launching an LGBTQIA Affinity space which will be led by our own Curt Columbus! By the spring of 2023 we hope to launch our Women’s Affinity Space. All of this could not be done without the support of our amazing group of staff and administrators.

Post Show Conversations will continue with each production for the season. This will give patrons the opportunity to discuss the production either in person or virtually. Please check our website for dates and times.

Our Staff EDIA group has officially been renamed “The EDIA Taskforce” and they have been hard at work reviewing policies and looking to come up with additional programming for our community. The members are:

• Viguens Louis, Chair, Major Gifts Officer
• Marisa Lenardson, Photo and Video Content Manager
• Suzanne Tidwell, House Services Manager
• Maddie Ulevich, Development Officer
• Joi Wright, Education Programs Coordinator
• Gia Yarn, Artistic Producer

As we prepare for 2023, we are thankful for our patrons, staff, and trustees for their continued support.

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

From Monique L. Austin, Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA): 

 It has been my honor to serve as the inaugural director of EDIA at Trinity Rep. As I approach the one-year mark, I can honestly say that Trinity Rep as an organization has been open and totally embraced the work that is being done, from our staff, senior management and Board of Trustees. 

Trinity Rep has heavily invested in our EDIA efforts. We firmly believe in being an anti-racist theater and continue to strive to do everything we can to stand firm in that belief. Being an anti-racist theater includes much more than dealing with issues of race. We are on the front lines of directly facing issues that deal not only with race, but with gender, sexual orientation/identity, ability, and more. 

I have had the honor of working with the cast of The Inheritance from their very first table read. They have worked very hard to bring you an adaption that will no doubt bring you to the edge of your seat but will leave you wanting more. 

As we did with Fairview, we will be providing space for you to join us in a post-show discussion. We will host both a virtual (via Zoom) and an in-person discussion at the end of Part 1 and again at the end of Part 2. Please check our website at trinityrep.com/inheritance to register and/or confirm dates. We invite you to join us as this is an opportunity to hear from our Artistic Director, Curt Columbus, and to sit with other patrons to not only ask questions, but to engage in conversations about the production, its themes, and messaging. 

We invite you to join us as we continue our work in being an anti-racist theater, including having conversations that may be deemed difficult. This work is collaborative and cannot be done without you and your continued support. I look forward to continuing this journey and engaging with you. Please feel free to reach out directly at: MAustin@trinityrep.com or feedback@trinityrep.com. 

After a brief hiatus due to COVID-19, we returned to in person programming in full force in late February. 

We continue to do the work to make Trinity Rep an anti-racist organization. This work is not easy and it cannot be done in a silo. It is collaborative and calls upon every member of our community to be successful. 

EDIA continues to partner with Resource Management, and our Artistic Department to offer programming around mental health and wellness with a new initiative called “Feel Good Friday’s” The goal is to provide space once a month to support staff in providing information and resources to support good mental health.  

We also continue to work with Community Engagement as we recognize and acknowledge that we are a “public square”. We want to assure that Trinity Rep continues to be a welcoming and safe space for all who enter our doors. 

Our Affinity Spaces continue to grow and provide our community a safe and brave space to discuss important matters as well and work on finding solutions in how we can better support each other. 

Programming related directly to topics such as unconscious bias, microaggressions, and language are scheduled to begin in April and we are already receiving great support for these efforts. 

It is an exciting time at Trinity Rep as we move forward and we are thankful for the outpouring of support from our administration, staff and board of trustees! 

Greetings from Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA) at Trinity Rep. 

It has truly been an exciting time here at Trinity Rep as EDIA efforts are well underway with overwhelming support from our staff, acting company, administration, and Board of Trustees.  

Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in December and January, we had to pause some of our programming. I am pleased to announce that we are now back and ready to continue the work! We will resume our Lunchtime Conversations in March as well as in-person training sessions for the entire company around issues including but not limited to microaggressions, the importance of language, and unconscious bias. 

During the months of December, January and February, we had a total of 91 members of the organization participate in our Affinity Space discussions. Special thanks to staff and board members who co-facilitated sessions: 

• Sean Holley, Chair, Board EDIA Committee    
• Viguens Louis, Major Gifts Officer   
• Lizzy Pegler, Costume Technician   
• Marisa Quinn, Board EDIA Committee Member   

• Bradly Widener, Director of Service & Experience    
• Gia Yarn, Artistic Assistant     

Our newest initiative, “Feel Good Fridays” was launched on February 11, 2022. This program is a collaborative effort presented by EDIA, Resource Management, and the Artistic Department. The purpose of this program is to provide space for all Trinity Rep employees to take care of their mental health. The kickoff included a presentation from a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who discussed recognizing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and grief. As a part of this initiative, we will work with Resource Management to build a resource list that will be available for all members of the TRC community.   “Feel Good Fridays” will take place on the first Friday of each month with a variety of activities and or discussions around mental health and wellness. 

Due to recent staffing changes, we are thrilled to welcome new members to our Staff EDIA Committee: 

• Marisa Lenardson, Photo & Video Content Manager    
• Seth Mankoski, Carpenter    
• Joi Wright, Education Programs Coordinator    

I am excited to continue this work with such an amazing staff! 

Greetings from the Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism at Trinity Rep. We finished 2021 having made great strides in our work, using our Strategic Plan as a guide. 

Our first Affinity Space sessions were held on December 15^th. In Affinity Spaces, folks with shared backgrounds can discuss what they – and Trinity Rep as a whole – can do to make the theater more inclusive and actively anti-racist. Our groups consisted of staff, members of the acting company, senior staff, and members of our Board of Trustees. We had a combined total of roughly 40 people in attendance. Our next session will be held on January 20^th and the final session will be held on February 3^rd. After these, we will continue to provide time and space to allow these conversations to continue. 

In an effort to continue to diversify our audience, Trinity Rep partnered with Zeta Phi Beta, a historically Black sorority, and hosted “A Finer Night at the Theatre” on December 16^th welcoming members of the Kappa Phi Zeta Chapter of the sorority in Providence to see A Christmas Carol. We look forward to continuing to partner with other organizations in the coming months. 

While the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has impacted planning, we are pleased to have continue working with Resource Management as well as Community Engagement to plan to bring robust trainings to our community. Upcoming sessions will include: bystander training, unconscious bias, microaggressions, and restorative justice. We are also implementing a new initiative focused on mental health and wellness. 

We will continue to offer listening sessions in an effort to collect feedback and input on the needs of our community so that we can provide the training and support that is needed. 

My name is Monique Austin and I am the Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA) at Trinity Rep. 

I assumed this role on September 20, 2021 and am honored to be a part of this amazing organization. One of the many things that drew me to this role was the active steps that Trinity Rep had taken in the area of EDIA. Not only did they put their commitment in writing, they acted.  

In this current political and social climate, this will definitely be cause for conversation. As we are watching trials begin, continued injustices plaguing communities of color, and other abuses, we have an obligation to confront these issues and provide a space for discourse. While these visuals and subsequent conversations may not be easy, we must get comfortable being uncomfortable. 

During my first 30+ days, I held multiple “listening sessions” for senior management and staff. The level of honesty that people shared with me was nothing short of amazing. Everyone I spoke with has had a wonderful experience at Trinity Rep and are committed to continue to make things better. Out of these listening sessions it became apparent that staff need to have a voice, a space of their own to bring forward issues related to EDIA. Out of these sessions, we are pleased to announce that we have established the EDIA Staff Committee. The members of the committee are: 

• Barry Branford, Company Manager 
• Viguens Louis, Major Gifts Officer  
• Lizzy Pegler, Costume Technician 
• Suzanne Tidwell, House Services Manager 
• Jess Toporoski, Human Resources Manager 

• Abby Wang, Assistant Lighting Supervisor 
• Bradly Widener, Assistant Director of Service and Experience 
• Gia Yarn, Artistic Assistant 

I am honored to have such a diverse group of staff from across the company participating and am excited about what is to come from this group! 

Another initiative that has come out of the listening sessions is a program called Lunchtime Conversations. These will be held on a monthly basis and in a format similar to a brown bag luncheon. The series will provide an opportunity to for staff to have lunch and discuss EDIA related topics.  

Our first session was held on November 18^th. The topic was: “Black Actors in White Theater” and the discussion led by our very own resident acting company member Joe Wilson, Jr. With close to 30 people in attendance, it was a very open conversation around the choices made in the casting and production of this year’s A Christmas Carol. Joe spoke of his own experiences as a Black man in the world of theater. 

Other exciting news is that our CORE team of the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee formed in 2020, consisting of Joe Wilson Jr., Mia Ellis, and Amanda Downing, have worked very hard to create Affinity Spaces for Trinity Rep. The team hired Farsight, a consulting company with vast experience working with theaters will be hosting training for staff, administration and board of trustee members starting in December.  

It is a very exciting time here at Trinity Rep and I am excited to continue to work with such an amazing staff! For more information about Trinity Rep’s work to become an anti-racist organization, visit www.trinityrep.com/antiracism. 

November 19, 2021

Dear Trinity Rep Community, 

On November 14, 2021, the Providence Journal ran a review of Trinity Rep’s production of A Christmas Carol. This review contained a number of elements that were problematic from an equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism perspective. Trinity Rep has responded with a letter to the editor that, due to space constraints placed on submissions by the Journal, addresses just one issue – criticism of the theater’s land acknowledgement, which we detail below. In addition, Trinity Rep has written directly to the reviewer and editor to specifically identify the other elements that were in violation of the theater’s content guidelines, designed to protect our artists and staff from harm caused by unconscious bias.   

We understand that theatrical criticism and art criticism are subjective. We respect that reviewers will form their own opinions and do not expect that folks will all enjoy or understand every production or every aspect of a particular production. The elements that we have taken issue with have nothing to do with the artistic quality of the production, but rather the lack of knowledge on the part of a white reviewer and a white editorial staff. Our historical moment demands that greater attention is paid to the subtext of the writing; that if a production is making a concerted effort to center BIPOC voices, that effort is respected; and that stereotyping is avoided.  

As we have brought forward in our letter to the editor, in the review, the critic refers to “an opening monologue – inviting people to remember Native American tribes once populated the state, mentioning slave trade connections and urging support for people of color” as a “layer being added to Dickens’ message of humanity and kindness that feels forced.” 

That “monologue” was Trinity Rep’s land acknowledgement, developed with Native elders over the past several months and expanded to incorporate acknowledgement of Rhode Island’s participation in the Triangle Slave Trade, and will occur in some form before each of Trinity Rep’s performances going forward. It reads as follows: 

“We acknowledge the lands where Trinity Rep stands in Downtown Providence today as once the lands of the Masswascut-The Land between the two rivers, and the territory of Meshanticut, which are the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett, Pokanoket and Nipmuc people. 

“We also acknowledge that as contemporary Rhode Islanders, we hold the legacy of this state’s economic foundation through its participation in the triangle slave trade. We encourage you to research and personally acknowledge these legacies, and support our contemporary Indigenous and Black communities in actionable ways.” 

Director Joe Wilson, Jr. has chosen to weave Trinity Rep’s land acknowledgement into the opening of the show. Charles Dickens’ original story of A Christmas Carol is, after all, filled with social justice commentary – Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by his life-long neglect of his fellow humans, and Dickens enjoins his readers to examine their participation in injustice at “the most festive time of the year.” 

Dickens embedded the need for this very kind of illumination of past wrongs in his ghost story of Christmas. At the end of stave three, when we meet the most jovial of all of the spirits, Christmas Present, Scrooge notices two children clinging to his robes. “This boy is Ignorance, and this girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all, beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom unless the writing be erased.” Willful ignorance of past harm is antithetical to the spirit of A Christmas Carol, and therefore, these “additions” are a gloriously Dickensian part of our current production. 

Trinity Rep’s mission is to reinvent the public square with dramatic art that stimulates, educates, and engages our diverse community in a continuing dialogue. We are committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. And we believe in the power of theater to create change. If the spoken land acknowledgement feels “forced” or creates discomfort, it’s worth looking at why. 

We hope that the Providence Journal will take this as an opportunity for growth and change, and we are open to further dialogue with them about the matter. 

Language or actions rooted in hate, whether intentional or not, have no place at Trinity Rep. We do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or harassment of any kind, including microaggressions. Should you have questions or comments, we invite you to reach out to us directly or contact Trinity Rep via this form.

Thank you.

Curt Columbus
Artistic Director
ccolumbus@trinityrep.com

Jennifer Canole
Interim Executive Director 
jcanole@trinityrep.com

With in-person performances finally resuming, many of Trinity Rep’s anti-racism initiatives are moving from planning phases to implementation, while more are still in their early stages. Here is an overview of the most steps we have taken since our summer update:

• Monique Austin was hired as our new director of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Monique started in late September and immediately began to dive into the work, including setting up meetings and open office hours, so that she could hear from all members of the staff.  Monique is part of the organization’s senior leadership and reports jointly to the artistic director and executive director.
• Dozens of new staff were hired this summer and fall under new HR protocols. Open positions were posted more widely and in more diverse locations; all jobs included salary ranges in the postings; all finalists were interviewed by a panel of current staff to help reduce bias during the process. The result is the most diverse staff in Trinity Rep’s history.
• A team of professional facilitators has been identified to lead internal affinity groups. We will start with two – one for BIPOC staff and one for white allies. These are expected to start later this fall.
• Community Agreements are being shared with all audience members in pre-show emails and in the programs they receive. These agreements ask audience members to adhere to a code of conduct that shows respect for others, including fellow audience members, staff, and artists.
• Members of the Trinity Rep staff met with Native elders to develop a Land Acknowledgement that recognizes that  the lands where Trinity Rep stands in Downtown Providence today as once the lands of the Masswascut-The Land between the two rivers, and the territory of Meshanticut, which are the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett, Pokanoket and Nipmuc people.
• Press guidelines were created and distributed to critics, editors, and feature writers to ensure that harmful biases and microaggressions are not included in reviews and articles about our work.
• The Board of Trustees passed our strategic plan in mid-October. The strategic plan is rooted in four strategic pillars to pursue over the next three years: serving as an artistic home;  reinvigorating the Lederer Theater Center facility; providing deep community value and service; and being an anti-racist organization.

As our work towards being an anti-racist organization continues, we welcome feedback from our community. Feedback on this work can be shared at www.trinityrep.com/antiracism.

Developed by the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee, 2020-21

Analyze Power: We acknowledge that power is exercised in the social, economic, and political relations between individuals and groups. It is also unequally distributed – some individuals and groups having greater control over the sources of power and others having little or no control.

We aim to do this by:

• Using a racial equity lens: Analyzing and identifying barriers to entry and systems/structures that prevent certain communities from engaging with Trinity Rep
• Including historically marginalized communities and acknowledging past failings in this area
• Acknowledging power and privilege and actively participating in personal work to challenge internalized racism and oppression
• Using Consensus Decision Making throughout this work

Never a failure, always a lesson: We acknowledge that we will make mistakes; we commit to enhance our learning through productive failure.

We aim to do this by:

• Maintaining aspirational and achievable goals
• Creating space to hear feedback from community and stakeholders
• Applying multiple approaches to solving problems
• Being prepared to re-evaluate and adjust goals throughout our work

Adaptable and Flexible: We commit to quickly reconfigure capabilities, infrastructure, and resources as needed.

We aim to do this by:

• Using a multi-modal approach to engagement and disseminating information

Transparency/Accountability: To work with integrity requires that we be accountable to the communities we serve paying particular attention to those struggling with racist and class oppression.

We aim to do this by:

• Acknowledging this priority publicly and regularly throughout our work
• Establishing lines of regular communication with various teams/stakeholders as well as the general public
• Clearly stating principles, values, and goals and making them public
• Being honest (internally as well as with stakeholders and the public) about the priorities throughout, especially if/when they change
• Listening to the concerns, stories, and histories told by BIPOC and other impacted communities across race, class, religion, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, and social class, and learning from and working to respond to these interactions
• Acknowledging limitations and being prepared to explain why and how certain decisions were made

Move at the speed of trust: We believe we must increase trust and reduce fears that create barriers to participation, experimentation, and passion that is so crucial to community engagement.

We aim to do this by:

• Empowering community leaders and involving them in decision-making roles
• Establishing accountability within these relationships
• We engage in tension, not drama. When we face conflict or disagreement we follow these steps:
  • Acknowledge
  • Actively listen
  • Review options
  • Decide next steps

Trinity Rep’s work to become an actively anti-racist organization continues. As the full return of staff, artists, and audiences to our spaces draws closer, our anti-racism work continues to move from planning and strategizing to implementing concrete changes. In recent months, several steps were taken to put structures in place at the staff and board levels to support our work throughout the organization.

In June, our consultants from Equity Institute and CORAJUS completed their work with us and presented their strategic plan recommendations to the staff and Board of Trustees. The strategic planning committee of the board will now incorporate those recommendations into the organization’s next strategic plan, due to be complete this fall.

During their Annual Meeting in June, the Board of Trustees elected five new trustees, all of whom identify as people of color. You can read more about each of the new trustees here. At the same meeting, the board voted to amend the by-laws to create a new standing committee: the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Committee. Chaired by trustee Sean Holley, this group will ensure that work is being done at the board level as well as by the staff to make our organization more just and equitable.   

In June, as we recruited for 30 positions, we implemented diverse hiring panels for all final round interviews. All panelists have received implicit bias training. We also transitioned to a new Human Resources Management System to standardize and improve our recruitment and onboarding processes.

In July, a new senior management-level position was posted, the Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDIA). This position will work to advance our EDIA goals in every aspect of our work.

While we expect the new Director of EDIA to lead the charge on a number of initiatives, some are already well under way, while others are starting to take shape. Staff members and artists who have been serving on the Core Team of the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee have started work to create affinity groups for staff, artists, and board, and are working to identify facilitators for those groups. To start, two groups will be formed, one for BIPOC people and one for white allies, though the long-term plan is to expand to more groups in the future.

With these changes to the board and staff structure, we expect continued progress toward our goal of being an anti-racist organization. Further updates will be posted this fall. As always, if you have questions or suggestions, please complete the form at the bottom of this page.

As of July 27, 2021

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion — the Work Is Ongoing

We are approaching one year since the murder of George Floyd and the beginning of the nationwide reckoning with systemic racism that it inspired. Among the results of this reckoning was the formation of We See You White American Theatre (WSYWAT), a collective of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) theater artists who called upon the county’s predominantly white theater organizations to make substantial changes to practices that have and continue to cause harm to BIPOC artists, audiences, and communities while supporting systemic racism.

Though Trinity Rep had begun doing work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in 2016, we listened to what WSYWAT and, more importantly, what our own BIPOC artists detailed in a letter to Trinity Rep and its leadership, about the harm we have caused, the harm we continue to perpetuate, and the many ways in which anti-racism and DEI have not been integrated into the artistic and financial life of Trinity Rep. Consequently, Trinity Rep then started on a journey to become actively antiracist, and we want to inform the community of the steps we have taken toward creating an anti-racist culture, with the understanding that these steps, which lead to some measurable goals, are and should always be, in progress.

Last fall, per the request of our BIPOC artists, we hired consultants to provide guidance and training. We have been honored to work with Sylvia Spears, Kelvin Dinkins, CORAJUS, and Equity Institute throughout the past nine months and have benefited immensely from their expertise. We also convened two teams of staff, artists, board members, and community members to lead us on this journey, one core working group (which meets weekly) and one larger advisory group (which meets monthly).

Our consultants have provided a series of trainings to our staff and board of trustees, including bystander training for all staff and acting company members, anti-bias training for hiring managers, and scaffolding change for board and senior management. The teams from CORAJUS and Equity Institute also conducted a comprehensive audit of our current and past practices through interviews, staff surveys, and a review of data and materials. Following the collection and analysis of this data, in partnership with the internal working groups, they are developing a three-year DEI-informed strategic plan that will be presented to the board of trustees for review and approval at their annual meeting in June.

In addition to participating in trainings, the entire staff has also been actively working to review how their individual departments can contribute to becoming a more equitable organization. To produce theater in a more humane way, the production departments have changed the rehearsal and performance schedule for next season to institute five-day work weeks, replacing the industry-standard six-day weeks. We also eliminated the “10 out of 12” days of the technical rehearsal process, which call for actors, designers, and crew to work 10 hours in a 12-hour window. The production schedule also eliminated overlapping shows, when both theaters have plays on stage at the same time.

Changes like these improve working conditions and work-life balance for all staff and artists and were explicitly included by BIPOC artists in their demands. Other changes, like training for the costume department on Black hair and make-up will specifically help us to better support BIPOC actors.

Other departments are also working through what they can do to contribute. For example, the development staff has been evaluating what changes it will make to its methodologies and donor benefits, and the marketing team will be making changes to where advertising is placed and considering all promotional language through the eyes of the BIPOC artists involved. Meanwhile, our education staff is replacing some of the texts used in their classes to be more inclusive, and our community engagement department continues to find opportunities to elevate voices and perspectives not always at the forefront of conversations. A new senior management position, the Director of Service and Experience, was created to de-centralize the transactional relationship between the theater and its patrons and place more focus on the theater experience and relationships. In addition, salaries across the organization have been increased to meet the national medians for the theater industry and to increase pay transparency and equity within the organization.

The changes most visible to the general public, however, are being made by the artistic department in the choice of plays we produce and the artists who will be hired to produce these plays. The 2021-22 Season, was chosen to give more BIPOC playwrights, directors, designers, and artists a creative voice within our community, a decision that will extend into every season to come at Trinity Rep.

Our work in DEI and anti-racism is also seen in our new green initiatives, since climate change disproportionately affects low income and marginalized communities. As a start, we have committed to increasing our recycling efforts, using paper in our printed pieces that contain more recycled (post-consumer waste) material; making play programs available in digital form; generally reducing the amount of paper used to communicate with patrons, including encouraging the use of digital tickets; reducing the amount of plastic in our concession offerings; partnering with other arts organizations to share used or discarded set materials; and increasing our use of LED lights in our buildings and onstage.

The enthusiasm for this work throughout the organization, from the staff and artists to the board, has given us great optimism for the future. Though significant steps have been taken in the past year, the commitment to making Trinity Rep an anti-racist organization with DEI as a guiding principle is an ongoing process. Next season’s budget includes dedicated resources for this work, including continued training, the establishment of affinity groups, and a new staff position dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Another aspect of our commitment is transparency — letting our community know what we’re doing and inviting your feedback. So far, we have found that collaborative and non-hierarchical work may take longer, but it yields results that are more robust, inclusive of different perspectives, and ultimately more successful and more readily embraced by everyone.

We invite you to submit your feedback or questions about this work at the bottom of this page. Submissions can be sent anonymously, though contact information is needed for anyone looking for a direct reply.

We have a long way to go. Thank you for being part of this journey with us and for holding us accountable.

As of May 17, 2021

Consultants from The Equity Institute and CORAJUS, with input from Trinity Rep staff, compiled this Social Justice Glossary.

Trinity Rep’s work toward being an anti-racist theater continues. Since our October 2020 update, our Anti-Racism Transformation Committee has been meeting and laying the groundwork for the creation of the strategic plan, our consultants from Equity Institute/CORAJUS progress in gathering and analyzing data, and trainings began with our Board of Trustees and staff.

Committee Update
Due to the size of the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee, we changed the structure of the committee. After soliciting interest from committee members, our consultants selected a group to serve on a Core Team, plus additional advisors. This smaller, representative Core Team will work more closely with the consulting team to support and drive the work forward, reporting to and gaining feedback from the larger committee during the auditing and strategic planning process. The Core Team includes Amanda Downing Carney (staff), Mia Ellis (artist), Kate Kataja (staff), Jude Sandy (artist), Ken Sigel (board), and Sylvia Spears (community). Marta Martinez (community), Tom Parrish (leadership), and Joe Wilson Jr. (artist) will serve in advisory roles to provide feedback and input on strategies and tactics. The selection process included identifying at least one member of each stakeholder group represented on the larger committee (staff, leadership, artists, board, community). The consultants also considered racial, ethnic, gender, sexuality, and other identities to ensure having various perspectives and experiences represented. 

In recent meetings, the committee has heard the feedback and recommendations from our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) resident artists and discussed preliminary top-level results of a survey of current and former staff, students, artists, and the community at-large.

In an effort to deepen Trinity’s capacity to become an anti-racist organization and to create spaces where people can grow their understanding and develop common understandings in a supportive environment, Trinity will be moving forward with the creation of affinity spaces. The Core Team will be working over the coming weeks to lead this effort.

Consultant Update
In addition to facilitating the work of the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee, our consultants are also developing a social justice glossary so that the organization has a reference that provides basic working definitions to facilitate shared discussions. The glossary will be a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, listing of terminology used in our conversations about racism and equity.

Trinity presented the consultants with documents, policies, and materials that they are in the process of reviewing as part of their discovery and auditing work. The Core Team provided the consultants with recommendations for one-on-one interviews and focus group participation, which will be occurring over the coming weeks.

Training Update
The Board of Trustees has participated in three workshops, all providing a foundation for the board as they consider what it means to be an anti-racist organization. Kelvin Dinkins led them on a two-part Scaffolding Change workshop in November and December. Sylvia Spears led a January anti-racism workshop to examine what anti-racist work is at the individual and organizational level, and begin to explore how anti-racist principles can inform and support Trinity Rep’s transformational aspirations.

A training for managers was held during the first week of February, focusing on recruitment, unconscious bias, and hiring practices. A full staff training that includes bystander training will be scheduled in March.

Timeline
The discovery phase will continue through the winter in preparation for the creation of an Anti-Racism strategic plan in the spring. After review and input from the core and full committee, staff, and community members, the plan will be submitted for approval by the Board of Trustees at the Annual Meeting in June.

As of February 8, 2021

Last month, we announced our commitment to anti-racism and promised updates as we progressed through the journey. Here is our first update. We invite our community to provide feedback by replying to this email or completing the anonymous form at the bottom of this page.

Within days of the Board of Trustees voting to form the Anti-Racism Transformation Committee, the group was fully constituted and interviews were scheduled with potential consulting partners. The committee selected an incredible combination of consultants, who each bring unique expertise to our process.

We are looking forward to working with Michaela Pommells from CORAJUS (Coalition for Racial Justice); Karla Vigil and Carlon Howard from Equity Institute; and Kelvin Dinkins from Dinkins Consulting. The committee is meeting weekly and is beginning to gather information to conduct an audit of our current and past practices.

Anti-Racism Transformation Committee Members

Resident Acting Company
Daniel Duque-Estrada
Mia Ellis
Jude Sandy
Stephen Thorne
Joe Wilson, Jr.

Staff
Amanda Downing Carney
Curt Columbus, artistic director
Michelle Cruz
Kate Kataja
Tom Parrish, executive director

Community
Marta V. Martínez, Rhode Island Latino Arts
Theresa Moore, T-Time Productions
Sylvia Spears, vice president for equity and social justice, Emerson College

Board of Trustees
Lou Giancola
Sean Holley
Ken Sigel
Donna Vanderbeck

As of October 20, 2020

Trinity Repertory Company’s mission is to reinvent the public square with dramatic art that stimulates, educates, and engages our diverse community in a continuing dialogue. To advance this mission, we publicly committed in 2017 to struggle together for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

As our community and country grapple with the trauma of centuries of racial injustice, groups like We See You White American Theatre and our own community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists have told us that our initial steps have not gone far enough and that we have caused and continue to cause harm and pain, which we acknowledge. With humility, Trinity Rep thanks them for their labor in documenting and communicating important demands for our industry and organization. Their voices have been guiding our conversations in truly meaningful ways in recent weeks.

Trinity Rep acknowledges our complicit and too-often active involvement in upholding and benefiting from structures of racism and oppression. We are committing now to go further and take steps toward healing in our community. As this work is so vital to our mission, we will take the time necessary to be deliberate and center the voices of BIPOC individuals in reimagining what our theater and community can be as we rebuild our organization and industry back from the destructive effects of the pandemic.

We resolve to immediately and meaningfully place anti-racism at the center of our work. We are committed to developing, sharing, and holding ourselves accountable to short- and long-term goals, with full recognition that this work has no endpoint. We acknowledge that our goals and methods will evolve as we continue through this iterative process, though our intent is to complete the planning phase and foundational actions for this work by June 2021.

We begin now with the following action items and process commitments:

• Charter a non-hierarchical and representative Anti-Racism Transformation Committee to lead this effort over the coming 10 months to gather input on how Trinity Rep has contributed to systemic racism in our community and to define the steps and timeline the organization will take to develop and implement a bold new vision for theater making, education, and community engagement for Trinity Rep, founded on the principles of genuine equity and anti-racism.
• Retain an experienced firm or individual(s) by the end of September 2020 to provide consulting, training, and facilitation services for the continued advancement of Trinity Rep’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and anti-racism goals and initiatives.
• Establish mandatory formal anti-racism training and an expectation for continued learning for board, artists, and staff, including cultural competency and bystander training, while committing resources for intensive initial trainings and ongoing trainings to ensure the work continues.
• Review and revise all current practices, policies, procedures, stated values, codes of conduct, systems, and structures to better align with anti-racist values. The review will include, but is not limited to recruiting, hiring, performance evaluation, and compensation; programming; funding; and the effectiveness of employee resources and benefits.
• Host an EDI/anti-racism working discussion forum for board, artists, staff, students, and community members.
• Engage all members of the board, staff, resident acting company, partners, patrons, students, and other community members in our process, including the creation and structural support of affinity groups, without placing the emotional labor of the work on our BIPOC staff and artists.
• Develop a new EDI/anti-racism strategic plan, which will include specifically defining what it means for Trinity Rep to be an anti-racist organization with measurable goals, metrics, and reporting systems.

This is a living and dynamic process that will be updated and shared publicly based on our ongoing work and the feedback received from within and outside the organization. We invite input on these actions from any member of our community, which can be submitted below. We pledge to protect from retribution those who speak out or hold us accountable for this work. Updates on our progress and specific goals and actions will be published publicly at least once each quarter.

Thank you for holding us accountable and for joining us on this journey to move our community forward.

As of September 11, 2020

DEI Glossary

Read our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Pledge

Read Curt Columbus’ 2020 State of the Theater Address

Watch a special episode of Your Half Hour Call with Curt featuring Joe Wilson, Jr.

Public Art project

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter RI

Urban League of RI

NAACP-Newport Branch

NAACP-Providence Branch

NAACP-Providence Complaint form

How You Can Help the Black Lives Matter Movement in Rhode Island

RI Black Business Association

RI Commission on Prejudice and Bias

Princes 2 Kings Providence (P2K PVD) Rhode Island Department of Health funded male youth Mentorship program that serves inner-city youth of color

Campaign Zero-Dedicated to police reform and works with a 10-point plan aimed at reducing violence

Color of Change

The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund

We See You White American Theater

Black Theatre United

The Equal Justice Initiative

Community Justice Exchange

National Lawyers Guild

Reclaim the Block

Minnesota Freedom Fund

Southern Poverty Law Center

We acknowledge the lands where Trinity Rep stands in Downtown Providence today as once the lands of the Masswascut-The Land between the two rivers, and the territory of Meshanticut, which are the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett, Pokanoket and Nipmuc people.

We also acknowledge that as contemporary Rhode Islanders, we hold the legacy of this state’s economic foundation through its participation in the triangle slave trade. We encourage you to research and personally acknowledge these legacies, and support our contemporary Indigenous and Black communities in actionable ways.