DDP Advocacy
Festival Ballet Providence in rehearsal for Yusha-Marie Sorzano’s world premiere for ‘Off The Wall’
Photo by Dylan Giles
Advocacy in the Media & Allied Organizations
#NotInOurHouse
The Chicago Theatre Standards
Download the Standards here.
Dozens of theatre artists and administrators have contributed to this wholly-free, voluntary, non-legally-binding tool for self-regulation in theatre spaces. The Chicago Theatre Standards seeks to mentor institutions, theatre-makers, teachers, students, parents and anyone who would like to learn more about procedural preventions and potential responses to unsafe practices, with a special focus on harassment, bullying and discrimination.
The Chicago artists and theatre companies who donated their time and experience, and took risks to implement this document over the course of two years, are excited to share this with you so that no one needs to say “I just thought this is how things go,” or “I didn’t know who to talk to” when faced with unsafe practices and abuse.
Thank you for your interest in The Chicago Theatre Standards, and the belief that we can create a safe space for dangerous work!
See more advocacy by #NotInOurHouse here.
Whistle While You Work
Call for Accountability – An Engagement Action
A Whistle parnership | Press: The New York Times
The following is a letter to Jay Wegman at NYU Skirball Center from Engagement Arts in Belgium in response to their November 2018 Jan Fabre Programming.
Dear Mr. Wegman,
As the Senior Director of NYC’s home for cutting-edge performance and discourse, we urge you to initiate a public discussion about the ethics of Jan Fabre’s work practices and Mount Olympus.
Specifically, we feel that presenting Jan Fabre’s work is a form of complicity with his practices. If you do not support sexual harassment, bullying and denigration of performers, and underpaid or unpaid work hours, then we feel that you are responsible for addressing the publicly available testimonies rather than presenting the work without comment.
…
As a programmer, silence is your privilege, but breaking it is your responsibility. That way, you don’t just program cutting edge work, you do cutting edge work.
Your community needs to know why you have made this programming choice and why you are presenting it in this context. We urge you to take a stance.
Engagement Arts | New York based Dance Community | Whistle While You Work
See all of Whistle While You Work’s actions here.
Washington Post
In wake of suit against New York City Ballet, audiences and funders should demand answers
By Sarah L. Kaufman
…
Alexandra Waterbury, a 20-year-old former student at NYCB’s training arm, the School of American Ballet, is suing both NYCB and her ex-boyfriend, Chase Finlay, who until recently was one of the company’s leading dancers. Finlay, 28, resigned at the end of August. On Saturday, NYCB announced the firing of two other dancers named in the lawsuit: Amar Ramasar, 36, and Zachary Catazaro, 29.
Read the full article in The Washington Post.
