Equity & Anti-Racism Vision & Action Plan

• We commit to expanding our repertory canon by including more playwrights from diverse communities and identities.
• Incoming staff and artists participate in transparent conversations, both with existing staff and returning artists, about the potential challenges of working, living and creating theater in a small, rural, homogenous community.
• Incoming artists are encouraged to participate in a confidential conversation with returning artists of similar lived experience about what it’s like to create theater for a predominantly white audience.
• A BIPOC artist with casting authority is present when BIPOC actors audition.

• The Board of Directors receives ongoing training in equity and belonging as planned by the IDEA Committee.
• APT provides and supports ongoing IDEA training to seasonal and year-round staff to develop skills to better address equity concerns in real time. Training is followed up with opportunities for staff to provide feedback and process the information presented.
• All staff go over this document – and APT’s Mission Statement, Values and Anti-Harassment Policy – with a member of leadership as part of the onboarding process.
• Artistic Leadership discusses equity and belonging with directors and designers to best prepare them to be responsive and responsible during the rehearsal process.
• Core Acting Company serve as leaders in order to create a welcoming and supportive rehearsal process for all.

• To make APT a welcoming organization, we actively seek out, listen to and respond to feedback from all staff and artists.
• We have formal onboarding discussions, voluntary check-in meetings and exit interviews in order to allow all employees to provide feedback about how to improve their work experience.
• All staff have informal access to leadership to provide ongoing feedback.
• We provide space and support for self-directed, self-selected, affinity groups. These coalitions provide an additional conduit for APT to hear concerns that arise during the season.

• The Accessibility Committee meets regularly to prioritize goals and improve APT facilities and infrastructure to provide greater accessibility for audiences of all abilities.
• We address the accessibility needs of all employees who work for APT.
• Our full-time Community Engagement Coordinator creates strategic partnerships with communities that are new, or have not traditionally had access to APT.
• All positions at APT are paid; we do not offer unpaid internships.

2025

• APT will produce the world premiere of The Death of Chuck Brown by Gavin Dillon Lawrence.
• In August, APT will hold a Deaf Immersion Weekend to especially welcome members of the D/deaf community to APT. Events include ASL-interpreted performances, community conversations around the plays and process and an ASL-interpreted behind-the-scenes tour.

2024

• Wildfire by Reginald Jackson, the first piece in APT’s “New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow” program, held its first public reading.
• The next New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow project began with a workshop of Gavin Dillon Lawrence’s play, The Death of Chuck Brown.
• The Language Project, APT’s new training program for early-career actors, launched. APT is committed to the program being economically accessible to all participants.
• Launched “Check Out APT,” a partnership with the Dane County Library System to provide free tickets to library users who might normally be excluded from attending APT performances.

2023

• APT Created the Community Engagement Coordinator position; a full-time, year-round staff position to make connections with communities that were traditionally not included at APT.
• Installed the Galapro Open Captioning system for use in all performances of Romeo and Juliet, and for future productions.
• APT’s production of Romeo and Juliet featured multiple actors who are Deaf and hard of hearing, and incorporated ASL communication as an essential part of the production.
• The patron parking lot was renovated for greater accessibility. It included paved surfaces, better lighting, and an accessible picnic area.

2022

• Wildfire by Reginald Jackson, the first piece in APT’s “New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow” program, held its first week-long workshop. The second workshop was held in Fall 2023, with the final workshop and public reading scheduled for Fall 2024.
• The Words Between Us education program expanded to six Wisconsin high schools during 2022, and is now a regular program offered by APT Education. The program has also been expanded to include teacher training and presentations in corporate settings.
• Upgraded artist housing with the addition of two 8-unit apartment buildings, two of which are wheelchair accessible.

2021

• Formed the Staff Accessibility Committee to concentrate on ways for APT to improve facilities and infrastructure to provide greater accessibility for staff and audience of all physical abilities. The committee completed a facilities assessment that provides a framework for future improvements.
• Commissioned our first playwright for the “New Voices: Creating the Classics of Tomorrow” program. Reginald Jackson began work on his play, Wildfire.
• The Words Between Us was piloted in three Wisconsin high schools.
• Expanded the number of BIPOC Board members (21% of Board members are BIPOC).
• As a first step towards understanding and accountability, we adopted a Land Acknowledgement, recognizing that the land on which APT is located is part of the traditional and current homelands of the Ho-Chunk people.

2020

• Produced a virtual play reading series of plays by BIPOC playwrights. Selections included: Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been… by Carlyle Brown, Nat Turner in Jerusalem by Nathan Alan Davis, Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond, and The Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarías.
• APT staff and artists designed a new education program, The Words Between Us. The program uses APT teaching artists’ skill with language and literature to increase racial fluency in Wisconsin schools.
• Created the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee of the APT Board of Directors.