DEAR CALGARY ARTS COMMUNITY,

DIY Theatre recently received a letter from the 35//50 Initiative, and we would like to publicly acknowledge and commit to this initiative. We look forward to updating the community with our actionable plans as they continue to develop and take shape. In the meantime, expect that we are:

1) Reviewing our current Code of Conduct for ways that we can include and address a zero tolerance for contributing to unsafe work environments

2) Writing and implementing racial and gender harassment policies with the goal of releasing, at a minimum, a draft version prior to any future productions, and having completed versions out in late 2020/early 2021

3) Actively seeking to engage the BIPOC community by using more open and welcoming language in postings for production team and auditions beginning immediately

4) Continuing talks with other theatres in the community. We’ve been in discussions with companies on a national level by actively engaging in PACT Town Halls and seminars for the past few months. We are also engaging with our local Calgary Theatre community in discussions on how we can work together to change the culture and climate of the arts in this city; and

5) Furthering our education as individuals

We are happy to report that we have already met the 35//50 Initiative goal numbers for women/non-binary/trans representation, but will continue to do the work in engaging and creating a welcoming space for all artists moving forward. We welcome any feedback, comments or concerns from both the public, and any artists we’ve worked with in the past.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Artistic Director Shelby Reinitz at info@diytheatre.org. We are in this together.