Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
at Hartford Stage
At Hartford Stage, equity is not a destination—it’s an ongoing journey. From the stories we bring to life on our stage to the voices behind the scenes at our organization, we are committed to amplifying diverse perspectives and fostering inclusion in every aspect of our work.
Today, we are proud to build on our foundation of accountability and collaboration, embracing our role as a cultural leader in Connecticut. We recognize that this work is never done, and we embrace our role in fostering an inclusive and equitable environment at every level of Hartford Stage.
LIVING OUR VALUES
We believe that for theater to be vital to civic and individual well-being, we must take an intentional approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in every facet of the organization.
Artistry & Craft
We believe artistic excellence is achieved through a collaborative process that is rooted in creativity and a willingness to take risks.
Relationships
We believe in developing connections within and beyond the theater, extending our reach into the community and fostering a sense of mutual belonging.
Lifelong Learning
We believe theater creates opportunities for personal growth and learning for people of all ages.
Integrity & Responsibility
We believe that fiscal, operational, and programmatic decisions must embrace physical safety, financial sustainability, and equity with kindness and respect.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN: EQUITY IN ACTION
Strengthening Bonds Through Storytelling
We strive to equip our staff, volunteers, and board with continued learning to to strengthen and deepen everyone’s personal and collective understanding of the inequity and injustices within and outside of our organization. We strive to offer opportunities that help build skillsets that bring greater consciousness into every aspect of the organization, ultimately leading to greater equity.
- Featuring BIPOC local vendors to sell goods in our lobby during performances
- Annual Community Night performance of our holiday show for members of local not-for-profit community groups to see the performance at no-cost
- Partnership with Hartford Public Library providing free tickets to productions available to “check-out” through every HPL branch
- Partnerships that engage students at Capital Community College and University of Harford’s Hartt School
- Recruitment priority of LGBTQ+, Black, Latina/o/x and/or Hispanic, and Spanish-speaking board members
- Commitment to the Stage One Young Professional Board program that nurtures the next generation of board leaders
- Bi-lingual (Spanish & English) signage for gender affirming restroom usage
- Shared public information on gender diversity
- Single Stall restrooms available for use in office/rehearsal space, backstage, and at scene shop
- Non-gendered guest artist dressing rooms; flexibility in guest artist dressing room coordination and accommodation
- Baby changing table always available
Cultivating a Fair Workplace
We strive to create a place where all people feel a sense of belonging across the organization. We strive to create a culture where everyone sees themselves, their styles, their culture, and their humanity reflected and appreciated in all the work we do.
- Commitment to producing a season of plays that tell diverse stories, and hire writers and directors of diverse backgrounds
- Commitment to prioritizing and making accessible, ongoing equity and anti-racism training as part of employee and volunteer professional development and onboarding
- Weekly communication to staff for on-going activity at organization; opportunity to uphold or shout-out good work of colleagues
- Explicit allocation for spending on staff trainings and professional development within annual budget
- Anonymous feedback and reporting outlets always available
- Annual review of staff salary levels, using industry data collected by Theatre Communications Group, and appropriately increasing compensation to meet nationwide standards
- Creating a more equitable and sustainable schedule for the production staff of each show, including the elimination of “10 out of 12s” during tech week
Staff
- Continued commitment to recruiting diverse candidate pools and candidates with strong equity and anti-racism skills
- Re-defined hiring procedures, practices, language, and processes, including a shift to committee hiring to help eliminate bias
- Defined hiring competencies as Communication, Collaboration, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, Creativity, and specific role skillset
Artists
- Commitment to not relying on volunteer services for activity outside original scope of work
- Compensating freelance teaching artists for prep and planning time
