EDI Plan Implementation in Theatre & Dance Department

Slowly But Surely: A Five-Year Plan for EDI change in the Department of Theatre & Dance Lisa Sanderson (she/her/hers) Lisa Sanderson (she/her/hers) CITL Faculty Fellow 2021 CITL Faculty Fellow 2021- -23 23

INTRODUCTION 3 CATALYSTS 4 outline ACTION & REACTION 5 STUDENT RESPONSES 10 NEXT STEPS 13

introduction Lisa Sanderson, Faculty Fellow 2021 Lisa Sanderson, Faculty Fellow 2021- -23 Center for Inclusive Teaching & Learning Center for Inclusive Teaching & Learning 23 Chair, Advocacy, Allyship & Access Committee, T&D Chair, Advocacy, Allyship & Access Committee, T&D Spirit of Community Service Academic Staff Award 2021 Associate Lecturer, Department of Theatre & Dance BFA in Musical Theatre Michael Estanich, Chair T&D, professor of Dance AAA Committee including professors and lecturers Pathways interns & students committed to change 2023 slowly but surely 3

Share our journey Share our journey five five- -year anti year anti- -racism & EDI plan racism & EDI plan primary goals Offer support Offer support Identify potential obstacles Identify potential obstacles Document our process Document our process

AAA & the five-year plan Advocacy, Allyship, Access Committee founded in summer 2020 in response to student concerns voiced after the murder of George Floyd. Focus includes anti-racism, dismantling hierarchical structures and Eurocentrism, and examining heteronormativity We created and implemented a five-year anti-racism plan addressing Faculty Development & Recruitment, Artistic Inclusion, Curriculum, Student Concerns, and Community Outreach A student bias incident in our department in Fall 2020 amplified our sense of urgency https://www3.uwsp.edu/performing-arts/Pages/Advocacy-Access-Allyship.aspx Today I will share our learning, progress, and setbacks as a potential roadmap for your department as you engage in your own structural shift. 2023 slowly but surely 5

Where were you in Fall 2020? No awareness of how isolated, tokenized, and microaggressed marginalized UWSP students felt No awareness of how our season and casting choices were impacting them (we are also a producing organization with six+ shows per year) No awareness of impact of all-white faculty on students of color Curriculum was somewhat inclusive depending on instructor Identity-conscious casting and lived-experience directing were new concepts (define) Most of us had not examined systemic racism in a substantive way Needs of trans, differently abled, gender non-conforming students were not on our collective radar Professional theatrical practices such as unhealthy tech weeks, restrictive body standards in casting, intimacy choreography, and cast representatives to director had not been evaluated in light of cultural changes Access / socioeconomic issues in auditioning, class attire, prior training had not been confronted Theatre industry began to confront through AAPAC diversity report, We See You White American Theatre, Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Chicago theatre issues 20XX presentation title 6

CHAT OUT 1) Take a moment to consider where you and or your department was in 2020 in awareness of EDI specifically relevant to your field of study and students. For instance: had you ensured that scholars of color/others marginalized in your field were represented in your required texts? Had marginalized students approached you with concerns? What about your faculty representation? 2) Had you/have you since followed discussions of EDI and race in academia through The Chronicle or other publications? Has your field confronted these issues in professional task forces or groups? 3) Please put comments in the chat. Please put comments in the chat. 2023 slowly but surely 7

Taking Action bias incident in T&D We had created our five year plan and were beginning to share with the department at large for ratification and implementation. Varying levels of response regarding need and urgency. Racial bias incident between students occurred one at Viterbo shortly thereafter in MT department We had to take measurable action as a department to reassure our students, set a good example as individuals, and communicate that our department was both a no-tolerance zone for bias and a restorative justice-oriented learning lab for structural change We had already included actionable items in our plan and taken some quantifiable action beyond issuing statements. This incident unified the faculty in support of the plan and related initiatives, and we ratified it in February 2021. The bias incident cemented our consensus and united us in support of the five-year action plan. 2023 slowly but surely 8

Looking inward . . .listening outward Looking inward . . .listening outward Faculty Faculty - - student student department department dvlpmt dvlpmt INDIVIDUAL WORK seminars, books, articles, industry discussions facilitated by marginalized artists and scholars, sharing information, faculty meeting agendas, HR STUDENT WORK Creating restorative justice curriculum for bias incident students and EDI presentations for students in department. Self-advocacy Night of Color Include writers of color in season & involve BIPOC students in directing for appropriate representation. Invite guests of color. Flex casting ARTISTIC PWI? Invite BIPOC guests (Nicole Brewer, Yale, Anti-Racist Theatre, Dasha Kelly Hamilton). Center videos from BAC and marginalized artists. CENTERING Demonstrate priorities by funding for external experts, guests, scholarships (Stages to Equity, Tyler Marchant), faculty development FUNDING 2023 slowly but surely 9

Chat - respond as prompted STUDENT WORK How are EDI issues prioritized / addressed / discussed with students in your department? INDIVIDUAL WORK Does your department have a committee, accountability & resource sharing group, etc. for anti-racism, EDI? Are EDI issues on weekly agenda for dept meeting? DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC Has your department examined curriculum, conferences, practices, recruitment, outlooks particular to your field through an EDI lens? FUNDING CENTERING Have you funded access, faculty development, guest speakers, or other EDI issues despite tight budgets? Have you invited/promoted guest mentors and experts from marginalized communities? Do you have a diverse faculty / students?

cultural structural shift Created AAA web page for transparency of process, sharing relevant dept. Created AAA web page for transparency of process, sharing relevant dept. events such as guest artists of color, articles events such as guest artists of color, articles Featured devised pieces based on student voices and concepts Featured devised pieces based on student voices and concepts In This Moment / As We Climb In This Moment / As We Climb Selected to represent UWSP to System for Regent s Grant for teaching Selected to represent UWSP to System for Regent s Grant for teaching We prioritized taking Safe Zone training and serving on Diversity Council We prioritized taking Safe Zone training and serving on Diversity Council Interactive Theatre Project / microaggressions Interactive Theatre Project / microaggressions Winterim Concern Resolution process for student casts (in progress) Concern Resolution process for student casts (in progress) Alumni shared experiences on social media Alumni shared experiences on social media- - we listened We cast flexibly for gender non We cast flexibly for gender non- -conforming students and respect pronouns conforming students and respect pronouns Individual faculty members action such as starting Stages to Equity Individual faculty members action such as starting Stages to Equity Department funded scholarships for inclusivity certificate this year for faculty Department funded scholarships for inclusivity certificate this year for faculty and students and students Chair prioritizes AAA meetings, EDI issues, finding funding if at all possible Chair prioritizes AAA meetings, EDI issues, finding funding if at all possible We reach out to other departments for collaboration We reach out to other departments for collaboration - - DACA, Continuing to present lectures on representation/sexualization, focusing on Continuing to present lectures on representation/sexualization, focusing on community through studying works of bell hooks community through studying works of bell hooks Winterim 2022 / applied theatre 2022 / applied theatre we listened DACA,

Barriers & fears BARRIERS FUNDING, TIME, LOCATION, LIVED EXPERIENCE o Volunteering time as part-time lecturers, overworked professors - o UW Madison has dept EDI positions why not by College at UWSP o Budgets show your priorities o Some faculty paid for own training / donated funding for guest speakers o Can t find marginalized candidates / they do not wish to relocate here FEAR OF FALLING SHORT OR CAUSING HARM QUESTIONING RELEVANCE o What will students say . . .criticism if we do not achieve aspirations o What if we say or do something that causes additional harm? o How can we address this fully from our limited perspective? o Are we tokenizing students in our efforts to center their voices? o What is appropriate for me in my lived experience to do? o Is this really relevant to their career? Is cultural humility a workplace necessity or not? 2023 Slowly but surely 12

Student response . . . SOME POSITIVE SOME NEGATIVE SOME AMBIVALENT o Not participating in EDI lectures o Attending EDI seminars, guest speakers o Feeling tokenized o White savior comments o Not attending affinity groups with guest speakers o Participating in AAA o Assuming negative intent / expecting perfection rather than giving grace for best efforts to understand o Engaging in co-directing o Microaggressive comments o Leading their own efforts o Students calling each other out instead of calling in o Engaging in co-leading EDI sessions (year 3) o Failing to support funding efforts because you should have been doing it already o Fear of making mistakes 2023 slowly but surely 13

Chat your barriers Take a moment to consider potential barriers to change in your department. Funding, time, faculty readiness, student readiness? Put them in the chat. Put them in the chat. Take a moment to consider potential fears about structural change and EDI work in your department? Fear of causing harm? Fear of student criticism? Fear of failure? Put them in the chat. Put them in the chat. Now consider the cost of inaction towards EDI. Put that in the chat. Put that in the chat. 2023 Slowly but surely 14

We will never be done REVISITING THE FIVE YEAR PLAN o No funding for guest artist residency concept leading to hiring faculty of color o Faculty is still white although women, LGBTQ individuals present o Students still predominantly white o More Community outreach this year but still limited o Limited student participation in these initiatives although improving o Have not added first year EDI in the Arts seminar to curriculum yet o My fellowship is ending I am a .25 lecturer -- and other AAA faculty are leaving UWSP o Some faculty still resist the idea that students need EDI skills for their careers; or do not feel that our program is the place to impart those skills o Our program does not clearly state that we emphasize EDI in our curriculum as part of our professional readiness training 2023 Slowly but surely 15

To consider . . . Proceed despite fear of error Invest time to build trust with students and consensus with faculty Commit to cultural humility and lifelong learning Commit to an ongoing process Show your priorities with your budget Make change in yourself and the structure may change Don t be performative or expect positive response

Final thoughts o The next step as faculty, department, campus and community to commit to equity as an imperative cultural priority o Preparing students for careers beyond UWSP with EDI awareness and cultural humility is a 21st century need - long overdue o Our departmental change started when we responded to the voice of one student o Three years later marginalized students in our department are asking to work with faculty on these initiatives some healing with regard to bias incident o trust is building slowly but surely 2023 Slowly but surely 17

Final chat What questions or comments do you have? What questions or comments do you have? Thank you to the Center for Inclusive Teaching & Learning and The Thank you to the Center for Inclusive Teaching & Learning and The Department of Theatre & Dance Department of Theatre & Dance