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EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION


Our Purpose:

We spark human imagination through the art of live theatre.

Recognizing that...

The most potent art is inclusive.

True inclusivity requires empathy.

True empathy requires imagination.


Our Values:

To be Inclusive – A barrier-free festival that is inviting and accessible to everyone.

To be Innovative – An approach that is original, inventive and evocative.

To be Rigorous – We continually challenge ourselves to learn; to seek broad input; to evolve; and to bring thoughtfulness to our processes as we strive to do our best work.

To Care – We understand that each person—whether working for or attending the Festival—has individual needs for which we should show empathy and respect.

To Connect – We reflect the human condition in a manner that inspires contemporary conversation.


Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

The Stratford Festival is dedicated to the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We are committed to a welcoming environment where people feel inspired to do their best work and enjoy the work on stage. As part of a small Southwestern Ontario town, we work together with our community to espouse these values to make Stratford a welcoming place for residents, visitors, staff and artists. Together we are doing important work to enhance and improve the culture in the Festival and in the community.


Programming Beyond the Western Canon

Our commitment to culture change must be evident in the work on our stages. We explore, develop and present work both from within and outside the Eurocentric tradition. Our desire is to reflect the broadest scope of the human condition in the season playbill, the development of new plays and The Meighen Forum. This work is supported by outreach to communities and by accessibility practices developed to expand and enrich our audience.


Casting by Consent

In the Festival’s large-cast repertory model, there have often been roles—previously known as “as cast”—that are unassigned until the rehearsal process begins, which has also been the point at which actors learn about the director’s specific concepts for the production. The former “as cast” system has been replaced by a “casting by consent” approach in order to increase agency, transparency and dialogue among artists. The Festival and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association have committed to ongoing discussions to support this evolution.


EDI Department

In service of the Stratford Festival’s commitment to equity, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Department works to support and cultivate equitable methods of theatre making, expand a culture of belonging and steward inclusive arts communities.

It is the function and purpose of the EDI Department to work both internally and externally to build a more equitable and inclusive Stratford Festival environment for the benefit of all its employees. No matter whether they are full- or part-time staff members, contract workers, patrons or members of the community, their needs are important to us and we will work to make the Festival a space where they are welcomed. The EDI department works collaboratively with all Festival departments to devise strategies and implement actions that expand the diversity of staff and programming, enhance the theatre’s cultural competency in all areas and expand measures of accessibility across all platforms.

The EDI department is actively engaged with the Stratford Welcoming Community which works in tandem with several Stratford businesses and organizations (including Stratford-Perth Pride, Destination Stratford and the Stratford Police Department) for the purpose of creating a safer and more inclusive culture for the city of Stratford overall. We aim to achieve this goal by taking actions informed by community feedback and by working collectively to provide support and additional resources on a consistent basis.

Some of the other EDI team’s initiatives include:

  • Enhancing diverse recruitment and hiring initiatives.
  • Devising and facilitating EDI workshops that are adapted and applied to various departments based on their specific needs.
  • Coordinating Pre-Rehearsal Orientations to foster and promote a working culture committed to implementing and upholding respectful, equitable and inclusive practices that are responsive to the professional needs of everyone working on the Festival's productions.
  • Building and maintaining the Living Guidelines and Pathways to Cultural Belonging, which help deepen our understanding of the cultural implications of our work. This guideline can be shifted to suit each creative process.
  • Leading the IDEA Committee, a group of staff and artists who work with the EDI Department and Stratford Festival leadership to ensure the advancement of initiatives that foster progress in the areas of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.
  • Coordinating accessible performances, including Audio Described, Open Captioned, ASL Interpreted and Relaxed Performances.
  • Supporting and expanding affinity spaces for staff members who identify as members of Indigenous, People of Color, Disabled or 2SLGBTQ+ communities
  • Expanding access to and promotion of mental health access for all staff and contracted workers.
  • Building new relationships with various vendors and community partners.



Power Corporation of Canada

Cultural Diversity Partner

           


     
Photo Credit    Amaka Umeh (foreground) with members of the company in Death and the King’s Horseman. Directed by Tawiah M’Carthy. Music direction and composed by Adékúnlé Olórundáre (Kunle). Set design by Rachel Forbes. Costume design by Sarah Uwadiae. Lighting design by Christopher Dennis. Sound design by Debashis Sinha. Stratford Festival 2022. Photography by David Hou.

Matthew Kabwe (left) as the Ghost of King Hamlet and Amaka Umeh as Hamlet with ASL interpreters in Hamlet. Directed by Peter Pasyk. Set design by Patrick Lavender. Costume design by Michelle Bohn. Lighting design by Kimberly Purtell. Composed and sound design by Richard Feren. Stratford Festival 2022. Photography by David Hou.

Stephen Jackman-Torkoff (centre) as King Richard II with members of the company in Richard II, 2023. Directed by Jillian Keiley. Choreographed by Cameron Carver. Set design by Michael Gianfrancesco. Costume design by Bretta Gerecke. Lighting design by Leigh Ann Vardy. Composed by Rhapsodius. Sound design by Don Ellis. Stratford Festival 2023. Photography by David Hou.

From left: Phoebe Hu 胡馨勻 as Zhu Lin, Sarah Orenstein as Inge Morath, Jo Chim 詹翠珊 as Wu Shiliang and Agnes Tong 唐若馨 as Liu Jun in Salesman in China. Directed by Jovanni Sy. Set design by Joanna Yu. Costume design by Ming Wong. Lighting design by Sophie Tang. Composed and sound design by Alessandro Juliani. Projection design by Chimerik 似不像. Stratford Festival 2024. Photography by David Hou.

Kathleen MacLean as Marie-Angelique with Joelle Peters as Eugenia (left) and Jenna-Lee Hyde as Cecilia (right) in Women of the Fur Trade. Stratford Festival 2023. Directed by Yvette Nolan. Set design by Samantha McCue. Costume design by Jeff Chief. Lighting design by Michelle Ramsay. Composed and sound design by Debashis Sinha. Stratford Festival 2023. Photography by David Hou.