INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY & ACCESS SPECIAL EVENTS

Portland Stage believes theater is about inclusivity, seeing the world from another person’s perspective, and building community. In 2020, we established an ad hoc Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of trustees, staff, and community volunteers, which is now permanent (renamed IDEA with the addition of Accessibility as a core value). In our 2021-22 season, the IDEA Committee engaged Nichole Beiner, a DEI consultant, to work on a revised mission statement rooted in inclusivity and anti-racism. We have implemented company-wide initiatives in pursuit of IDEA, which we are committed to continuing well into Portland Stage’s future.

We changed our Board of Trustee Roles and Responsibilities to promote greater diversity by removing financial barriers to participation and prioritizing increasing BIPOC representation on our Board.

Throughout the season, Portland Stage typically hosts several interactive and informative events that showcase different elements of the theater - from production, to new work, to education. Although our special events were limited due to the ongoing pandemic, we resumed a few in-person events, and held our first in-person Spring Gala in over two years!

We resumed our Tech Events during rehearsals for our Mainstage productions, offering patrons a behind-thescenes experience and a closeup look at the process of bringing shows to life.

We held our first inperson Spring Gala fundraiser since the start of the pandemic, which was a hugely successful event involving over a dozen local restaurants, silent and live auctions, and a beautiful musical performance from the cast of Sabina.

Pay equity is an area where change has already been implemented. The high est earner now makes less than three times the salary of the lowest earner. In 5 years, wages have increased 40% for the lowest third, while the top earners have seen less than a 10% increase All interested staff members are invited to review the budget, compensation levels, financial statement s, and audits. 70% of all income goes to support our workers, and we have been exploring ways that we ca n continue to make shifts over time. We provided Staff 1.5 hours of paid time every week to devote to IDEA work, which has included working through Michael Bobbit’s Independent Anti-Racist Training program, the We See You White American Theater (WSYWAT) Principles for Building Anti-Racist Theatre Systems, and several other diversity training sessions run by Theater Communications Group League of Resident Theaters, Maine Arts Commission, and other local organizations and theaters.

We are also transparent with our community about our efforts. Our Annual Report, audit, and 990 for the last five years are available on our website, and we are a Gold-level business on GuideStar working to fulfill the Platinum level.