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Our Commitment to Diversity

 

We strive to be an organisation that understands what it means to be a welcoming and safe space for all. We aim to reflect the diversity of our communities through the work on our stages, our workforce, those we partner with, our engagement activities and by ensuring our buildings are as accessible as they can be.

We have listened to our freelance community, practitioners and ex-staff members as they have generously shared their past experiences of working with us. Through these conversations we are acutely aware that we hadn't done enough in the past and are committed to listening, learning and acting both now and in the future. Since the murder of George Floyd, we have had a particular focus on ethnic diversity, undertaking a series of positive actions to bring about the change we wish to see in our organisation, with the ultimate goal of engaging and reflecting our ethnically diverse communities, stories and artists.

We have acknowledged the impact of institutional racism in our sector and are working hard to ensure that we are an anti-racist organisation and that our initiatives do not perpetuate inequality.

So far we have:

  • met with freelancers, practitioners and ex-staff members who generously shared their personal and often painful experiences. We would like to publicly thank all of those who contributed
  • accepted that as two major public buildings in Liverpool, we should be a welcoming and safe space for everyone; it has become apparent that this has not always been the case and for this we are deeply sorry
  • recognised that change must come from the top. We felt that the Board needed to be more diverse and have taken steps to address its composition 
  • established a Diversity Action Group made up of e&P staff, board members and external co-opted members to agree measurable targets in the short, medium and long-term and monitor our progress on the journey
  • acknowledged the impact of institutional racism in our sector and working hard to ensure that we are an anti-racist organisation and that our initiatives do not perpetuate inequality
  • worked with our Board of Trustees to solidify our commitment to bring about positive change throughout our organisation as follows:

 

Finance & Operations

  • allocated 1% of our annual turn-over to initiatives that promote diversity, inclusion and social progression. So far we have invested in:

- schemes to directly support ethnically diverse artists e.g. Theatre for Good, Unity CrowdFunder

- joined the allyship programme of Inc Arts which will help us to integrate our ambitions into our business planning

-  engaged Inner Vision and Inc Arts to deliver anti-racist training for Board and staff teams. Ambition for training to have been delivered to all by end of 2022

- reviewed our anti-racism policies

- developed an emergent leaders course aimed at upskilling and empowering individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds

- supported the Anthony Walker Foundation as a corporate partner to further our work in being an anti-racist organisation

  • identified that we need to take a holistic approach – with the help of the Diversity Action Group we are undertaking a root and branch review of each of our functional areas, including procurement, recruitment and training, to ensure we are not missing opportunities to embrace diversity
  • published our workforce statistics and summary of recent activity
  • reviewed how our offer (including food & drink) might better reflect our diverse communities once we are able to reopen

 

Artistic

  • reviewed our programming mix and approaches to casting to ensure a diversity of talent is promoted on our stages
  • committed to increasing diversity in our creative teams as well as our casts
  • committed to a review of our artistic model to explore how we can remove barriers and provide greater access across all of our work, including our youth theatre YEP
  • work with visiting companies that can demonstrate a commitment to diversity
  • committed to commissioning Black writers from the North West for our main stages
  • allocated additional resources into recruitment for our writers’ programmes, including running taster sessions outside of the theatre to reach local communities
  • committed to delivering more masterclasses led by Black artists and artists of colour

 

Recruitment

  • assessed our recruitment procedures to ensure they are accessible to all, regardless of background.
  • been awarded a grant through Creative Access’ Mo Siewcharran Fund to employ a New Works Associate from an ethnically diverse background

 

Advocacy

  • reached out to local and national diversity experts and advocates for guidance and identified potential local partners
  • worked closely with our local cultural partners and formed a LARC Race Equality Action Group

 

Changing attitudes and established working practices does not happen overnight but the first step is to acknowledge that change must happen and we have taken that first step. With the help of our Diversity Action Group, we are working to ensure that all our initiatives are embedded and delivered with a clear measurement framework in place.

You can find find out more about the membership of the Diversity Action Group and its terms of reference here. We are commited to being an anti-racist organisation and you can read our Code of Conduct here.

We’re proud to have joined colleagues across Liverpool’s arts and cultural organisations to create a new Race Equality Manifesto. A set of principles and a plan for actively promoting greater race equality; together we are creating a force for change in our workforces and governance, the work we do with artists and the audiences we engage. Read the manifesto here.

We truly want everyone who comes through our doors to feel welcome and safe, regardless of their background or means. We are taking some immediate positive actions but are committed to profound ongoing change.