Williamstown Theatre Festival Announces Changes, Including Steps to Anti-Racism

In 2020, Williamstown Theatre Festival made a commitment to anti-racism and entered a period of learning, reflection, analysis, and action. The festival has now released a statement about its plans for the future, things that will change, and what steps they will take to be actively anti-racist.

"The festival's company has heard from current and former Festival trainees, employees, and participants-in communications both public and private-about the need to dismantle old systems and build an organization that is structurally and culturally more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive," the statement reads.

WTF has invested in human resources by engaging a third-party HR firm, which will provide BIPOC representation on the HR team. WTF will recruit for and hire people who have a commitment to anti-racist, anti-descriminatory, and equal opportunity values and practices.

In 2020 and 2021, WTF year-round staff and trustees attended Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) trainings with artEquity. WTF commits to requiring EDIA training for year-round staff annually. Beginning in 2022, unconscious bias training will be required for all Festival employees and rehearsal room teams (all cast, crew, and creatives of every production).

Beyond just the staff, WTF has allocated resources and engaged an outside, independent firm to support the development of Black audiences from the Berkshire region.

In addition, the festival is making changes to ensure a healthy work environment, including the abolishment of its seven-show season.

"Beginning in 2022, the number and scale of Williamstown Theatre Festival's programmatic activities will match its capacity to support the staff and trainees who make the Festival possible," the statement reads. "WTF will no longer be mounting a seven-show season. This will lessen the intensity and sense of urgency once endemic to WTF's workplace."

Read the full statement at https://wtfestival.org/progress-report-feb-2022/.