The Alliance's Anti-Bias Training uses theater-based learning strategies to help challenge systemic racism.
The Alliance Theatre has announced a unique training opportunity for corporations, non-profits, educators, and families. The Alliance's Anti-Bias Training uses theater-based learning strategies to help challenge assumptions, uncover and acknowledge biases, and establish a culture of genuine equity, inclusion, and justice in the workplace and in our daily lives.
This Anti-Bias Training was first developed in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo movement and was built on the corporate training model provided through the Alliance's award-winning Alliance@work program, which uses theater techniques to help clients improve team effectiveness and shape organizational culture. The training was first taken by the Atlanta Metro Chamber. After that, the training has continued to evolve to touch on more aspects of potential biases around race, religion, gender, sexuality, age, and many other facets. Since June, the training has been taken by Alliance Theatre's staff, teaching artists, and board of directors, as well as staff members at the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
"I wanted to be sure we were providing this training for all the board members and staff at this pivotal time," said Lila Hertz, Alliance Theatre Board Chair. "The program is incredibly well conducted. We were guided through a host of definitions, learned the Rules of Engagement, and did several exercises in small groups. The session was managed with the utmost of respect for all. I was so impressed with the Alliance facilitators for navigating us through a difficult topic. It was a growth experience for me personally, and I'm excited for more people to experience it."
The training has also been adapted to support the needs of families and educators working to foster empathy and acceptance in young lives. The course has been taken by Atlanta Public Schools arts teachers and Fulton County Schools theater educators as well as 65 educators who attended this summer's Alliance Theatre Educator Conference.
"Theater is a tool of collaboration, innovation, and imagination," said Maya Lawrence, Alliance Theatre Allyship Program Director. "On stages, we create new tangible realities that reflect the truth of our humanity in real time. During this moment where society is trying to recognize, reckon, and reimagine a world that's actively anti-racist and authentically inclusive, equitable, and just, theater gives us an outline to transform the future we've envisioned for so long into a reality we can experience now."
A portion of the revenue generated from corporate Anti-Bias workshops will fund the redelivery of anti-bias workshops to community and non-profit organizations at a 50% reduced rate.
To learn more about the Alliance's Anti-Bias training and to register, please visit https://alliancetheatre.org/anti-bias
Anti-Bias Training for Corporations & Nonprofits
Use theater-based learning strategies to help challenge assumptions, acknowledge biases, and establish a culture of genuine equity, inclusion, and justice in our workplaces and lives.
https://alliancetheatre.org/content/anti-bias-training
Nonprofit rates available.
This foundational experience is designed to utilize components of theater (being authentic, present, connected, intentional, and curious) to deconstruct personal bias in our lived experiences, while equipping educators with the ability to infuse anti-oppression tools (identity, diversity, justice, and action) into educational practices. Theater is a tool of empathy and perspective. How can we use the principles of theater like the development of character, connection to a scene partner, outlining objectives and obstacles that affect the action, and tactics used to achieve goals, to create curriculum and environments that facilitate inclusive, diverse, and just experiences for students?
https://alliancetheatre.org/content/anti-bias-training-educators
Using play as tool for learning, this workshop utilizes our voice, body, and imagination to dig deeper into the difficult conversation of race and injustice in a way that is accessible to youth, the young at heart, and their caregivers.
https://alliancetheatre.org/fearlessfamilies
Videos