Delaware Theatre Company Staff Gets Social Justice Training Ahead of WHITE GUY ON THE BUS

The Board and Executive Leadership of the Delaware Theatre Company has announced that the theatre's staff has undergone an intensive equality, diversity, inclusion, and social justice training ahead of the February production of WHITE GUY ON THE BUS.

The training, facilitated by Libby Peterson and Patrick Madden, examined issues of privilege, allyship, and diversity with the lens of better providing the staff with the necessary tools to run community discussions following every performance.

"Delaware Theatre Company actively commits to our community that we will remain a diverse and inclusive organization, welcoming individuals of all walks of life, regardless of their race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation," says Executive Director Bud Martin. "I am proud of our staff for having completed this training. The training provided them the necessary skills to facilitate brave conversations - while we prepare for perhaps the timeliest production of our season, WHITE GUY ON THE BUS. I hope all arts organizations in Delaware will join us in maintaining these inclusive values that have allowed artists to produce meaningful and engaging work."

The training provided staff with:

• A clear understanding of their role and social location as a facilitator
• Stronger vocabulary to address issues of equity and inclusion
• Guidelines on how to create an environment conducive for intergroup dialogue
• Skills, strategies, and practice on how to facilitate interpersonal, small, and large group dialogue
• Clarity on core competencies and the role of an effective facilitator, and
• Strategies to assess and deescalate tensions around issues of difference

"Our staff has made a conscious effort to provide a safe space for audiences to have brave conversations about the work they've just experienced on our stage", says Managing Director Melissa Zimmerman. "DTC is thrilled to provide this resource to our audiences and to the arts community in Delaware."

Following every performance of WHITE GUY ON THE BUS, audience members will be encouraged to stick around for a brief 20-30 minute community discussion on what they just experienced. This discussion is not a panel talk, rather an opportunity for audiences to discuss and relate their experiences to each other. Guided by two members of DTC's staff, attendees can feel safe asking difficult questions about the topical references that can be made in their life or community. Summary: Week after week, a wealthy businessman rides the same bus, befriending Shatique, a young single mother putting herself through school and struggling to raise a son on her own. As they get to know one another, their pasts unfold and tensions rise, unraveling a complex web of revenge, social mores and racial biases from a candid and unexpected perspective.

The cast of WHITE GUY ON THE BUS includes: Robert Cuccioli (Ray), Susan McKey (Roz), Jonathan Silver (Christopher), Jessica Bedford (Molly), and Danielle Lenee (Shatique). The creative team of WHITE GUY ON THE BUS includes: Paul Tate DePoo III (Set Design), Wade Laboissonniere (Costume Design), Rob Denton (Light Design), Michael Hahn (Sound Design), Nick Hussong (Production Design), and Margie Price (Stage Manager).

For tickets ($20-$65) and more information, call 302.594.1100 or visit www.DelawareTheatre.org.

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