Citadel Publishes Inclusivity & Diversity Report

Today, the Citadel has released its Inclusivity & Diversity Report on the history of representation among BIPOC, Deaf, disabled, women, and non-binary people in our organization on and off stage.

"2020 has been a year of fast-paced overhaul to theatre as we know it. Amidst global closures and economic downturn, calls for actively anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices in our industry have become more urgent by the day. The Citadel Theatre proudly stands behind the Black Lives Matter movement and has spent the summer engaging a thorough analysis of our history, structure, and culture.

On May 31, we announced our support of Black Lives Matter and our plan to undergo a full audit of our history and status in representing BIPOC communities at the Citadel. Then, on June 10, we had the absolute privilege of announcing Helen Belay, Tai Amy Grauman, and Mieko Ouchi as our Associate Artists, who helped us launch a variety of new initiatives advocating for increased representation. These projects include the RBC Horizon Emerging Artists Program (applications open until October 5), our first return to live theatre with the Horizon Lab: Where Are Your Stories?, and the just-announced Horizon Series LIVE! with three productions led by the three brilliant Associate Artists. We are also grateful to EPCOR for their support as Presenting Sponsor of both the Horizon Lab and Horizon Series LIVE!

While these projects have been underway, our entire team, in collaboration and conversation with our Associate Artists, has been exploring over fifty years of archival documentation, staffing records, and more to compile a fully transparent look at the realities of representation within our building. While the Report shows improvement in recent seasons on stage, it also illustrates an ongoing and urgent need for representation from BIPOC and disabled personnel behind-the-scenes. All findings are documented publicly in summary form and in full detail within the Report.

We acknowledge that transparency and accountability are only the early steps towards ensuring our operation reflects the makeup of our community. We extend our deepest thanks to the leaders of the 35//50 Initiative calling for a commitment to 35+% BIPOC and 50+% women and non-binary representation among staff and contractors by the 2024/25 Season. The Citadel adopted the 35//50 Initiative to our mandate on September 10.

Following the release of this report, we will be hosting a digital community forum on Monday, October 5 at 7:30pm MST to invite our community to discuss the findings and provide feedback. These conversations will serve as a launching pad for future commitments and structural changes, with a goal of remaining fully transparent and accountable for each step of this invaluable conversation. The forum will be held digitally, registration is open here."

CLICK HERE to access the report.

"The Citadel endeavors to be the heart and hub of Edmonton's arts community. For that reason, it is integral that we ensure the stories we tell, as well as the composition of our staff, artists, board, and audience are reflective of the dynamic, multi-cultural city we represent. The commitments in this report illustrate our desire to make significant systemic changes at the Citadel, and our belief in the importance of making these changes in a transparent manner.

We are proud to be part of Edmonton's vibrant theatre community and look forward to working hand-in-hand with our colleagues to create lasting systemic change at the Citadel, and throughout the arts in Edmonton."
-Daryl Cloran, Artistic Director

To post a comment, you must register and login.