MISSION

Great Art Doing Great Things

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of The Shakespeare Center LA is to ignite personal and community transformation.
By producing world-class theatrical productions, providing best practices high-quality arts education experiences, and offering national award-winning arts-based workforce development programs targeting under-served youth and veterans, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles demonstrates that excellent accessible immersive arts engagement builds community and
changes lives.


CORE BELIEF

Shakespeare Center LA believes that live theater is a birthright. We create plays and programs that are catalysts for change and that reflect and engage the people, landscape, and history of
Los Angeles. 


CULTURAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION POLICY STATEMENT
Approved and adopted by the Board of Directors at a full board meeting on October 27, 2018.

At the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feels valued and respected. We, the Board of Directors and Staff, are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all of our departments, programs, and worksites. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.

We’re committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entire arts industry of the nonprofit sector, and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.

To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, the Shakespeare Center of
Los Angeles strives to:

  • See diversity, inclusion, and equity as a practice that is part and parcel of our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the arts communities we serve.

  • Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.

  • Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.

  • Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with
    our mission.

  • Help to challenge assumptions about what it takes to be a strong leader at our organization, and who is well-positioned to provide leadership.

  • Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.

  • Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff, committee, and advisory bodies.

  • Lead with respect and inclusivity. We expect all employees to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.

CULTURAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION PLAN

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles sets out and abides by the following action items to help promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace:

  • Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.

  • Generate and aggregate quantitative and qualitative research related to equity to make incremental, measurable progress toward the visibility of our diversity, inclusion, and
    equity efforts.

  • Improve our cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and policies that foster leadership that reflects the diversity of American society.

  • Pool resources and expand offerings for underrepresented constituents by connecting with other arts organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.

  • Develop and present sessions on diversity, inclusion, and equity to provide information and resources internally, and to members, the community, and the arts industry.

  • Develop a system for being more intentional and conscious of bias during the hiring, promoting, or evaluating process. Train our hiring team on equitable practices.

  • Include a salary range with all public job descriptions.

  • Advocate for public and private-sector policy that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity. Challenge systems and policies that create inequity, oppression and disparity.

As of October 27, 2018

Shakespeare Center LA is a tax - exempt, non-profit corporation. Donations are deductible to the full extent provided by law.  Here is a link to our IRS 501 (c) 3 Determination Letter.