Our DEIB Value Statement
Comprehensive DEIB Study
In May of 2021, we engaged DEI consultant Jason Craige Harris. He identified organizational strengths and blindspots using a multi-dimensional approach. First, he held individual in-depth interviews with staff, and facilitated both mixed identity and students of color focus groups with alumni, current students, faculty, and the former Diversity Committee.
He then undertook a comprehensive audit of our policies, practices, and marketing efforts, reviewed our curricular frameworks, and examined our hiring practices, performance evaluations, and admissions process. He produced an extensive, comprehensive report on his findings, and we communicated these findings to the community.
Based on his report, Jason helped us to clarify our commitment to specific actions. We acknowledge that this work involves a constant state of reflection and honest assessment and takes a deep commitment from moving from theory to practice
Our Commitment to Future Action
Community
We commit to examining the hiring criteria/hiring services/job descriptions we’ve used up to this point, and to making sure to engage recruiting services that are connected with and committed to hiring staff members of color.
We commit to begin gathering demographic data on our students in order to better understand who makes up our student and non-student community. This info can then inform targeted recruitment efforts in the future, in order to increase overall diversity in our student body.
Curriculum
We commit to taking a comprehensive look at the curriculum for all of our classes, with the goal of making curriculum more inclusive and relevant. We will be ensuring our faculty members continually renew their commitments to always teaching their work through a DEIB lens.
We specifically commit to seeing what innovations/adaptations we may need to make to the traditional Meisner curriculum and “Meisner scenes” to create the most inclusive classroom environment possible.
We specifically commit to seeing what innovations/adaptations we may need to make to the curriculum/casting advice given in our Career Essentials Program—is there a way our teachers can better speak to students of color going out into the industry? Can they focus on bringing in more industry guests of color?
Training and Communication
We commit to providing DEIB training for all students, faculty, and staff on an ongoing and regular basis. We aim to begin this in Winter/Spring 2023.
We commit to creating, solidifying and announcing a new structure for students, staff, and faculty to report DEI issues within our Studio—including the establishment of designated, trained DEI Leaders on staff, as well as a group of trained DEI Point People—faculty and staff members.
We commit to offering affinity spaces for students of color and other underrepresented groups at the Studio.
We commit to re-examining and solidifying our Community Norms across all classes at the Studio—including stated pronouns and the land acknowledgment.
We commit to, at minimum, annual reviews of all of our DEI work and initiatives so we can remain accountable, and further commit to changing as necessary in response to said reviews.
This work is ongoing, reflective and iterative.
We commit to offering affinity spaces for students of color and other underrepresented groups at the Studio.
Harm Acknowledgement & Reflection
When we began our process of vigorously examining DEIB at our Studio over two years ago, it was important to us to create space for many voices to reflect on and share their experiences here. As a part of that process, we were made aware that some people in our community have had experiences that were not in alignment with our core values. And specifically, we recognize that students from underrepresented backgrounds and even more particularly students of color have had experiences at the Studio where they’ve been left feeling a lack of acceptance or belonging, as though their identities were not worthy of celebration or respect.
We urge all members of the Studio community––but particularly staff, faculty, and students in positions of power, leadership, or privilege––to join us in this commitment, as each of us, as we interact with one another, have a responsibility to uphold dignity and pursue repair when needed.
Actionable Steps for DEIB at TK Studio
We acknowledge the need to intentionally incorporate DEIB principles into our studio’s foundation, and have created a timeline of relevant events and specific actions we have taken to document our progress. This is an ongoing collaboration with our community, and we will continue to update this tool in the interest of transparency and accountability. Please explore the timeline below.