IDEA PROGRESS UPDATE
The board and staff of Theater Latté Da are undergoing an organization-wide assessment to rebuild and reimagine our processes, plans and purpose with an anti-racist lens.
Since July of 2020 Theater Latté Da has employed the following actions towards that goal.
UPDATE: AUGUST 2024
GENERAL ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE
Artistic Director search:
Latté Da successfully completed the search process for our new Artistic Director in partnership with Evolution Management Consultants
The total applicant pool for the search included approximately one-third BIPOC candidates from across the country, and there continued to be significant BIPOC representation at all stages of the interview process
The search resulted in the hire of Justin Lucero
IDEA Resource Circles:
Under the leadership of Justin, Theater Latté Da began reflecting on its stated IDEA commitments and looking for next generation opportunities for its future; Justin's experience (both lived and as a researcher) offered new insights and a natural moment for organizational IDEA goals reassessment.
The staff IDEA Committee, now a “resource circle,” added Justin along with Morgan Gray, Gillian Constable, Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, and Allen Weeks; the Circle met twice monthly to prepare topics for all-staff IDEA meetings, which occurred once per month
Both the staff and Board IDEA leadership groups were reframed as "resource circles," providing anti-racism tools, educational readings, and organized activities to support our staff and Board in learning and living our values around IDEA
The Circle organized a handful of IDEA-oriented outings, including a Board and staff viewing of The Color Purple film and a trip to see Wine in the Wilderness at Penumbra Theatre, featuring Nubia Monks (Celie in our production of THE COLOR PURPLE)
The practice of opening meetings with "IDEA sightings" was expanded to all full Board meetings to better align with the processes followed for staff meetings; “IDEA sightings” provide a forum to elevate and discuss instances relating to our IDEA work at Latté Da, within our personal spheres, our community, nationally, and in popular culture
Board of Directors:
BIPOC representation within the Board of Directors increased from 33% to 35%, very close to our goal of reaching 40% BIPOC Board membership by FY2024.
PRODUCTION & MARKETING/FRONT OF HOUSE UPDATE
Company-wide IDEA Centering:
Each Latté Da project launch included a reading of our IDEA commitments
Each Latté Da project launch included an introduction of our guest artists to our staff IDEA Resource Circle leaders for everyone to know whom to reach out to for IDEA-related concerns; as opposed to a single per-production “IDEA liaison,” this group approach of staff IDEA leaders provides a wider set of people at various levels of positional power for greater options for our artists to tap into
Company Milestone Co-Production of THE COLOR PURPLE:
Our co-production of THE COLOR PURPLE played locally for 8 weeks to near-universal critical and audience acclaim
The production then transferred for an additional 5-week run at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY
The national co-production, the first such arrangement in our history, provided an opportunity for Black artists from our community to share Alice Walker’s essential story and offered months of employment and artistic opportunity for a company of primarily Twin Cities-based Black performers
Latté Da continued to seek out opportunities to be intentional in our selection of vendors to provide additional avenues of support and visibility to BIPOC-led businesses; this included a partnership with Black Garnet Books to stock copies of The Color Purple novel for sale at our concessions stand, and the use of local, Black-owned restaurants to cater parties and events
PHYSICAL AND FINANCIAL ACCESS UPDATE
General:
In Season 26, Access Coordinator Gillian Constable bolstered the programs already offered and introduced new access services to further our goal of making our theater accessible to people from all walks of life
Theater Latté Da reaffirmed our commitment to providing more variably priced single ticket and season subscription offerings, allowing for greater financial access for all Twin Cities theatergoers
During the 2023-24 season, Latté Da spent $20,000 on physical accessibility programming and subsidized over $175,000 in financially accessible tickets for folks who needed it
New physical access measures introduced in Season 26:
Four Braille Playbills available at the box office - free to take home
Four bariatric chairs available on the sidebars to accommodate patrons who desire more space and higher weight-bearing seats, and one additional chair available with a higher weight-bearing capacity.
Discount opportunities introduced in Season 26:
Row A for All: provides variably priced Pay-What-You-Can tickets in Row A and select balcony seats for all Theater Latté Da patrons on Wednesday and Thursday evenings throughout the entire season
Comps and Discounts for Affiliate Partners: show-specific partnerships with organizations whose mission aligns with the themes of the show
New discounts opportunities announced for Season 27, including:
“39 & Under” Ritz Club Subscription Package: designed specifically for emerging theatergoers 39 and under; eligible patrons can subscribe to the entire season for $199.50 and enjoy all subscriber benefits
New access goals:
Improve our digital accessibility for our website, social media, and email blasts
This process would begin with a website review by professional Disability-Focused Usability Testers, professional digital accessibility Digital Accessibility Consulting, Support and Remediation
Purchase our own Open Caption equipment and update our Open Caption software
Research other access services that could be feasible for our offerings, for example:
relaxed performances
performances with supertitles in different languages
childcare matinees
ARTISTIC UPDATE
Artistic Director, Justin Lucero, and Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Works, Elissa Adams, remained committed to maintaining and growing Theater Latté Da’s efforts to create and facilitate inclusive and diverse creative teams at all levels of the artistic process:
Theater Latté Da continued to constitute all creative teams to include racial and gender diversity
44% (4 of 9) of our new works projects had BIPOC creative team member representation, just shy of our 51% goal for the year
Our $20,000 NEXT Generation Commission—which specifically seeks to support women artists and artists of color—was awarded to Jay Adana
Early in Artistic Director Justin Lucero's appointment, he requested and received grant support by the McKnight Foundation in a proactive effort to build connections among peer Twin Cities arts leaders; via their Arts and Culture Program’s administrative budget for convening/networking, the grant supports the connecting, sharing, and learning from participating directors, specifying prioritization of theaters of small and midsized budgets that are led by BIPOC leaders
Artistic Director Justin Lucero's positionality as a BIPOC leader in the musical theater industry led to his invitation to participate in a book launch panel at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, offering a response to Dr. Josephine Lee’s impactful new book “Race in American Musical Theatre" published by Methuen
UPDATE: MAY 2023
We were excited to begin 2023 with a critically acclaimed new production of Hello, Dolly!, which played to one of the largest audiences in TLD history. Featuring a primarily BIPOC cast led by Regina Marie Williams in the title role and directed by Artistic Associate Kelli Foster Warder, the production shined a light on Black business owners and women entrepreneurs of the era, adding to a tradition of racially diverse casting for this show that began in 1967 when Pearl Bailey took over the role of Dolly and led an all-Black cast on Broadway. Historical research for the TLD production drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, including Black-owned Minnesota businesses from the past century.
The Cast of Hello, Dolly! Photo: Dan Norman.
Our current production, the world premiere of the musical We Shall Someday by Harrison David Rivers and Ted Shen, also directed by Kelli Foster Warder, focuses on BIPOC stories as well, sharing the experiences of three generations of a Black family grappling with inequality, violence, oppression and the impact of generational trauma. The production has the potential to reach more than 5,000 patrons over a four-week run from April 19-May 14, 2023.
In support of the artists carrying the emotional burden of telling this challenging story, TLD for the first time allocated wellness stipends to the company to be used at their discretion to choose the kinds of care and comfort that best meet their individual needs.
In Summer 2022, Kelli Foster Warder’s role at TLD shifted from Associate Artistic Director and Director of Impact as a growing number of freelance opportunities emerged that required more of her time and attention. We are incredibly proud to have Kelli continue her affiliation with TLD as an Artistic Associate, we continue to celebrate her artistic accomplishments at TLD and elsewhere, and we humbly and gratefully acknowledge her extraordinary leadership in our journey to become a more anti-racist organization.
In support of the next phase of our IDEA work, we engaged Dr. Ramón Pastrano, founder of the consulting group Third Sphere, to work alongside our staff and Board of Directors. Dr. Pastrano and his team have begun their work with the TLD staff, Board IDEA committee, and Board of Directors. Major components so far have included:
Expanding administration of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to include all full-time staff and all Board members in order to grow in our cultural competence.
The establishment of a staff IDEA leadership council composed of TLD staff members from a range of backgrounds, departments and seniority levels.
Ongoing workshops for staff and Board covering various approaches and strategies to advance our work toward greater inclusion, diversity, equity and access.
In the wake of Artistic Director Peter Rothstein’s announcement that he will depart TLD at the end of June 2023 after 25 years of leadership, Evolution Management Consultants (EMC), a BIPOC-led firm, was selected to work with us on a national search for his successor. Among their factors leading to our selection of EMC were their commitment to conducting an equitable process, their proactive approach to seeking a diverse pool of applicants, and their commitment to anti-bias training for stakeholders in the search process.
The core search committee of 11 was intentionally structured to include a mix of Board members, staff, and artists from our community, including BIPOC representation.
During their site visit in March, EMC met with numerous constituencies of TLD and our broader community, including a town hall meeting with TLD’s alumni artists and a session designated specifically for BIPOC artists to be able to share their perspectives in a safe and confidential environment.
Since our last update, we have continued our focus on living out our values and commitment to becoming a more equitable and anti-racist organization. Recent activities include:
We have continued the practice of IDEA conversations being a part of first rehearsals and production meetings.
“IDEA sighting” sessions open each of our all-staff meetings, providing an ongoing forum to elevate and discuss instances relating to our IDEA work at TLD, within our personal spheres, our community, nationally, and in popular culture.
We met our goal of at least 50% BIPOC representation in casting for the 2021-22 and 2022-2023 seasons.
We have completed hiring processes for multiple staff positions incorporating anti-racist and more equitable practices, including extended posting periods, posting on culturally specific job boards, intentionally diverse application review and interview teams, publication of salary ranges and pay rates in all postings, and an evaluation process that deemphasizes staff hierarchy and promotes unbiased individual input from a range of stakeholders. This process has resulted in a marked increase in applicants self-identifying as BIPOC, LGBTQ, and/or disabled.
We launched an open captioning program for the 2022-23 season and are presenting a weekend of open captioned performances during each production run.
UPDATE: MARCH 2022
We are once again devastated by the killing of a Black man by a police officer in our city. Our thoughts and prayers for justice are with the family of Amir Locke, a young man about to launch a music business, whose life was unjustly cut short at age 22.
We are currently in rehearsal for Jelly’s Last Jam, featuring the story of a young Black musician as he helps launch jazz music into what we know today. It is not lost on us that this, TLD’s first all-Black cast, in a show centering on music and community, justice and legacy, is happening now.
Since our last update, we have continued our focus on living out our values and commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization.
As we have returned to live theater, we have been able to put into place our commitment to DEI training and conversations being a part of first rehearsals and production meetings. We are hosting in-depth training for our collaborators in February and April for all theater makers on our current season.
Our senior staff, including our recently hired Managing Director, have all taken the Intercultural Development Inventory to identify areas of growth to intercultural competence for our leadership team.
Our TLD staff is reading and discussing a book, Allies and Advocates: Creating An Inclusive and Equitable Culture, by Amber Cabral.
We are so grateful to Native Pride Arts for their partnership in developing a land acknowledgement and relationship to intentionally partner with Native artists and storytellers. Read more here: https://nativeprideproductions.com/about
This season we have raised the pay for all of our contracted theater makers.
We've committed 20% of our advertising dollars to BIPOC-owned and operated media outlets.
We have expanded our media list to include 17% new BIPOC reporters, writers, producers, and media partners.
We have expanded accessibility services with the inclusion of large print format programs and are currently auditing our digital communication platforms for accessibility and inclusion.
Through new partnerships in our community, we have committed to adding Braille programs and captioned performances in the 2022-2023 season.
The work continues in real and tangible ways at TLD. Please reach out to us if you have questions or ideas of how we can continue to grow and change in these areas or you would like to participate in one of our IDEA training conversations. Please refer to our website for earlier updates on this work.
We are grateful for all of the theater makers engaging with us as we continue to grow in our understanding and ability to create equitable, inclusive environments that bring artists and audiences together.
UPDATE: MAY 2021
Leadership
The TLD Board has committed to a goal of at least 40% representation of Black, Indigenous or people of color on our board over the next 3 years.
The Board has been engaged in anti-racism training advised by the new IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) board committee. This training and board commitment will continue to include more training sessions dedicated to deeper understanding of IDEA and how it impacts TLD and the industry including a change in the board orientation process to align with this new commitment and more integration of the work of the staff and the board.
Senior staff have been invited to attend board meetings to promote transparency, accountability, and cooperation.
The Governance committee, responsible for board recruitment, will be intentionally racially diverse with a goal of no board committees being homogenous by or before 2023.
TLD staff continues to meet bi-monthly for training and planning dedicated specifically to IDEA and anti-racism. Each weekly staff meeting begins with an ‘IDEA sighting’ to give space to discuss what we are learning and seeing around us.
The 2021-2022 budget is informed by our IDEA work and goals and is reflected by an increase to make time and provide resources to reach those goals.
We are currently working with a BIPOC-led Human Resources firm to build new job descriptions and hiring practices through a DEI lens.
Artistic/Production
TLD continues to ensure that all creative teams include racial and gender diversity.
Each TLD project begins with a reading of our anti-racism commitment statement and opportunity to discuss it.
Production budgets reflect this commitment through added rehearsal and tech time.
The production process will include anti-racism training for all cast, crew and musicians.
51% of the new work projects we have in development thiss year are led by BIPOC artists.
No BIPOC artists will be ‘the only’ in meetings and rehearsals.
DEI training will be a part of the pre-production design process for each fully staged production in the season.
We will identify an IDEA liaison for each production to provide another avenue to share concerns and communicate expectations to promote a safe space and clear expectations.
We have held listening sessions with BIPOC artists and have integrated that feedback into our organization going forward.
Communication/Marketing/Engagement
We are expanding partnerships and access for free and reduced tickets.
Reallocated marketing spends to meaningfully include BIPOC owned and led media partners.
All of our digital content contains captions generated inside the production process.
Intentionally developing a more inclusive media list.
Expanding and developing partnerships with BIPOC owned and operated media partners
Engaging donors and funders in conversations around our work in IDEA.
Building a partnership with Native artists to share space, build relationships and create a land acknowledgement built on mutual respect, humility, and partnership.
These are a few of the steps we have been taking towards fulfilling our commitment to IDEA and becoming a more anti-racist organization. This is ongoing work and as we prepare to re-open for live performances there is more to come.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 15, 2020
We formed a board Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access (IDEA) committee. The committee’s charter includes ensuring the finances and budget reflect the commitments to this work, consulting on artistic programming and providing recommendations on policy and practices as it relates to representation, inclusion, and racial equity.
We hired Kelli Foster Warder as Associate Artistic Director & Director of Impact. Kelli, a long time Theater Latté Da artist, will be a part of our artistic leadership team on season planning, developing community engagement and leading our anti-racism and inclusion work.
We have added a budget line for IDEA efforts with resources dedicated to advancing this work.
We have worked rigorously as a staff, board, and leadership team to create an organizational anti-racism statement outlining our privilege and opportunity. This statement will be shared at the beginning of all rehearsal and production processes, reviewed regularly by staff and board and updated to reflect the on-going commitment to the work.
We have created a dedicated IDEA page on our website designed for accountability and transparency. This is part of a larger communications plan to engage audiences and artists directly in these efforts.
Our staff has bi-monthly IDEA meetings focused around training and implementing this work. IDEA is an agenda item at the weekly full staff meeting and each member of the staff has responsibilities to measure and demonstrate progress.
In the Spring of 2020 we launched NEXT UP, an intensive laboratory investing in the future of new musical theater. Five of the nine scheduled works are led by BIPOC artists.
We have planned listening sessions with BIPOC artists as part of our assessment and desire to engage our artists as we create anti-racist policies and safe spaces for our future work together.
Building a production process that includes IDEA training for production and design teams prior to starting the work with continuing support opportunities throughout the process.
Commitment to building safe and equitable practices for our rehearsal process that includes, training and identifying an EDI representative, transparent disclosure of creative teams at the time of actor offers, no homogenous creative teams, and culturally conscious and inclusive audition processes.
Theater Latté Da has one of the longest rehearsal processes in our region and does not schedule 10 out of 12s. We have employed 5-day work weeks and will continue to work with our artists to build a 5-day rehearsal week.
We are conducting a review of institutional processes to root out unconscious and explicit bias.
In October of 2019 we began a new strategic planning process highlighting 3 strategic directions with an intentional focus on inclusion. We are realigning and redefining this directive in light of our anti-racist commitment.
This is a progress report that represents our resolve. We are committed to continuing this work, to change and grow and see our industry embrace anti-racism and move forward with equity.
