Our WSY WAT Response Plan

In June of last year, a group of 300+ BIPOC theatremakers drafted and signed a testimonial letter titled Dear White American Theater, which was “collectively crafted by theatremakers from across the country, exposing the indignities and racism that BIPOC, and in particular Black theatremakers, face on a day-to-day basis in the theater industry.” This movement and call for accountability, called We See You, White American Theatre (WSY WAT) issued a detailed list of demands with their aim towards creating a “more equitable and safe space for BIPOC communities in our nation and inside of the American Theater.”

The leadership and staff of Broken Nose Theatre are committed to growing as an anti-racist organization, we spent the latter half of 2020 combing through the demands, using them as a launching pad for discussions and exercises in which we proposed - and broke into action items - sizable policy changes that were shared with our ensemble for additional feedback.

The following is a selection of action steps and changes that will be taking place across the company, both department-specific (casting, development, literary, and marketing) and on the levels of leadership and board.

(Please note: We view this response plan created for BNT as a living document, one that can be continuously discussed and adjusted as additional needs and conversations arise.)


Commitments we’ve already implemented or will be in the short term:

  • Share our production budgets on the Broken Nose Theatre website show-by-show to provide full transparency. Economic Accessibility = Economic Transparency.

  • Continue to provide post-mortem feedback opportunities for our artists to express their thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms as we continue to produce.

  • Continue to make sure all professional development opportunities are available and distributed to all staff members.

  • Continue to practice color conscious casting.

  • Capitalize the “B” in Black, “I” in Indigenous, “L” in Latinx, “A” in Asian, “M” & “E” in Middle Eastern, as well as the names of other BIPOC communities in all company related copy. We will update the terms used as they evolve.

  • Consult with our resident theater on BIPOC welcoming policies for House Management and audience interaction.

  • Publish Broken Nose’s Board Bylaws on our website.

  • Read and reaffirm both the Anti-Racist Policy and Statement of Inclusion Practices at the beginning of every rehearsal process.

  • Read and reaffirm the Anti-Racist Policy at the top of Board & Company meetings.

  • Openly forbid the use of racial slurs in rehearsals and performances unless specified in the script of the play/musical currently being rehearsed.

    • Should the show in-question require the use of racially offensive language or action, a private session should be held (much like intimacy design) with the actor(s) directly impacted by said language or action.

  • Select stories that do not focus solely on trauma, especially culturally specific trauma; embrace dramatic material that reflects unique perspectives held by folks who may be outside of our company.

  • Incorporate Indigenous Land acknowledgement in show programs and displays.

  • Practice and promote transparent fundraising practices, especially as it pertains to BIPOC centric work. 

  • Establish an annual facilitated Anti-Racism training for BNT Staff, ensemble, & board - first one completed.

    • Allowing BIPOC members to remove themselves from those types of training, as they may be subject to unnecessary emotional labor.

  • Provide Bystander Intervention Training for BNT Staff, ensemble, & board at least once per calendar year.

  • Broken Nose’s Board will undergo EDI training together, facilitated by an outside coordinator. 

  • We will stand with BIPOC journalists and writers who call out racist practices.

Commitments we will be building to in the medium and long term (future):

  • Provide Mental Health & Emotional First Aid Training for BNT Staff, ensemble, and board at least once per calendar year.

  • Develop intervention and disruption protocols for incidents involving 3rd parties (ie audience, venue staff, other company artists, etc.) 

  • Leadership will establish succession plans for each position (AD & MD)

  • Staff members will maintain an up-to-date job description and duties list to enable a succession plan; and on occasion of their departure assist in a successful hand-off to the incoming staff.

  • Publish internal policy documents on the company website.

  • Commit budget and resources to the hiring of consults on a per show basis, as deemed necessary by the producers, director, playwright, or other creators on the project. 

  • Facilitating with directors, prior to a rehearsal process, how a production will handle physical manifestations of BIPOC trauma that may come through in the rehearsal and production.

  • Formulate an official pay and credit policy for when an already contracted artist takes on additional responsibilities (ie fight captain, marketing consultant, etc.) 

  • Work with our PR partner to expand our press contacts list to include more BIPOC journalists/critics/promoters/etc.

  • Promote BIPOC-led publications through our social media and eblasts.

  • Re-evaluating and continually improving our audience and donor equitable access practices. 

  • Conduct personalized outreach to community groups and organizations that are relevant to audiences we want to build relationships with.

  • Creating relationships with and recruiting board members from the BIPOC community.

  • Creating an EDI committee for the company which is made up of Board members, staff, and ensemble members. 

  • Implementing reporting on production team hiring practices.

  • Contract 50% BIPOC representation in the members of the season’s design/production teams. 

  • Utilizing 8 of 10s in tech schedules. 

  • When co-producing, we commit to ensuring revenue is split equally between organizations based on budgetary funding. 

  • When co-producing, we also commit to outlining roles and responsibilities of co-pros prior to beginning the artistic work. This will ensure accountability if workload is not met and that the work is equitably divided between organizations (or agreed upon in advance, if unequal for any reason). Decisions surrounding co-pros will see equal representation from all involved parties.