Interrobang believes it is important to clearly state its policy for creating a safe, respectful, and creative workplace environment. We recognize that exceptional theatrical productions (in pursuit of a legitimate artistic result) can feel personally challenging, critical, difficult, uncomfortable, and unpleasant. While they can generate conflicts and disagreements, everyone involved MUST remain respectful to each other.

WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT POLICY

Interrobang Theatre Project (ITP) holds the following facts and assumptions as true:

All human beings deserve respect and dignity, in and out of the workplace.
All human beings have different perspectives based on a myriad of factors.
All human beings are flawed and make mistakes.
Some human beings -- especially in positions of authority -- will manipulate an environment to their own ends, often at the expense of other human beings.
Some human beings have experienced labor exploitation in work environments.
Non-white, non-male and non-cisgender human beings have experienced higher levels of cultural discrimination, labor exploitation, physical violence and emotional abuse.
While volunteer and low-compensation workers are especially vulnerable to workplace abuse, compensation is not a deterrent to workplace abuse.


ITP Policy on Workplace Environment:

ITP seeks to retain and expand its reputation for a safe, respectful and creative workplace environment, while creating exceptional live theater productions. 
ITP's goals are not in conflict, but in fact necessary for success.  Both must occur.  Good art does not require sacrificing personal dignity or safety.
ITP recognizes that exceptional theatrical productions (in pursuit of a legitimate artistic result) can feel personally challenging, critical, difficult, uncomfortable and unpleasant, generate conflicts and disagreements, but MUST remain respectful to everyone involved.
ITP supports the free expression of personal views and opinions about the choices, decisions and direction of the ensemble.  Passionate disagreement can be warranted and beneficial.
ITP will not tolerate a free expression of personal views and opinions that create a hostile work environment, specifically, any communication that:

Denigrates or impugns the race, sexual preference, gender identity, marital status, citizenship status, political affiliation, creed or religion of the recipient.
Implies or suggests that monetary, personal or sexual favors are required to advance the interests of the recipient.
Requests or requires that one-on-one communications remain secret, else a penalty is triggered.
Implies or suggests that one or more people should be blamed, held up to ridicule or ostracized for the perceived success of a rehearsal, performance, production or the ensemble.

ITP will seek to resolve reported violations of this policy fairly, thoroughly and confidentially by:

Discerning the facts of the matter.
Counseling the parties involved to affect a satisfying resolution for the parties involved and the ensemble.
Deciding whether the reported incident(s) warrants dissociation from the ensemble.

ITP hopes that apparent violations of this policy are reported promptly so that they can be resolved promptly.
ITP declares that personal religious beliefs are NOT an affirmative defense against language or behavior that fosters a hostile work environment.


ITP Procedures to Address Workplace Environment Issues: 

Anyone that experiences a work environment incident in violation of the ITP Policy on Workplace Environment ("Reporting Party") will notify any of the following people ("Reporting Agent") either verbally, on paper or via email: 

Stage Manager for the production.
Artistic Producer for the production.
Director for the production.
Artistic Director for the ensemble.
Board Member for the ensemble.

Reporting Agent will:

Interview Reporting Party.
Identify the Offending Party.
Confidentially present information gathered from the Reporting Party to Artistic Director(s) and Board Member(s).

Artistic Director(s) and Board Member(s) will:

Remove an Artistic Director or Board Member from the process if they are identified as the Offending Party.
Create an Ad Hoc Workplace Environment Committee
Select and appoint an Investigator (whether internal or external to the ensemble).

Investigator will:

Interview the Reporting Party.
Interview the Offending Party.
Interview anyone else with direct knowledge of the Offending Incident(s).
Confidentially present findings (facts in agreement, facts in dispute) and make recommendation(s) to the Ad Hoc Workplace Environment Committee.

Ad Hoc Workplace Environment Committee will:

Review the Investigator's report with the Investigator.
Adopt or alter the recommendation(s).
Determine resolution(s) by numeric two-thirds approval.
Implement the approved recommendation(s).


ITP Workplace Environment Policy & Procedures Adoption and Revisions:

President of the Board in collaboration with the Artistic Director(s) will draft Workplace Environment Policies & Procedures. 
President of the Board will submit Workplace Environment Policies & Procedures to the ensemble for review and comment.
Adoption and revisions require numeric two-thirds approval by the ensemble, artistic director(s) and board member(s) to take effect.