Update - October, 2020
October 1, 2020
Dear Milwaukee Rep Community,
As summer turns to fall, our Milwaukee Rep team is continuing our vital work on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I). We recognize hurtful news continues, including incidents of racial injustices and violence, and political turmoil.
Theater is an integral component of our culture and can both provide respite from the stresses and struggles of our everyday lives, as well as a way for us to channel the emotions we feel from these challenges we face.
Milwaukee Rep wants to be able to best serve our whole community in a way that is meaningful in these difficult times. While we have centered racial justice in our work, our pledge to lift all underserved communities, including the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities has remained steadfast. Within our vision for success we recognize and address the many dimensions of diversity that often intersect and can create inequities.
This work has never been more profoundly important. Our internal ED&I committee is working diligently to strengthen our planning and impact work in partnership with the Kaleidoscope Group. Most recently, Kaleidoscope Group facilitated focus groups of our internal teams, artists, and community partners. The next phase of this engagement is to create training and education programs for our staff, creative teams and leadership. We are confident these learnings will result in actionized, sustained change that will continue to make significant impact and make our company stronger.
Concurrently with the efforts to engage our internal stakeholders, our leadership team has developed an assessment process focused on cultural competence and workplace inclusion as priorities. Through this examination tool we are performing an honest self-assessment of our theater that will influence the overall goals of our ED&I initiative.
As our examination and planning continues, the Milwaukee Rep Board of Trustees remains connected with this strategic initiative, approved more than a year ago. In September, the Vision of Success, developed by the ED&I Committee, was presented and reviewed by the board as our blueprint for creating a more equitable, inclusive company. At its next meeting, the board will establish processes to ensure alignment of the work between the board and staff leadership is successful. We recognize this unyielding commitment will bring the sustained change we all desire.
We thank you, our patrons, audiences, donors and community, for your continued support as we continue on this important journey.
Greg Oberland
President, Board of Trustees
Warren Buliox
Trustee & Chair, ED&I Committee
Mark Clements
Artistic Director
Chad Bauman
Executive Director
Tammy Belton-Davis
Chief Diversity Officer