Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Frantic Assembly is committed to promoting theatre as an activity for all. Frantic Assembly is committed to providing access for all people to the arts as participants, practitioners and audience, throughout the range of its activities. Our Core Values are:

Collaborative

Authentic

Accessible

Brave

Empowering

In order to achieve this Frantic Assembly undertakes to ensure that all job applicants, employees, participants and audience members across the range of company activities are treated equitably and encouraged to develop and maximise their true potential irrespective of age, disability, gender including transgender, HIV/AIDS status, marital status including civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, political opinion, race/ethnicity, religion and belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, spent convictions, trade union activity or membership, work pattern on the basis of having or not having dependants, or on any other grounds which are irrelevant to decision-making.

Frantic Assembly recognises discrimination as being a process of acting unfairly against an individual or group by exclusion, verbal comment, denigration, failure to appreciate needs or the assumption of such needs without consultation.

Frantic Assembly believes that the value of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy lies not merely in its intention but in its practical delivery. It is important, therefore, that the company also reflects, where possible, its EDI Policy within the content areas of its programme of work. The company has an EDI Action Plan detailing how it will deliver this policy as well as a specific Anti-Racism Action Plan.

It is the responsibility of the Senior Management Team to monitor the effectiveness and develop where necessary the EDI Policy and the Action Plans and make reports to the Board of Trustees. Each member of the company has responsibility for their own compliance.

This policy and the associated Action Plans are monitored and reviewed annually by Frantic Theatre Company’s Board of Trustees.

Anti-Racism Action Plan

Introduction

The Anti-Racism Plan seeks to ensure that everything we do across the organisation is representative of the UK in the 21^st century. We understand that there is much more we can do to represent and reflect the diversity of modern Britain both in terms of the work we present on stages, in our workshops and in the makeup of our Board, staff and freelance teams. This is an organic document and will respond, evolve and develop.

We are committed to better understanding the impact of our actions, both conscious and unconscious, and the responsibility we have to address processes and systems of racial inequality and racism, as well as instances as they arise.

We are vocal not only in our support of efforts to promote racial equality and diversity but also in our condemnation of racism, micro-aggressions and social discrimination whenever and wherever we see it. We have a zero-tolerance policy to racism within the company.

As a company committed to the transformative effects of the arts and presenting inspirational/aspirational role models for young people, we embrace the responsibility of representation and ally-ship.

Frantic Assembly commits to:

Reflect/Interrogate

We continually review our structures and activities; how we make decisions, who we work with and how we frame conversations/discussions.

• We undertake an annual Equality Impact Assessment of our organisation
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is a standing agenda item at every Trustees’ Meeting
• A designated Trustee/s champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and are a point of contact for the wider staff team
• Monthly team meetings consider diversity in all realms of operation
• Creative Self-Assessment; pre- and post- production assessment of performance against goals and targets; including representation in creative pool, casting/company recruitment, diverse storytelling, audience development

We are prepared to ask hard questions. We are an open and listening organisation and interrogate our actions and decisions.

Learn

We embed continuing learning and development around issues of EDI as part of our staff induction and training. We work with people and organisations that know more than we do.

• We undertake, at least annually, diversity and anti-racism training for Trustees/Senior Management Team, staff and practitioners
• Hold unconscious bias training for all Trustees and members of the Senior Management Team
• Trustee/employee induction processes include the above training and awareness
• Review mechanisms exist from Board level down, to monitor effectiveness of the EDI and Anti-Racism plan
• We provide targeted support to staff and practitioners who experience racism to build skills and confidence

Train and Recruit

Our company wide recruitment is transparent, targeted and committed to increasing diversity and opportunity with the workforce. Our Practitioners must be representative of the people we lead workshops with and we seek to increase the number of people of ethnically diverse backgrounds, particularly African and Caribbean, South Asian, East Asian and South East Asian heritage, who engage with our training opportunities.

• Target recruitment to our open Train programmes to artists from the above backgrounds and mitigate socio-economic barriers to attendance
• Identify the artists from the above backgrounds as potential Frantic Practitioners, particularly from within our Ignition graduates
• Invest in specific recruitment budget to reach diverse candidates for all advertised roles
• Adapt recruitment packs and offer alternative application process where appropriate
• Ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities
• Capture of EDI monitoring data to review and better understand reach and benchmark effectiveness

Collaborate

We will ensure that the creative talent pool we work with fully reflects 21^st century UK. The stories we tell will be considered in the light of diverse, lived experience. We will:

• Seek out and develop diverse storytelling
• Widen our creative network by collaborating with African and Caribbean, South Asian, East Asian and South East Asian led or focused companies, or those championing diversity – i.e. Inc Arts, Tri-Force, Stage Sight, Backstage Niche, etc.
• Increase the number of artists from these backgrounds on our database of creatives, freelancers, stage management, etc
• Provide workshop and R&D opportunities outside of production cycles for artists from these backgrounds to develop a relationship with the company
• Commit to a national Anti-Racism Touring Rider; identify and tackle barriers for artists who experience racism on tour and provide active support

Communicate and Promote

We articulate the work we do in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. We ensure our own teams are fully informed and feel able to contribute to discussions and are proud to advocate. We consider how we approach different audiences and tailor our messages accordingly. We seek to give confidence and reassurance to those we work with that we are open and inclusive.

• We do not use marginalising acronyms. We speak to the personal rather than the collective and avoid statistical terminology
• Our website, social and print media should always reflect the diversity of our audiences and participants both in tone and imagery
• Our production marketing and press is tailored, inclusive and aware
• We hold regular company-wide creative and policy Town Halls – including Trustees, staff, practitioners, freelancers and other stakeholders to share and discuss activity

Advocate

We understand that it is not enough just to address our own shortcomings but to stand up when we see shortcomings elsewhere. To be active in our allyship with our colleagues and to be part of wider action to force change. We will use our influence, where possible, to effect change. We will:

• Listen to, support, nurture and champion our entire team and model best practice
• Provide a safe and positive working environment and expect and demand the same from collaborators, co-producers, touring venues, etc
• Support industry wide initiatives, such as Anti-Racism Rider, and provide active feedback/perspectives
• Champion diversity and inclusivity initiatives e.g. Inc Arts Unlock, The Black Curriculum, Artistic Directors of the Future, #BAMEOver, etc