Picnic Basket Theatre is committed to intersectional diversity and inclusion throughout our organization and our productions. At the core of our organization, we are committed to the accessibility of theatre to our audiences and we strongly believe that by uplifting the voices of marginalized communities in this accessible format, we can broaden our audiences and recenter the experiences that are featured in theatre. 

 

Our EDI values center around accountability, transparency, and intersectionality. We strongly support the values and demands that were presented by We See You White American Theatre last summer and will continue to use their comprehensive document to reflect on ourselves. 

 

In addition to publicizing our core values and beliefs surrounding our passion for intersectional diversity and inclusion, we believe it is crucial to hold ourselves accountable for what we preach. We will hold our staff, community, and audience accountable for racism and microaggressions. 

 

Our commitment to accountability begins with the following:

• The creation of a safe, easy, and explicit reporting path for insensitive and damaging behavior

• The creation of an internal reporting Google Form that allows our staff to anonymously raise concerns 

• The creation of an accountability path for staff who have perpetrated harm that includes EDI training

• To help foster a more inclusive environment, we will hold at least one seminar by September to share experiences and educate ourselves on diversity. 

 

We are also committed to fostering a trusting relationship with diverse communities in the Twin Cities. With that in mind, we commit to being transparent about what staff have been doing to educate themselves and help improve diversity in theatre. 

 

Our commitment to transparency begins with the following:

• The release of an annual report with statistics on our staff and results from our bimonthly diversity seminar in early September. 

• The release of a bimonthly update on what staff have been doing to educate themselves and better the experiences of marginalized communities in theatre

 

Our commitment to intersectionality begins with the following:

 

• At least 50% of all staff will consist of BIPOC

• At least 60% of all staff will consist of people from a marginalized community

• At least 50% of all productions will be written by artists from a marginalized community

 

In addition to these values, we are committed to the practice of identity conscious casting. We strongly believe that even in voiceover casting it is crucial to practice this form of casting to be truly inclusive and not cast based on a racial monolith. 

 

Picnic Basket Theatre’s Equity and Diversity Mission was built with the intention to model what we desire to see in American Theatre. We do not seek to begin with an intention to improve, we seek to begin at our final goal and then go beyond our initial commitment. 

 

We will continue to be open to the unique experiences of everyone, and our diversity statement is a living document that we will adjust as we grow. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email us at picnicbaskettheatre@gmail.com