About

Update - March, 2021

March 3, 2021

Dear Milwaukee Rep Community,

This update is a very special one for us at Milwaukee Rep. After months of work by our staff, leadership team, and board, we are proud to officially launch REP Forward, Milwaukee Rep’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Plan.

REP Forward will guide all of our actions for the foreseeable future and will permeate every aspect of our organization. We are eager to take the knowledge we have learned over the past months and shift gears to take action to become a more inclusive and equitable organization that not only allows for diversity, but celebrates it.

Vision of Success
Our plan is ambitious and broad, so it is vital to start with a clear vision of what success in this space looks like. Below is our vision of success:

  • Milwaukee Rep team members working together in the spirit of generosity, teamwork, and collaboration.
  • Sharing, hearing, and considering everyone’s differing viewpoints for high-level, game-changing artistic expression.
  • Engaging a diversity of voices theater-wide to promote an inclusive and welcoming culture.
  • Actively and respectfully navigating uncomfortable conversations and inevitable tension for the enrichment of all.
  • Measuring our progress to ensure a sustained, long-term ED&I commitment.

Strategy
Using ED&I principles – valuing diversity, being consciously inclusive, supporting and modeling anti-racism, and continuously learning – Milwaukee Rep will work to be the change we wish to see inside and outside our walls. To accomplish this, we will focus on these key areas:

  • Workforce: Ensure diverse representation throughout the organization.
  • Workplace: Build a culturally competent organization that embraces and celebrates differences.
  • Community: Continue building stronger relationships with marginalized communities and partners.

Actions to achieve results in these key areas include, but are not limited to:

  • Evaluating recruitment plans, updating job descriptions, and developing recruitment materials;
  • Proactively developing talent by providing skill-building opportunities, career mentorship, coaching, and talent amplification;
  • Developing an ED&I roadmap for learning, providing formal and informal training opportunities at all levels of the organization;
  • Conducting partner listening sessions and assess programming through an ED&I lens; and
  • Evaluate, monitor, and track theater partner and vendor diversity.

Our staff workgroup, officially named Champions Uniting Experiences (CUE), has prioritized our REP Forward work with three focus areas designed to impact the priority areas:

  • Inclusion
  • Cultural Competence
  • Compassion Resilience (Self-Care)

The work to get us to this place has been emotional, challenging, eye-opening, and incredibly rewarding. Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of this work has been the tremendous leadership shown by our staff in moving Milwaukee Rep forward.

Our talented team and these many months of crucial conversations, honest introspection, and ongoing education have given us a strong foundation on which to build an inclusive and welcoming culture. The future for Milwaukee Rep is looking bright.

Thank you for joining us on this exciting 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

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