... to offer high quality and enriching theatre to our entire Community. It is precisely because of this commitment to bringing the joy of theatre - an essentially collaborative artform - to our community that we must condemn racist actions and inequality, both within the theatre and without. Reflecting on current protests precipitated chiefly by the violent and racially motivated killings of George Floyd, Breeona Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery we feel it is important to state that Black Lives Matter.
As a Company, we have reached out, and continue to do so, within our community to find actionable ideas to further our commitment to a just and equitable theatre experience for all our members and guests. This is an open and ongoing conversation between the Board and our membership, and we welcome input.
We are committed to but not limited to:
-Diverse casting regardless of race, gender identity, or physical disability, except in productions such as 'Once on This Island' where roles require adherence to accurate racial portrayals.
-Seeking out plays written by people of color, and other underrepresented groups.
-Reaching out to a broader community of actors via Backstage and Playbill posting of casting notices to ensure better representation.
-Being conscious that not all roles are created equal, and aiming to steer away from roles that reinforce outdated stereotypes. We regret past show choices that did not take this into account.
-Parkside apologizes to members of our community and those outside it that may have been unintentionally hurt by our past ignorance.
These points are based only on initial discussions within our community, and we stress that we are committed to ongoing discussion to ensure our deeds match our words. We understand that there is work we can do to help address issues of inequality in both our local and greater communities, and that theatre is an ideal way to help move towards an equitable future for both our members and audience.
Parkside is grateful to its entire community and membership. We cannot wait to see, to act, and be with you all again.