Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Oregon shooter showed little sympathy in calculated killings ... Our View: Gun lobby's influence exceeds its support ... County no longer will provide free storage for Storytelling Guild ... Oregon shooter showed little sympathy in calculated killings ... Our View: Gun lobby's influence exceeds its support ... County no longer will provide free storage for Storytelling Guild ... Diversity takes center stage at OSF Comment By Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:13 PM By Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:13 PM » Social News More than 40 people representing 30 theaters and theater-related organizations from across the country are gathering at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to launch artEquity, a training initiative to help people better support diversity and inclusion in the theater. “This event will involve a lot of training, a lot of conversation and learning, but it’s also a deep-dive theater experience,” said Carmen Morgan, the initiative director and national consultant to theaters on inclusion and equity issues. Nijeul Porter, artEquity’s program manager, said OSF is an ideal place to explore inclusion in the arts because the company actively works to celebrate the range of human differences and offer equitable involvements and connections throughout the company. “OSF has been a national model for diversity and inclusivity. It has been committed to using theater to challenge and expand community. This work is what OSF does every day,” Porter said. The group will see six plays and attend seminars that address issues such as color-conscious casting, gender diversity, accessibility, audience engagement and other topics that inform equity-based theater making. “OSF has been putting theory into practice, and we can learn a lot about the challenges and the successes of addressing these issues within an arts community,” said Morgan. Morgan’s background is in social justice work and civil rights, and she’s worked on racial justice and community-building issues across the country. “I’ve worked in many industries, but since starting with OSF eight years ago, I’ve been doing a lot of this type of work in the arts community,” she said. “We’re thinking about art as a tool for social change. This means the art itself, the bodies on stage, how it is created, the environment it is created in and the organizational culture.” It is hoped, said Morgan, the discussions will lead to some long-term changes for individuals, both personally and professionally. “Our goal is to give participants tools and resources to ... continue to use their work to transform and confront structural and systemic barriers,” she said. The event is expected to be more of a team-building effort than a workshop. “We look at this group as the start of something larger,” Porter said. “These people will be working in small teams doing collective work in between the two training sessions as well as afterward. So when someone in the Midwest needs to consult with issues of diversity, they will have a specific team in their area to help with that.” Porter said theater is a powerful medium in helping people shift their thinking and promote change. “I think it is really working toward creating a community specifically to help facilitate discussions around equity in the arts,” he said. “We’re not just talking about hiring more diverse people, we’re talking about using theater to effect real change." The program is supported by a $145,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and will be conducted over two sessions at the OSF campus by Morgan, Porter and a team of co-facilitators from OSF and other theaters. The first event will take place Sept. 3-6. The second is set for Oct. 15-17. While this initiative is specific to theater organizations, Morgan said she hopes to expand the discussion about diversity and inclusion. “There is such a need for Ashland to get engaged in these discussions, and I think there is a lot of support for it here,” she said. “I’d love to see a team of Ashland folks working toward facilitating conversations around diversity and inclusion within the community. You have the Chamber of Commerce, let’s get a chamber of change makers.” Reach Ashland freelance writer Angela Decker at [email protected]. By Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501