Beliefs and Values
This statement is meant to reflect a list of LMDA’s core beliefs, from which we draw our values. Together, they provide the ethical compass for LMDA which guides our organizational culture and decision-making. No expression of beliefs and values can or should be all inclusive; as such, this document continues to evolve as we do.
Beliefs
- Theatre is a vital art form that has the power to nourish, educate, and transform individuals, their communities, and their societies.
- Dramaturgy is an essential component to contemporary performance practice and is central to theatre making processes. Dramaturgy provides artists and audiences with deeper context for understanding the creative content.
- Dramaturgy as a profession has spread from theatre to include a wide range of creative disciplines, including dance, video game narrative, built environments, and many more. We embrace these expansive forms of dramaturgy.
- Dramaturgs enrich creative processes.
- At the heart of dramaturgy is collaboration, a mutual trust and respect among collaborators.
- As collaborators and artists, we appreciate our differences and continually learn from each other.
- We respect critical thinking and inquiry as essential components of the complex collaboration we all pursue in making theatre.
- We commit to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility as guiding principles for our organization.
Values
LMDA empowers practitioners to be bold, risk-taking, inquisitive, vulnerable, courageous, and provocative members in their artistic environments. Increasingly, our work also includes advocacy, not simply for plays, artists, stories, and topics, but also for ethical practices, processes, and actions.
LMDA recognizes that dramaturgy gives space to process: that it takes time and requires presence.
As leaders and advocates in the field, LMDA members are called upon to affirm the presence of dramaturgs within performance processes.
Because our work takes place on colonized land, we strive to make visible contested histories as we ethically engage with our diverse communities.
We embrace the creation of stories that reflect a broad spectrum of authentic experiences in our diverse global community and we value the importance of examining the intersectionality of our society.
Organizational Commitments
Our President, Board Chair(s), Board, and Executive Committee (inclusive of the Vice-Presidents) commit themselves to fostering a service organization that supports dramaturgs at all career stages across a variety of creative disciplines.
We commit to a leadership team that is free from sexism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia.
LMDA embraces every human who identifies themselves as a dramaturg or commits acts of dramaturgy.
We work vigorously to tap into our diversity to embolden and empower our practices.
We draw upon and celebrate our cultural, generational, and geographic distinctions.
We seek to hold members accountable for the impacts of their words and/or actions, but also to forge pathways for learning and forgiveness through collective care.
We challenge ourselves to be transparent and create environments that allow for authentic engagement and liberating outcomes, acknowledging that all creative processes require risk, courage and vulnerability.
LMDA advocates for the environments in which our dramaturgs work be safe, just, and equitable.
LMDA is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices. Therefore, LMDA expects that all relationships among persons in the workplace will be free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment.
In order to keep this commitment, LMDA maintains a firm policy of prohibiting unlawful harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex, age, physical or mental disability or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial or local employment discrimination laws. This policy applies to all employer agents and employees, including supervisors and non-supervisory employees, and to non-employees who engage in unlawful harassment during LMDA produced events. Please see our Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy and bylaws.
June 2021