Harassment Standards

In late 2017, OpenStage Theatre & Company’s Board of Directors began to explore the need for a comprehensive set of standards to address and combat harassment. This was in response to a nationwide conversation that’s been developing around harassment in general, specifically in arts and entertainment. On December 4, 2017, the Board of Directors approved the creation of a Harassment Task Force to develop the policy.

The task force’s research led them to a set of policies called the Chicago Theatre Standards – or CTS – developed by numerous representatives of the Chicago theatre community over a two-year period. The Chicago Theatre Standards is an exhaustive document that addresses not only issues of harassment and bullying but many other operational standards for theatre companies that choose to adopt it. As the CTS states:

The initiative to create the Chicago Theatre Standards (CTS) was born of artists and administrators at all levels of our community working together toward a cultural paradigm shift away from turning a blind eye to sexual harassment, discrimination, violence, intimidation and bullying in our theatres and towards mentoring, prevention, and accountability.

The CTS is an open-source document that any theatre company is free to adopt, use, and adapt for their own purposes. The OpenStage task force chose not to adopt the standards in full, instead opting to focus on issues of harassment and high-risk productions, particularly those involving simulated violence, nudity, and sexual content. After seven months of work, the task force presented the standards to the Board of Directors for approval, and the Board approved and adopted the standards on July 9, 2018.

In the spirit of the CTS, it is our hope that other theatre companies freely adopt, use, and adapt the standards that we have developed if they so choose, so that we may all foster a safer theatre community throughout Northern Colorado and around the country.

This set of policies applies to all who do work for or on behalf of OpenStage Theatre & Company, including, but not limited to: actors, designers, production staff, paid and volunteer staff, contractors, members of the Board of Directors, sponsors, donors, vendors, and audience members.

If you have any questions regarding these standards, please contact:

Kate Austin-Gröen
Task Force Chair, Concern Resolution Facilitator for 2023-2024 Season
harassment@openstage.com

Bryn Frisina
Company Manager
bryn@openstage.com

Sydney Parks Smith
Producing Artistic Director
sydney@openstage.com

The Goal

We seek to understand harassment as it pertains to the theatre, provide procedures to prevent it and outline recourse when it occurs.

We recognize the potential for harassment in rehearsal, during performance, and outside the theatre among participants, staff, board, and audience members.

We acknowledge theatre environments can court confusion about the difference between chemistry, artistic freedom, and harassment; we believe participants can be bold and live “in the moment” of theatrical material while maintaining fellow participants’ safety and agreed-upon boundaries.

The Standard

Clear boundaries should be established and agreed upon among all participants involved, both in rehearsals and performances, particularly in scenes depicting violence, sex, intimate contact, abuse, or gestures of intimacy.

Harassment in a broad sense includes, but is not limited to:

  • Inappropriate or insulting remarks, gestures, jokes, innuendoes, or negative stereotyping of race, gender, gender identity, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, or ability outside the boundaries of consent or production content;
  • Persistent unwanted questions or comments about a participant’s private life outside the boundaries of consent established in rehearsal;
  • Posting or displaying materials, articles, graffiti, and so on, may cause humiliation, offense, or embarrassment on prohibited grounds that are outside the parameters of the production.  A production about pornography, violence, or racism may involve such images in the rehearsal space or in a dramaturgy packet, but such images are not appropriate for open display in dressing rooms, bathrooms, or other similar spaces.
  • Belittling, name-calling, or otherwise berating someone in public or in private. Discussions between participants should be conducted in a professional and respectful manner.

Sexual Harassment in a Theatrical Workplace

  • In a theatrical context, harassment can be additionally defined as one or a series of comments or conduct of a gender-related or sexual nature outside the boundaries of consent or production content, which is known or ought reasonably be known to be unwelcome/unwanted, offensive, intimidating, hostile, or inappropriate.
  • Unwelcome remarks, jokes, innuendoes, or taunts about a person’s body, attire, gender, or sexual orientation outside the boundaries of consent or production content;
  • Any unwanted or inappropriate physical contact such as touching, kissing, massaging, patting, hugging, or pinching outside the boundaries of consent or production content;
  • Unwelcome inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life or sexual preference outside the boundaries of consent or production content
  • Leering, whistling, or other suggestive or insulting sounds outside the boundaries of consent or production content
  • Inappropriate comments about clothing, physical characteristics, or activities outside the boundaries of consent or production content
  • Posting or displaying materials, articles, or graffiti that is sexually oriented outside the boundaries of consent or production content;
  • Requests or demands for sexual favors, especially those that include, or imply, promises of rewards for complying (e.g., job advancement or opportunities) and/or threats of punishment for refusal (e.g., denial of job advancement or opportunities) outside the boundaries of consent or production content
  • Attempting to engage in sexual behaviors offstage that are choreographed for the stage;
  • Suggesting an actor who appears naked onstage or in rehearsal is not allowed physical boundaries and/or privacy backstage or in the dressing room and/or not respecting those boundaries
  • Intentional failure to observe dressing room standards
  • Inviting an actor to rehearse sexual content outside of the scheduled rehearsals
  • Repeated invitation/suggestion to take relationships of a sexual nature beyond the stage;
  • Using the text of a production that is sexual, violent, threatening, or offensive in offstage discourse
  • Improvising sexual content without expressed consent

It is worth noting that the higher the emotional/sexual risk a production asks of its artists, the greater the diligence of each member of the production and artistic staff is needed to foster an environment of emotional safety.

For reference, according to the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is described as follows:

It is unlawful to harass a person (applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex [sic].

Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex [sic]. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.

Both the victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex [sic].

Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).

The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.

Participants have the right to be free from:

  • Sexual solicitation or advance made by anyone, including a person in a position to confer, grant, or deny a benefit or advancement outside production content
  • Reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal is made by a person in a position to grant, confer, or deny a benefit or advancement outside production content.

Any of the behaviors outlined here have the potential to create a negative environment for individuals or groups. It should be noted that a person does not have to be a direct target to be adversely affected by a negative environment.

It is understood that creative atmospheres are not always “emotionally sanitary”—they can safely be bawdy, profane, vulgar, and challenging. We assert that having (a) practice of building consent and (b) an environment that allows for response to clear boundary violations can broaden our opportunity to be challenging and fearless in our work.

Concerns about harassment, safety, or a negative environment should be reported using the concern resolution pathway (starting with level one, wherever possible), and all concerns should be treated with the utmost respect for the safety and well-being of all participants.

The Process

Adopting the OST Standards is a process that engages every level of our producing organization from season selection through strike. This process requires a balance wherein the Standards are present without stifling creativity or causing participants to feel hesitant or distracted. One extreme would be filing the document away in a drawer and forgetting about it until a problem comes up. The other extreme would be a policed environment in which this document became a tool for punishment or judgment.

  1. The Standards should be discussed at every level of the company, including company and board meetings. Everyone from the Board Chair to administrative staff to ensemble members to visiting participants should be encouraged to read the document and understand the company’s commitment to its adoption, and any responsibilities each participant may have.
  2. The Standards should be discussed as early as season selection meetings and pre-production meetings. Many problems can be avoided when safety issues are a regular part of pre-production discussions. For example, if a company cannot afford safe rigging, it should avoid plays that require aerial work. If a company cannot afford a fight choreographer, then a play with onstage violence might not be in the cards.
  3. Prospective Stage Managers/Assistant Directors should be informed that this document is being used with enough time for them to review the document and discuss the additional procedures and responsibilities.
  4. The casting authority has an important role to play and should be well-versed in the document, particularly the audition section.
  5. The Standards require a thorough presentation on the first day of rehearsal. This is when participants with no exposure to the Standards will first encounter it. Taking the time to discuss the Standards in the first rehearsal will increase the chances of success with the Standards. Getting off on the right foot is essential to this process and the First Day Implementation Notes are designed to help.
  6. Standards protocols throughout the rehearsal process, particularly for high-risk content, ie. Violence, Sexual Content, or Nudity (SC/N).
  7. Many elements of the Standards come into play during tech. Taking the time to visit safety, privacy, and other Standards elements helps to prevent problems before they happen.
  8. The Standards offer suggestions for prevention and responses to issues throughout the run.
  9. This document seeks to prevent some issues, but given that the document encourages those with concerns to come forward, it’s recommended that theatres avail themselves of conflict resolution techniques.

First-Day Implementation Notes

Creating a script for the first rehearsals can make sure that all of the important points are covered. This script should be delivered by one or more representatives of the producing theatre (the Stage Manager, the Director, and/or the Concern Resolution Facilitator)

See the appendix section of this document for a First Rehearsal Script example, a sample Concern Resolution Path (CRP) document, including an Oops/Ouch approach for handling issues when they arise.

Here are some of the most important things to present at the First Rehearsal:

  1. Tell the company why you’ve chosen to adapt Chicago Theatre Standards for Harassment, High-Risk Productions: Nudity, Violence and Sexual Content and The Concern Resolution Path (CRP)
  2. Distribute the Concern Resolution Path (CRP). The CRP documents communication pathways for resolving concerns before they get out of hand, to inform participants who to talk to if issues arise, to avoid repeated unsafe practices, and to mentor those who violate boundaries. The CRP and Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF) are designed to provide confidential reporting channels that support and protect everyone, including the person/s that create concern. Gossiping with those outside the reporting channels, or creating an atmosphere of “heroes and villains” can result in an inability to use the document to mentor and resolve issues peacefully. There are gray areas on the stage. People can get hurt physically and/or emotionally without there being a “bad guy.” In every possible situation, the CRP should be used to mentor participants and nurture a positive and safe environment.
  3. Discuss the Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF). The CRF is a confidential liaison (reporting channel) between participants, the stage manager, and others on the Concern Resolution Path. The CRF does not decide who’s right and wrong, or even necessarily solve problems, but helps to ensure that communication paths are open. The CRF cannot hold any other OST Company Office or otherwise be in a perceived position of power.  The CRF for the 2018-2019 Season will be appointed by elected Company Managers.
  4. Point out areas of the Standards that are particularly pertinent to the production. If there are high-risk elements in the production (sexual content, fights, nudity) suggest that the participants read those sections of the document in the interest of letting them know that safety protocols have been a part of the planning process for the production.
  5. Producers are not asked to distribute hard copies of the entire document, but please tell the company that they can read the document online at www.openstage.com.

Concern Resolution Path (CRP)

The Goal

The goal of the CRP is to provide a documented communication pathway to address issues in a production or within an organization. The CRP seeks to inform participants what to do and who to address with serious issues and dispel the fear of reprisal for reporting issues of safety, harassment, or other serious concerns.

The Standard

This Concern Resolution Path should be printed and distributed to all participants and discussed on the first day of rehearsal. It should be clearly communicated that the producer seeks to resolve concerns early before participants or the production are put at risk, and before the concern escalates.

What is a concern resolution path?

The CRP provides names and contact information for members of the organization and production who have agreed to be responsive to reported issues and work to resolve them. It consists of:

  • A written, clear, and transparently shared list of procedures for addressing a concern;
  • A written, clear, and transparently shared list of persons with whom the concern should be addressed;
  • A commitment to give reported concerns priority and a reasonable timeline for resolution.
Structure
  • Level One (Dialogue): We recognize that many concerns can be resolved through conversation with the parties involved. Whenever possible, participants should be encouraged to discuss challenges and concerns with one another. Sharing and hearing concerns with openness and respect can prevent situations from escalating further.
  • Level Two (Assistance): If participants are not comfortable directly addressing the individual(s) involved OR if no resolution can be agreed upon, any of the following individuals can be contacted for assistance in addressing the concern.
    • Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF)
    • Stage Manager/Assistant Manager
    • Production Manager (for the specific production)
    • Director
  • These participants should be granted a certain level of authority and trust to determine whether a concern can be resolved at this level or if it needs to be sent to the next level. All concerns should be reported to Level Three, even if no action is required.
  • Level Three (Consultation & Review): These participants should be considered the final level of the path, capable of resolving issues that have not been resolved prior to reaching this stage. They are strongly advised to consult with each other and review the legal or other implications of any decision.
    • Managing Director
    • Designated Board Member
    • Board President
Communication
  • The CRP should be verbally explained and provided in writing at the first rehearsal (digitally and/or in print). It should include the name, title, and contact information of every individual on the CRP
  • A copy of the CRP should be posted or otherwise available in the rehearsal, performance, and production spaces
  • Participants should be encouraged to report their concerns in writing for recordkeeping purposes
Recordkeeping
  • The company should maintain personnel files, which should include reported concerns. Such files are to be kept confidential and accessible only to the Managing Director and the Designated Board Member
Legal Remedies
  • In the event of civil or criminal misconduct or liability, the Standards is not a replacement for legal advice or action, nor does it stand instead of any local, state, or federal law
  • A violation of civil rights can be reported to the Colorado Attorney General: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/civil-rights
Implementation Notes
  • Producers should complete a CRP with the names and contact information of all individuals who will serve on the path for each production
  • The CRP is a tool to help create communication pathways to prevent and resolve issues, not create divisions. To that end, nothing in the Standards encourages firing or marginalizing participants for mistakes, a momentary loss of temper, an argument (whether artistic or personal), a single unintentional injury, etc. The CRP is designed to provide pathways to respond to events, behavior, and conditions that create reasonably understood unsafe conditions, not uncomfortable situations. The function and goal of the CRP should be discussed at the first rehearsal
  • Some of the individuals on the CRP will change with each production, and it should be updated for each production
  • All individuals listed on the CRP should understand their role in resolving concerns, the process for recording concerns, and the process for reporting those concerns to others on the path
  • Creating and using a Concern Resolution Path can assist with recordkeeping
  • The individuals listed on the CRP should be provided with resources and/or training in conflict resolution and how to respond consistently to concerns that are shared

The Role of the Stage Manager/Assistant Director Regarding the Standards

The Goal

The Stage Manager (SM)/Assistant Director (AD) is traditionally the primary communication conduit between participants and producers as well as between actors and directors, and so plays a crucial role in executing the Standards. The goal of this standard is to respect that the additional responsibilities of the SM/AD in theatres that use the Standards complement the expertise and authority of the SM as a leader and advocate throughout the production.

The Standard

The Stage Manager/Assistant Director’s responsibilities with regard to the Standards are:

  • Read and be familiar with the Standards
  • Know and follow the theatre’s published CRP
  • Ensure that consent is discussed before scenes of sexual content and nudity and document applicable specifics
  • Document all choreography, including sexual content. The Stage Manager must be present for all rehearsals when choreography is rehearsed
  • Work with and communicate with the Concern Resolution Facilitator, particularly regarding any raised concern
Requires Disclosure
  • SM/AD’s should be told if an organization has adopted the Standards before they commit to a production
  • SM/ADs should have access to the script, or known scope of a production before they agree to participate

Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF)

The Goal

The goal of the Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF) is to create a confidential and peer-level liaison reporting channel between participants and the producer. Communicating concerns can be challenging. Participants often have long-standing relationships, aspirations for future collaboration, or a fear of being labeled “difficult.” Any of these might dissuade a participant from voicing a concern. The CRF can help to alleviate this tension.

The Standard

The Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF) does not report to any outside regulatory body, since the Standards are a tool for self-regulation. The Facilitator navigates the Standards for participants over the course of a season and can serve as a reporting channel for an individual participant or an acting company when confidentiality is required or requested, and may also serve (alongside the Stage Manager/Assistant Director) as a first contact when a concern cannot be resolved by an individual.

Role and Responsibilities of the Concern Resolution Facilitator
  • Become familiar with the Standards, CRP, and any related policies and procedures provided (see: talking points script)
  • Help familiarize others with the Standards, the CRP, and talking points script
  • Provide contact information and availability for consultation outside of rehearsal/performance space/hours
  • Serve as a liaison between the cast, crew, stage manager, and producer for issues brought to attention by participants
  • Protect confidentiality
  • Report concerns, both their own and those reported by fellow participants, using the CRP, and communicate the resolution of such concerns to fellow participants as appropriate
  • Respond to concerns as quickly as possible (within 24 hours whenever possible)
  • Commit with integrity and empathy to prioritize the safety and well-being of participants and discourage efforts (intentional or otherwise) to use the Standards to divide or create an atmosphere of “heroes and villains
  • Engage the CRP if the SM is unable, unwilling, or is the individual of concern.
  • Understand that their role is not to solve problems or act in a judiciary role, but to serve as a confidential reporting channel and liaison
  • Understand that their role is one of service and not a position of power or status
Outside of the Facilitator’s Scope
  • The Facilitator should not override the traditional roles of the SM/AD, director, or any other member of the organization.
  • The Facilitator should never create divisions or marginalize participants.
Implementation Notes (how to select a CRF)
  • OST Staff and Company Officers will select a CRF for the season. This person should not have other company management roles or be in a position of power.
  • For theatres with acting ensembles, the Facilitator should not be a member of that ensemble.

The Goal

Some forms of theatre carry with them a greater risk of harm than others, and the goal of this section is to outline considerations specific to these forms of higher-risk theatre, including onstage violence, sexual choreography and nudity. These forms share many of the same considerations, while some considerations are form-specific. The shared considerations also apply to other forms of physical theatre, including dance and other forms of choreography, and this section may serve as a guide for these forms as well.

The Standard

In audition notices, auditions, rehearsals, tech, and performances, we intend to create a safe and respectful atmosphere for all participants. We believe that communication, safety, respect, accountability, artistic freedom, collaborative integrity, and personal discipline are the cornerstones of this atmosphere.

Specific Considerations: Violence

The Goal

Onstage violence can be a shove, a slap, the use of weapons, elaborate fight sequences, sexual violence and more. We believe that performers should not routinely incur pain, bruises, or other injury while enacting violence. Our intention is to prepare for and mitigate the risks of onstage violence to create a safe space in which to take artistic risks.

Implementation Notes
  • It is recommended, depending on the level of stage violence involved in the production, to assign a fight captain who is not involved in the fight choreography, so that the fight captain has the opportunity to observe the choreography from the outside (off-stage during performances, if possible).
  • The stage manager should have a good line of sight to any fight choreography so that they can monitor and discuss any changes during the run of the show.

Specific Considerations: Sexual Content and Nudity

The Goal

Sexual Content and Nudity (SC/N) require careful consideration as early as the season selection process. Artists in scenes with SC/N take great personal risks, and our goal is to allow them to take that risk in an environment that is as safe, supportive, and comfortable as possible. SC/N should only be included in production when it can be done responsibly and according to the following recommendations. We seek to replicate the conditions, detail documentation, and accountability traditionally employed for fight choreography for scenes with sexual choreography.

Preproduction and Auditions
  • SC/N should not be required or requested at any audition.
  • Actors performing nude must be at least 18 years old, and should provide proof of age at the audition.
  • Actors who will be asked to perform SC/N as part of the production should confirm consent to performing SC/N at the time of audition.
Rehearsal
  • Prior to rehearsing scenes with SC/N, the actors, director, choreographer, and Stage Manager/Assistant Director should discuss the content and create consent for the rehearsal. Participants should build consent and discuss boundaries before rehearsing scenes with SC/N. A safe word (such as “hold”) should be established for SC/N rehearsals.
  • Initial SC/N rehearsals should be closed, such that only participants involved in the scene are present. SC/N rehearsals should be opened after agreement by the Stage Manager/Assistant Director and actors involved. The Stage Manager/Assistant Director should be present at all rehearsals where SC/N is rehearsed.
  • Stage Manager/Assistant Director should document the terms of consent and details of sexual choreography.
  • Actors performing nude scenes should be allowed to have and wear robes or other coverings when not rehearsing.
  • Actors should have the option to decline SC/N elements added after audition disclosure
  • Nude actors should not be photographed or recorded on video at any time during rehearsal, tech, or performance.
Tech
  • Nudity during technical rehearsals should be limited to those times when it is absolutely necessary. Flesh-colored clothing or a robe may be worn when nudity is not required.
  • Technical rehearsals should be closed to visitors during scenes with SC/N.
  • The stage manager should be vigilant in identifying and resolving potential physical hazards for nude actors, such as splinters and rough edges.
Performance
  • Only participants whose presence is required should be present in the wings or in any backstage space with a view of the stage. Gawkers should be dispatched.
Consent

We believe that building consent among participants is an important part of creating an atmosphere of trust and communication. We intend to recognize the following practices when building consent among participants:

  • A consent-building conversation should specify the range of contact that is acceptable (e.g., anything but bikini area is within the range, or kissing is always closed mouth, etc.).
  • The boundaries may change over the rehearsal process, either narrowing or broadening, but any change to the boundaries should be discussed and agreed upon before the rehearsal.
  • There should be an opportunity to discuss potential boundary violations at the end of each rehearsal and performance.
  • The agreed-upon structure of intimate contact should be maintained once a show is in production.
  • Actors should inform the Stage Manager/Assistant Director and their scene partner(s) if they are sick (sore throat, cold sore, etc.), and alternate choreography should be defined for sick days.
Requires Disclosure
  • SC/N should be disclosed in notices and invitations and at auditions.
  • Precast actors or hired designers should be made aware of SC/N prior to accepting their roles.
  • Designers should receive disclosure of SC/N and known design requirements.
Explore It Further
  • When sexual choreography is required, prospective participants can be auditioned using nonsexual choreography to determine physical control.
  • Discussions around sensitive requirements and how they will be handled should begin during pre-production meetings.
  • Intimacy captains (like a fight captain) should be engaged in the production and included in pre-production meetings.
  • The producer should standardize communication and protocols with directors requiring SC/N.
  • If a full script is made available to prospective participants, language similar to the following should be included: “Please read the script closely and confirm that you are comfortable working with this material. Feel welcome to bring questions about content to the audition process. Your level of comfort with the content of this script will not impact your casting consideration for future productions.”
  • Robes should be provided and regularly laundered for all actors who will appear nude.
  • Actors, directors, and choreographers should have equal status in devising SC/N scenes.
  • A time limit for rehearsing SC/N should be established and communicated.
  • Backstage areas and dressing rooms should provide reasonable accommodations for modesty/privacy.

OpenStage Theatre & Company has adopted The Chicago Theatre Standards Harassment Policy as the basis for our own policy. This policy is one of the few of its kind in the nation, and the authors have graciously made it available to anyone who wishes to adapt it for their own use.

The aim of the OST Harassment Policy is to adopt procedures to prevent and respond to unsafe and/or abusive events, environments, or individuals. If there is a fight scene in the show, there will also be a qualified choreographer. If there’s a sex scene in the show, parameters will be agreed upon and safeguards will be put in place to maintain them.

An important component of the OST&C Harassment Policy is the Concern Resolution Path. This is a three-tiered list of people who you can contact if you feel uncomfortable or have any concerns throughout this production process. You have received a printed copy of the Concern Resolution Path with contact information for everyone on the path. This document will also be posted in the rehearsal and dressing rooms for your reference. I’d like to ask everyone on the path to introduce themselves.

The OST& Harassment Policy contains a number of pledges that we, the producing theater, make to you. Among these is a welcoming environment free of harassment and discrimination.

Since a positive environment is a team effort, we’d like to take this opportunity to read the definitions of harassment aloud to make sure we have a shared understanding.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  1. Inappropriate or insulting remarks, gestures, jokes, innuendoes, or taunting about a person’s racial or ethnic background, color, place of birth, citizenship, ancestry, creed, or disability,
  2. Unwanted questions or comments about an Artist’s private life,
  3. Posting or displaying materials, articles, graffiti, etc. which may cause humiliation, offense, or embarrassment on prohibited grounds.
  4. Sexual Harassment:
    1. One or a series of comments or conduct of a gender-related or sexual nature that is known or ought reasonably be known to be unwelcome/unwanted, offensive, intimidating, hostile, or inappropriate. Artists have the right to be free from:
      1. Sexual solicitation or advance made by a person in a position to confer, grant, or deny a benefit or advancement,
      2. Reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal is made by a person in a position to grant, confer, or deny a benefit or advancement.
    2. Sexual harassment includes but is not limited to:
      1. Unwelcome remarks, jokes, innuendoes, or taunting about a person’s body, attire, gender, or sexual orientation,
      2. Unwanted touching or any unwanted or inappropriate physical contact such as touching, kissing, patting, hugging or pinching,
      3. Unwelcome inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life or sexual preference,
      4. Leering, whistling, or other suggestive or insulting sounds,
      5. Inappropriate comments about clothing, physical characteristics, or activities,
      6. Posting or display of materials, articles, or graffiti, etc. which is sexually oriented,
      7. Requests or demands for sexual favors which include, or strongly imply, promises of rewards for complying (e.g., job advancement opportunities, and/or threats of punishment for refusal (e.g., denial of job advancement or opportunities).

All or part of the above grounds may create a negative environment for individuals or groups. This may have the effect of “poisoning” the work environment. It should be noted that a person does not have to be a direct target to be adversely affected by a negative environment. It includes conduct or comment that creates and maintains an offensive, hostile, or intimidating climate.

The Concern Resolution Pathway (CRP)

The CRP documents communication pathways for resolving concerns before they get out of hand, to inform participants who to talk to if issues arise, to avoid repeated unsafe practices, and to mentor those who violate boundaries. The CRP and Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF) are designed to provide confidential reporting channels that support and protect everyone, including the person/s that create concern. Gossiping with those outside the reporting channels, or creating an atmosphere of “heroes and villains” can result in an inability to use the document to mentor and resolve issues peacefully. There are gray areas on stage. People can get hurt physically and/or emotionally without there being a “bad guy.” In every possible situation, the CRP should be used to mentor participants, and nurture a positive and safe environment.

The Concern Resolution Facilitator (CRF)

The CRF is a confidential liaison (reporting channel) between participants, the stage manager, and others on the Concern Resolution Path. The CRF does not decide who’s right and wrong, or even necessarily solve problems, but helps to ensure that communication paths are open. The CRF cannot hold any other OST Company Office or otherwise be in a perceived position of power.  The CRF for the 2018-2019 Season will be appointed by elected Company Managers.

Oops and Ouch: One Way to Handle Negative Comments or Actions in Real Time

We’d like to suggest a system of “Ouch” and “Oops” for handling negative or unwanted comments in the moment. For instance:

Speaker A is trying too hard to be funny and makes a thoughtless remark. Speaker B says “Ouch!” This cues Speaker A to realize that the funny remark was potentially hurtful. Speaker A says “Oops” to indicate recognition and regret. Then there’s a Pause.

It’s up to the Ouch-caller whether this moment requires some conversation. So maybe there’s a conversation – or maybe the Ouch caller says “Cool, let’s move on.” But the decision to move on must come from the Ouch-caller.

Please note that anyone in the room can call “Ouch.” It does not have to come from the person who is the focus of the potentially hurtful remark. Sometimes you don’t know there was an “ouch” until later in the day, or until after rehearsal, when you’ve had time to process. You can bring it back the next day, or anytime.

If an experience ever feels larger than an Ouch-Oops moment, please consult the Concern Resolution Path (CRP) for the next course of action.

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