The weekend of March 2–4, Orlando Shakespeare Theater and Theatre UCF will present workshops with Laura T. Fisher that address the issue of sexual misconduct in the theatre community, cosponsored by Mad Cow Theater and Orlando Repertory Theatre. Ms. Fisher’s presentation is open to the public and designed for all members of the Central Florida theatre community including staff and administration, freelance Equity and non-Equity artists, and university theatre students and faculty.
In January 2015, a Chicago actor—after hearing an account of the fourth incident of sexual misconduct about the same person and theatre company—made a Facebook post that decried such acts with the rallying cry, “NOT IN OUR HOUSE.” Hundreds of responses revealed that the problem was well known, but no one felt safe enough to speak out. By March 2015, a code of conduct was underway. Coordinated by Chicago actor Laura T. Fisher, a small group of theatre companies and artists constructed a draft of The Chicago Theatre Standards.
In presenting the work of “Not in Our House” and the resultant Chicago Theatre Standards document, Fisher tells the story of how theatre artists in Chicago responded to instances of sexual harassment and physical abuse with community activism. She conveys the priorities of the document: provide communication pathways to prevent and respond to unsafe practices and inappropriate behavior; to produce a win-win strategy for producers, performers, board members and audience; to enter into self-regulation in a spirit of mentoring rather than “outing,” to “call in” rather than “call out” and to strengthen environments where artists are not discarded for mistakes or misunderstandings, nor do artists fear reprisal for reporting harassment or abuse.
After sharing the history and priorities of the document, Fisher goes through the document contents, takes questions and offers feedback. She structures and leads break-out groups and offers suggestions for community activism with an eye toward uniting rather than dividing productions, theatres, and communities.
Free tickets to the Theatre UCF workshop available online: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/10249353
Other public presentations include: