Sacred Fools is Committed to Ending Racism and Access Inequality in Los Angeles Theater... and Everywhere

The Los Angeles Theater community is in the midst of a long overdue reckoning and recentering for BIPOC, LGBTQ, Female and artists with disabilities who have been marginalized by producing structures that historically and institutionally benefit from white and cis-gendered privilege and advantage. In the historic period since the murder of George Floyd, the raising of #BLM voices, and during the pandemic forced shut-down, both our local and the national theater community have seen groups of marginalized artists and allies step forward to advocate for recognition, access and accountibility and also rightfully demand immediate action from those who are in a postion to make theater and make space.

The Sacred Fools Theater Company is in complete alignment with the aims of the Los Angeles Anti-Racist Theatre Standards (and those of the We See You White American Theatre Demands) and we pledge to undertake the work necessary to make sure that our company makes significant progress in equity, equality, fairness, and inclusion.

We also acknowledge that we work on formerly Tongva lands, taken from them by European colonial and then American settlers. We also acknowledge our company’s own history which reflects the built-in unfair structural disadvantages looking to be addressed and our own complicity there, conscious or not, and commit to work hand in hand with the theater community in Los Angeles to make systemic change where and whenever possible.

However, we are not in a position to currently sign on to the L.A. Standards document as written. We are currently engaged in a fruitful conversation with the team behind the L.A. Anti-Racist Theater Standards regarding some of the language in the document.

In order to ensure that we can continue our dialogue, a Sacred Fools Board member will act as our official liaison to The L.A. Standards Team.

Since a lot of theater labor/compensation issues are still being worked out on the state level, the exact contours of our legal obligations in the areas of labor and other laws are currently unsettled and may be hard to define, but we nevertheless look forward to working and engaging with the L.A. Standards Team (and everyone interested in the same goals) on these issues and those listed within the Anti-Racist Theatre Standards document.

We thank everyone involved with creating these Standards. The work they have put forth is necessary to help in changing the racist culture that has permeated American theatre not only in Los Angeles but around the country and the time for change was yesterday.

We also know there will likely be challenges ahead as we all diligently seek to create and implement a new direction in theatre creation that makes it more equitable and inclusive. Sacred Fools is committed to continuing to do the work. We recognize that this work is vital to the health of the Los Angeles theatre community and its audiences, and we support the endeavors being made.

Please visit Sacred Fools' EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) section to see the work and initiatives currently underway and to see how you can help raise the profiles of marginalized theatre artists here in L.A. and beyond.

The Sacred Fools Theater Company Board of Directors