Message from the Board of Directors – Resignation
To the members and community of Langham Court Theatre
Effective September 28th at 4:59pm, the current board of directors will be resigning from all positions at Langham Court Theatre to stand in solidarity with BIPOC who have been harmed in our communities. The special general meeting will go ahead as scheduled on September 28th at 6:00pm, and the chair will continue to work with members and requisitionists to coordinate election procedure and proceed with an election.
We express our deep disappointment and despair that we have arrived here. We honour all of the BIPOC, queer, trans, non-binary, disabled people and more who have come forward to share their stories and experiences at Langham Court, seeking to help us create a safer place to make theatre. We see the hurt in our communities, and know the only way forward is to honour and be led by those who have been harmed. We will continue to listen and believe you once we have resigned.
All of us in this community need to actively practice hearing the word “no”. When someone says “no” to harassment, we stop. When someone says “no” to physical touch, we stop. When someone says “no” to racist language, we stop. We stop, we listen, we learn, by hearing “no”.
BIPOC are the experts of their own experiences of racism. If you are non-BIPOC, you do not get to determine whether someone experienced racism or not. We all need to listen if BIPOC community members are sharing their experiences, and learn to not talk over them when they offer their expertise.
When we were elected, we represented a shift in the culture at Langham Court Theatre, where everyone was invited to join conversations of learning and accountability so that we could unlearn racism together, with help from the ICA. When we arrived here, the foundation of Langham was fractured. We arrived aware and with our hands full, ready to help a community in crisis. We came with a trauma-informed lens understanding the focus needed to be promoting repair and avoiding retraumatization of Black, Indigenous, and community members of colour. We came with expertise in safe workplaces, a strong background in running arts administration and theatre processes, a toolkit of professional resources, multiple people who provide anti-racism/anti-oppression education for a living, and a vision for creating equitable processes in this volunteer-driven theatre space. Most importantly, we came with a relationship to a Black artist who was discriminated against in the space, and was actively calling for the community to build a bridge back to the organization for them.
What does it say about an organization when this bridge is actively being burned?
The truth for this board is that we are hurt, we are tired, and we can see that we need to stop offering chances to people who wish to intimidate and threaten us. We came into this space to help end the cycles of harm, and today we have chosen to end this one.
We know that there will be calls for celebration with this announcement, and that many members will be happy to hear of our resignation. We do not think celebration is in order when there is this profound level of hurt. There is nothing to celebrate when we go back to trying to solve problems in the same, failed ways. There is nothing to celebrate when change has been actively blocked, and when Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, and folks of other marginalized identities, still do not feel safe or a sense of belonging in this community.
Our Recommendations:
- Hold Langham accountable to the commitments made to Tenyjah I. McKenna and the Black community, which can be found in our public accountability statement HERE
- As per the results of the equity audit,
- Pursue comprehensive and immediate training in sexual harassment/assault prevention with survivor-led organizations such as the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre and the anti.violence.project at UVic
- Offer individuals involved in the hiring and auditioning process specialized training on bias-free hiring
- Offer managers/supervisors/committee leads, and the Board specialized leadership training on EDI
- Create a staff position whose principal responsibility is supporting the volunteer productions, who provides a thorough training and onboarding process with all volunteers and tracks the equity statistics of the participants and equity goals of the organization
- Complete steps 2-5 of the Equity Audit, including a proper examination of the data, followed by designing effective strategies, implementing those strategies on a timeline, and tracking, measuring, and recording the results
- Vote in new board directors who are unconnected to the anonymous group, who are committed to anti-oppression work, and who you trust will say “no” emphatically, interrupting inequitable ways of doing business until the culture eventually shifts
These recommendations are entrusted to the members in the best interest of the Society. When we can admit that we have not done a good job of creating an equitable practice, then we can start to make these changes for the benefit of many generations to come.
The outgoing board will be available to pass all property, knowledge, and access information to the newly elected board as early as 10am on Thursday Sept 29th.
We thank everyone who has offered this work their labour, support, and care and who will continue to hold this organization accountable.
When it comes to systemic change, each of us has a responsibility to solve problems and be strategically innovative, to join forces in reimagining the impact of making community theatre in a way that is free and fair and dignified. Everyone deserves a place to practice this craft in a place where their lived experiences are welcomed through the door, and not shunned or rejected. We hope our community will continue to disrupt the status quo.
The Board of Directors,
Erica Petty (she/her) – Secretary
Ana de Lara (she/her) – Vice President
Tony Adams (he/they) – Treasurer
Emilee Nimetz (they/them) – Member-at-Large
Monica Ogden (she/they) -Member-at-Large
Ingrid Moore (she/they) – Member-at-Large
Lo Shrum (he/they) – Member-at-Large
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REMINDER: The Special General Meeting is scheduled for September 28th at 6pm at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, 2121 Cadboro Bay Rd, Victoria, BC V8R 5G4, part of Oak Bay High School. Doors will be open at 5:00 PM to register everyone in time for a 6:00 PM start. Memberships/renewals will be available on site by cash, cheque, or e-transfer. Masks must be worn at this event.
