Other Group

We See You White American Theater (We See You WAT)

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 We See You White American Theater (We See You WAT) is a collective of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals in the theater community who aim to change staff, hiring,  workplace policies, investment, funding, and compensation programs in commercial theaters. The collective affirms that white privilege, racism, and the patriarchy are still fully present in the theater community and are used to control the lives of BIPOC individuals. The collective asks that no money be donated to the group itself, instead they request it goes to the Black Lives Matter movement. 1 This collective intends to have its demands met by being “disruptors” and working as a ‘collective’ instead of as individuals. 2 3

Staff, Hiring, and Workplace Advocacy

We See You WAT demands that a minimum of 50% of all staff in the theater industry be Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals. It demands that anti-racism policies be adopted by all theaters and that anti-racism statements be read at all first rehearsals, board meetings, and quarterly staff meetings. It demands reduced working hours and working days, while also requiring more time to complete projects. The collective demands that theaters “sever all ties” with talent search firms which are staffed predominately by white individuals. It claims that experience and education requirements are biased and should not be requirements for being hired. 4

The group states that if a company’s leadership is predominantly white, the organization is racist. The collective demands that all theaters create an in-house BIPOC Alliance to evaluate the level of racism present in the theater’s mission and vision, with the alliance members being able to vote at board meetings. 4

Investment, Funding, and Compensation Advocacy

We See You WAT demands that theater executives’ salaries be capped at ten times the annual salary of the lowest-paid full time staff member. It demands that all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) staff be paid extra for working in institutions that are staffed predominantly by white individuals. The collective calls for all theaters to end any security work with police departments and security groups affiliated with current or former police officers. It demands that theaters divest from organizations that support building and using oil pipelines. 4

The collective demands that multi-year financial gifts be made to BIPOC groups and requires that at least 50% of individuals on the grantmaking panel be BIPOC. It also demands that funding that would go to predominantly white theaters be directed to predominately BIPOC theaters. The collective wants this funding to go towards initial capital, building maintenance, and operating costs of BIPOC theaters. 4

Commercial Theaters

We See You WAT demands that every Broadway production be made up of at least 50% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) staff and artists. The collective demands divestment from all local unions until they comply with anti-racist practices and claims that if unions do not follow these practices the collective will start its own union. The Casting Society of America is the organization that upholds casting standards in the entertainment industry, but We See You WAT has called for divestment from the group unless they increase the number of BIPOC individuals in leadership while reducing the number of white individuals in leadership, and create anti-racism policies, with anti-racism and anti-bias training being required every year for every member. The group also calls for Broadway to rename 50% of the theaters they own to BIPOC theater artists’ names and reserve 50% of theaters to tell BIPOC stories. 4

References

  1. “Sign the Petition.” Change.org, June 9, 2020. https://www.change.org/p/white-american-theater-demand-change-for-bipoc-theatremakers.
  2. “Tenets.” We See You W.A.T. Accessed September 2, 2024. https://www.weseeyouwat.com/about-1.
  3. “Statement.” We See You W.A.T. Accessed September 2, 2024. https://www.weseeyouwat.com/statement.
  4. “BIPOC Demands for White American Theater.” We See You W.A.T. Accessed September 2, 2024. https://www.weseeyouwat.com/demands.
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