Policies
Via Brooklyn Principles
Below you will find Via Brooklyn’s founding Principles as a theatrical production company in alphabetical order. This is a living, breathing document that the board of trustees reviews annually.
Accessibility- We aim to make our work practices as friendly and accessible as possible for those with impairments. We strongly encourage potential hires with impairments to apply for all roles in the company and to attend every audition. We make sure every venue we work with in the US is American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible and every venue in the UK is Equality Act (2010) accessible. Additionally, we ensure all necessary accommodations are made for our collaborators with impairments to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. We are also in the process of developing the following policies:
Providing audio headsets for people with impaired hearing
Designating shows with a live American/British Sign Language translator or Closed Captioning
Offering Relaxed Performances, whilst providing provision to make neurodiverse audience members feel as welcome as possible
Diversity Through Equity- We commit to have the diversity representation of our hires per season accurately reflect the demographics of where we work. Additionally, we highly encourage non-traditional casting.
Engagement with Local Communities- We commit to fully engage the community wherever we perform and hire local talent whenever possible.
Gender Parity- We recognize all gender identities. We commit to have the gender representation of our hires per season accurately reflect the demographics of where we work.
Interdisciplinary Focus - We believe the synergy of various artistic media in our projects not only creates fresh, innovative theatre, but also allows us to reach a broader, more diverse range of audience members and collaborators.
Pay Equality- We have made it an integral part of our mission to pay all of our artists for their work unless we are legally forbidden to do so because they are receiving educational credit from an accredited institution. We do not differentiate payment for our Union and Non-Union members.
Sustainability- We strive to do our part towards sustainability by renting, recycling, reusing, loaning, or donating items and equipment wherever possible, in particular with other charities, non-profits, or artists.
Transparency- We aim to have the utmost transparency with our collaborators, patrons, donors, and sponsors. We are fastidious in maintaining our bookkeeping as per our 501(c)(3) status regulations and have our records readily available for those who need to see them.
Work/Life Balance- We aim to protect work-life balance by treating Non-Union collaborators to the same standard as those in the Union, providing flexibility with scheduling and last minute emergencies whenever possible, and trying our best to honor major Bank & Religious Holidays. We are also extremely supportive of parental and caregiver leave.
Workplace Harassment- We have an absolute zero tolerance policy for abuse or harassment of any kind. All hires must sign and abide by our Code of Ethics to work with Via Brooklyn.
Code of Ethics
Below you will Find the code of Ethics in Via Brooklyn’s Not-for-profit By Laws that all company members and hires sign in their contracts in order to work with the company.
ARTICLE XVIII
CODE OF ETHICS
1. Our Code of Ethics
Respect for the communities we work with and serve.
Integrity in our actions.
Responsibility for our decisions and their consequences.
We are committed to:
· Acting honestly, truthfully and with integrity in all our transactions and dealings;
· Avoiding conflicts of interest;
· Appropriately handling actual or apparent conflicts of interest in our relationships;
· Treating our grantees fairly;
· Treating every individual with dignity and respect;
· Treating our employees with respect, fairness and good faith and providing conditions of employment that safeguard their rights and welfare;
· Being a good corporate citizen and complying with both the spirit and the letter of the law;
· Acting responsibly toward the communities in which we work and for the benefit of the communities that we serve;
· Being responsible, transparent and accountable for all of our actions; and
· Improving the accountability, transparency, ethical conduct and effectiveness of the nonprofit field.
2. Notification
All members of the Board of Trustees will be notified if there are any ethical concerns with regard to the following:
A. Donors or partnerships
B. Contracted personnel
C. Matters of workplace conduct
Diversity Policy
Below you will find Via Brooklyn’s Diversity Policy. This is a living, breathing document that the Board of Trustees reviews annually.
Via Brooklyn, a not-for-profit arts organization, is whole-heartedly dedicated to creating a supportive and inclusive culture amongst its workforce for all its artistic projects. Promoting equity and diversity of all types and never tolerating discrimination in our workplace is core to this mission. The arts serve as a necessary reflection of the world that we live in.
Our promise as a company is for the hires for each artistic season to accurately reflect the demographics in the country where we work. We commit never to provide less favourable facilities or treatment to anyone on the grounds of age, impairment, gender, marriage or civil partnership, parental or caregiver status, race, ethnicity, colour, nationality or national origin, religious beliefs, or sex and sexual orientation. We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.
When Via Brooklyn selects candidates for employment, promotion, training, or any other benefit, it will be on the basis of their artistic talents, aptitude, and ability. All hires must sign and abide by Via Brooklyn’s Code of Ethics as part of their contract before commencing their work with our company and any violation of the Code of Ethics will result in immediate termination. The policy may also be drawn to the attention of funding agencies, partner organizations, patrons, collaborators, and job applicants.
We actively encourage anyone who feels they have been subject to discrimination or workplace abuse to immedaitely raise their concerns so corrective measures can be applied.
Via Brooklyn’s diversity policy will be monitored and reviewed annually to ensure that equality and diversity is continually promoted within our company.
Gender Parity Policy
Below you will find Via Brooklyn’s Gender Parity Policy. This is a living, breathing document that the Board of Trustees reviews annually.
Via Brooklyn recognizes and celebrates all gender identities.
We commit to have the gender representation of our hires per season accurately reflect the demographics of where we work.
We encourage non-traditional casting.
We highly encourage people to apply for positions in which their gender identity is historically underrepresented.
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis.
Accessibility Policy
Below you will find Via Brooklyn’s Accessibility Policy. This is a living, breathing document that the Board of Trustees reviews annually.
Via Brooklyn aims to make our work practices as friendly and accessible as possible for those with impairments.
We strongly encourage potential hires with impairments to apply for all roles in the company and to attend every audition.
We make sure every venue we work with in the US is American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible and every venue in the UK is Equality Act (2010) accessible.
We ensure all necessary accommodations are made for our collaborators with impairments to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
We are also in the process of developing the following:
Providing audio headsets for audience members with impaired hearing for live performances
Designating shows with a live American/British Sign Language translator or Closed Captioning
Offering touch tours for audience members with visual impairments
Offering Relaxed Performances, to allow neurodiverse audience members to feel as welcome as possible
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis.