Duke City Repertory Theatre
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At Duke City Repertory Theatre (DCRT), our work exists in service to our audiences, and we strive for our company and the stories we tell to reflect the audiences we serve.
At DCRT, our work is designed to intentionally, methodically, and systemically address inclusion and equity through an anti-racist lens. While stimulated by current racist atrocities plaguing our country - including but not limited to the countless murders of unarmed Black people by law enforcement, and the forced separation of Latinx families and their caged children - our commitment to this work is not reactive, it is ongoing.
Since our founding in 2010, the makeup of our company members has always been at least 60% female-identifying and 50% people of color (POC). In 2021, our company member demographics were 100% female-identifying, 50% POC, and 50% LGBTQIA. The DCRT board is currently 100% female-identifying, 40% women of color (WOC), and of varied socio-economic backgrounds.
At our inception in 2010, we began with the goal of providing some of the most competitive stipends for theatre work in the city of Albuquerque, and we have persistently succeeded in that mission. Every artist working with DCRT is compensated for their time, energy, and skills. The tenant of compensating artists is so essential to DCRT operations, that when we lost a significant donor a few years ago, we cut costs everywhere but artists' stipends.
In order to fulfill our mission of increasing access to theatre and diversifying our audiences, we have spearheaded several community outreach programs:
-
Our low-cost touring theatre program ran for three years, reaching numerous area schools in and around Albuquerque, including free performances for adults with disabilities at North 4th theatre.
-
Our low-cost theatre summer camp for children in Albuquerque ran for two years.
-
Our ongoing Pay What It's Worth (PWIW) program has significantly removed financial barriers to seeing live, professional theatre. Through the program, patrons purchase their tickets after the performance, deciding the value of their own experience. Since starting PWIW, through audience surveys DCRT has seen a noticeable diversifying of our audiences in terms of race, ethnicity, age, socio-economic groups, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
Unlike many traditional theatres, DCRT performs in a variety of venues around the city and sometimes beyond. Not having a static venue empowers us to take live theatre to areas and neighborhoods that don't have access to it otherwise. People don't have to travel too far to see a DCRT show.
In our ongoing efforts to create, improve, and enhance DEI outreach and programs, DCRT has developed the following strategic goals:
-
Maintain no fewer than 50% POC and female-identifying for the DCRT board, company, and contracted artists.
-
Use resources like La Gente Network to find and hire designers/technicians of color.
-
Since "backstage" is where the largest gender disparity happens in theatre, this work is particularly important to DCRT. So far, as a result of our inclusion efforts:
-
All but one of DCRT’s Technical Directors (TDs) have been female-identifying
-
All of DCRT’s resident scenic and lighting designers have been female-identifying
-
Create a mentorship program where early-career artists will be matched with an established theatre professional in ABQ or beyond to be mentored in various theatrical disciplines, with a focus on underserved artists.
-
Offer reasonably priced, accessible adult acting classes, including either a PWIW or sliding scale option for BIPOC artists.
-
Provide childcare opportunities for artists who are caregivers. Options include:
-
Having a licensed childcare giver on staff
-
A dedicated childcare stipend for caregivers to subsidize childcare
-
Donate a percentage of proceeds to Sandia and Isleta Pueblo charities/organizations, since we perform on their unceded territory.
-
With the guidance of the Native Governance Center, we are in the process of developing DCRT’s Indigenous Peoples' Land and Territory Acknowledgement Statement, to be included on our website, in our programs, and in promotional materials.