Objective

Burbage Theatre Company is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with due respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional, respectful artistic atmosphere that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment. 

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Therefore, Burbage Theatre Company expects that all relationships among persons in the theater workplace will be business-like and free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment. In order to keep this commitment, Burbage Theatre Company maintains a strict policy of prohibiting unlawful harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression supervisors and non-supervisory employees, and to volunteers, contractors, and nonemployees who e, sex, age, physical or mental disability or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local employment discrimination laws. 

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This policy applies to all organizational agents and employees, engaging in unlawful harassment in the workplace. 

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Definition:

Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, making unwanted sexual advances and requests for sexual favors where either: 1) Submission to such conduct is made an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment or retention; or 2) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis of employment/retention decisions affecting such individual; or 3) Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. Employees, organizational agents, volunteers, and/or nonemployees who violate this policy are subject to discipline up to and including the possibility of immediate discharge from the organization. 

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Examples of unlawful harassment include, but are not limited to: 

● Verbal conduct such as epithets, derogatory jokes or comments, slurs or unwanted sexual advances, invitations or comments.

● Visual conduct such as derogatory and/or sexually oriented posters, photography, cartoons, drawings, email, faxes, or gestures. 

● Physical conduct such as assault, unwanted touching, blocking normal movement or interfering with work directed at an employee because of the employee’s sex or other protected characteristic. 

● Threats and demands to submit to sexual requests in order to keep one’s job or avoid some other loss and offers of employment benefits in return for sexual favors. 

● Retaliation for having reported or threatened to report unlawful harassment. 

 

Compliant Reporting Procedures:

Any employee or other person (defined above, para.3) who believes he or she has been harassed, sexually or otherwise (as defined above, para.4,5) by a fellow cast member, production supervisor, co-worker, administrative supervisor, contractor, volunteer, or other agent of Burbage Theatre Company (hereby referred to as “the reporter”) should promptly report the facts of the incident or incidents and the names of the individual(s) involved in writing, anonymously if deemed necessary by the reporter, to one or more of the following individuals and/or entities (hereby referred to as the “report-taker”): 

● A production supervisor 

● An administrative supervisor 

● The Production Manager of the Burbage Theatre Company 

● The Executive Director of the Burbage Theatre Company 

● The Artistic Director of the Burbage Theatre Company 

● The Chairman of the Burbage Board of Directors 

● The Burbage Board of Directors at-large 

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As adapted from The National Council of Nonprofits [https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/sites/default/files/documents/harassment-prevention-policy.pdf ]

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Upon receipt of a complaint, the organization will undertake a prompt, thorough, objective and good faith investigation of the harassment allegations. If the organization determines that harassment has occurred, effective remedial action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved. Any employee determined by the Agency to be responsible for harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Employees will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint and/or assisting in a complaint or investigation process. Further, we will not tolerate or permit retaliation by supervisors or co-workers against any complainant or anyone assisting in a harassment investigation. 

Reports will then be discussed as deemed appropriate at both the next scheduled Executive Staff and Board of Directors meetings, unless the Theatre’s Artistic Director or Chairman of the Board elect to call emergency meetings to address the matter more urgently. 

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Compliant Reporter’s Rights:

The original reporter, if not chosen to remain anonymous, reserves every right to: 1) request attendance and participation in any discussions related to their report including those held in Executive Staff and/or Board of Directors meetings discussions that arose from their report, and 2) to request an opportunity to offer written, archived feedback on the findings and/or actions taken by organization culminating from the investigations. 

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