HVS CODE OF COMMUNITY
At HVS, inclusion is one of our core values. We therefore seek to establish a creative community where everyone feels included – a space characterized by courage, risk-taking, joy, and a deep sense of belonging. Our ongoing work towards making HVS a more inclusive and equitable organization is documented here. This work is continually progressing and evolving.
The following four community principles reflect our conviction that mutual respect and trust are essential to the freedom and playfulness that characterize our best work together.
A BIG TENT
We strive to embody the kaleidoscope of the entire Hudson Valley Region by holding space under the canopy of the Scripps Center for every member of the community. There is a place for all of us in this work, and this work belongs to each of us. This community extends to every artist, designer, director, staff member, technician, donor, collaborator, partner and audience member.
FULL SELVES
We reject conduct that inhibits the right of any community member to show up as their full selves. We ask that all members of the HVS community bring all that they are and all that they can do to our collective work as theatermakers, and therefore, we will not tolerate or ignore discrimination, intimidation, belittlement of any kind, or the diminishment of the lived experience of any community member.
A COLLECTIVE OF THEATERMAKERS
It takes a village to create the magic of live theater. We are one team of artists, administrators, technicians, and community members. We treat one another with respect and kindness. We believe that everyone’s voice is essential to the process. We celebrate our collective hard work and accomplishments. We lift one another up and we amplify each other’s voices. We continually look for ways to improve as a collective.
SAFE & BRAVE SPACES
While we acknowledge that creative work can be messy, we must never allow that messiness to be used as an excuse for behavior rooted in privilege, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, bias or ignorance. As a community, we commit ourselves to identifying, disrupting, and repairing moments of harm as we experience or witness them, while at the same time acknowledging the courage required to do so.
To realize these principles, which are the cornerstones of the creative community that we aspire to be, we must also acknowledge that a community is made up of human beings, and human beings make mistakes. We encourage community members who experience behavior that is intentionally or unintentionally harmful, or otherwise out of alignment with our community principles, to speak up by using the procedures outlined in the Concern Resolution Path.
We commit to support those who speak up about their experience, and to respond to any concerns in a timely, thoughtful, and impartial manner. We will not accept or ignore discrimination, harassment, or abuse of power in our theater, and we will have no tolerance for behaviors that compromise the safety or dignity of anyone in the HVS Community. This applies equally and unequivocally to everyone who works at HVS, regardless of their position, their seniority, or their role within the production or the organization.
TOWARDS A MORE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE HVS
At HVS, we continue our commitment to advancing the work of inclusion and belonging throughout our organization. We share information about this ongoing work with our community in the spirit of transparency. We do not represent this list of updates to be complete. Rather, it is a description of work that is continually progressing, and we recognize that there is always more work to be done. Our previous updates can be found here: June 2020, November 2020, June of 2021, and February 2022, and September 2024.