Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) maintains an active commitment to inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible theatre in our city and across all aspects of our organization, which makes our art, our company, and our community stronger and better.
Since its founding, Kansas City Actors Theatre has always been artist-led and artist-driven, formed and guided by members of the greater Kansas City artistic community. KCAT cannot fulfill this core philosophy without a full spectrum of voices, stories, and perspectives that reflect Kansas City’s diverse community.
This work is ongoing and rooted in awareness, action, growth, accountability, and transparency.
What does this look like in practice?
- Ensuring that our Board, Committees, and Ensemble are made up of a diverse and inclusive membership.
- Employing artists and technicians of diverse racial identities, ethnicities, disabilities/abilities, ages, sexual orientations, and gender expressions and identities, and taking steps to ensure that everyone who works with KCAT is equally valued, supported, and included.
- Programming mainstage productions, reading series, and community engagement events which reflect the infinitely diverse voices and stories of our world.
- Developing and investing in early-career theatre artists and operational theatre professionals, via internships, mentorships, paid professional contracts, and ongoing partnerships with educational institutions and local arts organizations.
- Pursuing and actively cultivating diverse audiences through programming and outreach, and making our spaces as accessible as possible, to ensure that everyone is welcomed and included.
- Making conscious efforts to evaluate our vendors for anti-racism and anti-oppression policies and practices.
- Maintaining an IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) working group focused on continual evaluation, accountability, and action on all these and other relevant issues.
