Theater Inclusief (Inclusive Theatre)

Theater Inclusief is a Dutch stimulation program for improving and implementing Diversity & Inclusion in the performing arts in the Netherlands. Together with 19 Dutch theatres and theatre companies, which we address to as ‘partners’, we work on a better understanding and implementation of diversity within these organisations and eventually within the field. The project is a program consisting out of 4 different pillars: personnel, audience, program and collaborations. The program was initiated to last 3 years, where each year covers one of the pillars whereas the pillar ‘personnel’ would be covered throughout the whole project. The collaboration between the project and the managing board of the partners is close and tight and therefore we can book major results in a short time span. We raise awareness amongst the board and the employees of the organisations and hand them tools to work with, so they can build a more diverse environment within their company or theatre. One of the features is the ‘Toolkit Theater Inclusief’, a document that was composed for the companies to collect their views, mission and action plan on diversity. The Toolkit can be used as a report or a plan of policy, or simply as a reminder on where you stand and where you’re headed to as an organization. Other features we offer are events (Pre-Corona), online events, gatherings, networking sessions, experts in the field of diversity (i.e. inclusive recruitment, anthropology, inclusive leadership etc). We have a website, where we offer information and a page where our partners and other organisations in the field can promote their vacancies to a broader group of possible applicants. On our website we also offer the ‘Toolkit Theater Inclusief’ for free. Theater Inclusief also provides support and insights on how to program and promote a more diverse range of shows. The partners work together in this in order to help each other, cheer each other on and learn from each other. In this way we all learn how to work in an inclusive way and at the same time we reach new audiences. We also offer the opportunity to participate in an intensive inclusive leadership course. We offers this to one member of the board and management team of all our partners. In addition to these features, we are working with a national research platform, called the Boekmanstichting, in order to provide the whole performing arts field a deep dive research on diversity, the process and the tools you need. The whole field can eventually take advantage of our lessons learned.