The Purple Rose Theatre cares about the well-being of our artists, staff, patrons and volunteers and is committed to diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism. We are taking actionable steps to provide and increase opportunities for marginalized artists and theatremakers and will continuously increase our efforts in the future. We are working with our staff, artists and patrons to create, live, and behave in ways that will respect and represent the wide diversity of souls who call the Midwest home.
We have updated a policy that calls for no tolerance for racial discrimination or harassment. This policy will be clearly communicated to all staff, actors, designers, independent contractors, and volunteers.
In addition, all staff, Board members and artists undergo Anti-Harassment training once per season.
We are pleased that Lynch Travis has agreed to work with us on diversity enrichment, as our Diversity Enrichment Consultant. In this position, he administers and compiles DEI surveys, using the data to ensure we are reaching our goals of percentage of BIPOC/Latinx individuals hired yearly. He also prepares a season plan for hiring opportunities for BIPOC/Latinx individuals and is an advocate through word of mouth, social media and recommendations to and from actors, stage managers, and playwrights.
Since 2020, we have been doing out of market auditions, hosting auditions in Detroit or metro-Detroit, to increase the number of BIPOC artists auditioning.
We are actively seeking grants to create opportunities for BIPOC/Latinx artists. Recently, as of Fall 2024, we applied for and received a grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation to fund more out-of-market auditions and commission a BIPOC/Latinx playwright. In 2022, the Chelsea Community Foundation assisted in funding our new play readings, which as seen below, develop works by BIPOC/Latinx playwrights. In 2023, a BIPOC/Latinx playwright was commissioned through the Ford Motor Company Fund.
We are also committed to hiring more BIPOC/Latinx individuals, both onstage and off.
Board of Directors
In the 2021-2022 season, the Purple Rose Theatre brought on 2 new Board members, Aaron Dworkin – Poetjournalist, Social Entrepreneur, Author, Filmmaker, and Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance – and Dr. Ying Li MD – a Frederick J Fischer M.D. professor and clinical professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Section Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at Mott Children’s Hospital. This took our percentage of BIPOC/Latinx board members from 7% to 20%.
Playwrights
One of our goals, which is ongoing, is to commission and develop new plays written by BIPOC/Latinx playwrights:
Mainstage Plays Produced Since 2020 by BIPOC/Latinx playwrights:
♦ Under Ceege – Jeffry Chastang
♦ In Common – Quinn D. Eli
Readings of New Plays Written by BIPOC/Latinx Playwrights:
Having a public reading at Purple Rose Theatre increases the playwright’s chance of a future commission or production, both at Purple Rose Theatre and on a national level. Since 2020, many of these plays have gone on to have fully realized productions.
♦ Under Ceege by Jeffry Chastang
♦ In Common by Quinn D. Eli
♦ 10-min Play Festival:
“Deactivated” by Jeffry Chastang
“A Rose by Any Other Name” by Ann E. Eskridge
“Happy Born Day” by Shawntai Brown
“The Date Conflict” by Kia T. Barbee
“First-come, First-served” by Cam Blackwell
“The Guardian” by Jay Walker II
“Clubbing” by Charity Clark-Anderson
“One More Day at at Time” by Rhonda English
“Boedie and Carrie” by Angela G. King
“Where Are You?” by Alvaro Saar Rios
♦ Piggsville by Alvaro Saar Rios
♦ Light by Jarrin Davis
♦ Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond
♦ Our Daughters, Like Pillars by Kirsten Greenidge
♦ Dinner Party by Pardeep Toor
Commissioned by PRTC through a grant from Ford Motor Company Fund
Actors & Stage Managers
According to our DEI surveys mentioned above, we have increased the number of BIPOC/Latinx actors/stage managers auditioned and hired since 2020. Our goal is to continue to grow these numbers, through out-of-market auditions, commissioning plays by BIPOC/Latinx playwrights, and with the assistance of our Diversity Enrichment Consultant.
Efforts to increase the number of BIPOC/Latinx actors, playwrights, designers, staff members, board members, patrons – as well as the stories told on stage at The Purple Rose Theatre – continues to be a focus with the PRTC Board and Management team to create a more inclusive home for artists, staff, and theatregoers alike.
We will continue to update this page as new advancements are made.