Community Theatre Codes of Conduct Should Also Say What Good Behavior Looks Like
OnStage Blog Editorial
Earlier this month, we published an editorial about how the Springfield Muni found itself at the center of a growing controversy over how it handled sexual harassment allegations involving a longtime actor.
The complaints centered on alleged inappropriate comments made to female members of the theatre community. While the actor denied the allegations, he voluntarily withdrew from an upcoming production. After a month-long internal investigation, The Muni found no violation of its Code of Conduct.
That situation was a good reminder of what happens when a code of conduct policy exists, but it can be inadequate depending on what is missing from it..
A code of conduct should not only tell people what behavior is prohibited. It should also tell people what behavior is encouraged. It should state the values the theatre strives to uphold daily.
Most theatre policies read like a warning label. Do not harass people. Do not discriminate. Do not touch people without consent.
All of that needs to be there. A theatre has to name prohibited behavior clearly. People should know where the lines are, and leadership should not be able to pretend those lines are unclear when someone crosses them.
But a strong code of conduct should also tell people what kind of room the theatre is trying to build. That means naming the behavior the theatre wants to encourage, not only the behavior it wants to punish.
For example, a useful code of conduct could include expectations like:
Be prepared and respect people’s time. Show up on time, learn your material, communicate conflicts early, and understand that lateness affects everyone else.
Give and receive notes professionally. Directors should give notes clearly and respectfully. Actors should take direction without turning every correction into a personal crisis.
Make new people feel welcome. Regulars should not treat newcomers like outsiders who have to earn basic kindness.
Respect every role in the production. Designers, stage managers, musicians, technicians, front-of-house volunteers, run crew, and board operators are part of the production. They are equal members of the company; respect them accordingly.
Those values may sound obvious. They are not.
I’ve seen plenty of community theatres lose good people because the room became exhausting long before anything rose to the level of a formal complaint. At one theatre I worked with, someone was always late. Another treated the stage manager like a personal assistant. One actor who had a lead role acted like the entire production revolved around them.
No single moment looked dramatic enough for the board to step in, so the behavior became part of the culture.
That is why codes of conduct need to be more proactive and define the positive values that are expected of every single person there
One tactic for enforcing positive values that we have seen work at the corporate level is mentorship. Leaders should not be afraid to take problematic workers (or actors) under their wings and teach them the basics of how to treat colleagues with decency and a positive attitude.
Yeah, it may be awkward, but sometimes an actor needs coaching on not just how to deliver a monologue better, but how to respect his colleagues. Some actors are so blinded by their ego or (to put a more positive spin on it) their drive for greatness that they lose sight of how to treat people
Values cannot just be words; they have to be lived, practiced, and sometimes taught. It can, and does work.
Write policies that encourage the best parts of a healthy theatre space: accountability, respect, communication, and care for the people who are new, nervous, or unsure of their place in the room.
A code of conduct should not only exist for the worst day in the rehearsal process. It should help shape every ordinary day before that.