Resources on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct in Theatre

TCG's commitment to creating "a better world for theatre" becomes exceedingly critical when it comes to addressing how to create healthy organizational cultures for everyone in our field. In 2017 and 2018, allegations of sexual misconduct against some of our most powerful artistic leaders have loomed large. How do we foster professional and artistic spaces in which people feel supported, respected, empowered, and most of all, safe? We at TCG are grappling with this question alongside our colleagues across the U.S., and we look forward to working in partnership with many of you as we challenge one another to disrupt and dismantle systems that breed discrimination, and lift up the efforts of those who are creating new systems in which theatre practitioners can thrive. The resource list below is not exhaustive, but provides a starting place for those looking for support and/or ideas of how to get involved. The list (and the categories included therein) will evolve with our research and knowledge of existing resources.

Note as of July, 2021: we are not accepting suggestions to this page at this time.

ACTIVISM

50 50 by 2020

A space (founded by Shonda Rhimes) for working towards equity in Hollywood by the year 2020. Their website includes statistics, resources, and a call to action.

Anti-Violence Project

The Anti-Violence Project empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.

Equal Rights Advocates

A national legal enforcement organization with helplines and online "Know Your Rights" materials including a Sexual Harassment in the Office Toolkit.

National Center for Transgender Equality

The National Center for Transgender Equality is the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization, creating life-saving change for transgender people. The NCTE also provides resources for transgender people and allies.

National Disability Rights Network

Protection and advocacy for individuals with disabilities.

National Women’s Law Center

A national legal network to combat gender discrimination.

SERVICES & SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS

All Voices

All Voices has yet to fully launch, but aims to be a platform where employees have a safe space to speak up about harassment and seek action. Through All Voices, employees can anonymously report harassment and discrimination to CEOs and company boards. Companies will receive data about these issues in their workplace and will be provided with ‘thoughtful solutions tailored to their problems.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

EEOC provides legal information on workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. The Commission outlined the results of their task force which examined the problem of harassment in the workplace in all its forms and sought to identify new and creative ways by which it might be prevented and eliminated.

Futures Without Violence

A National Resource Library with the mission to create workplaces free from domestic violence, sexual harassment & violence, and stalking. This resource includes their own Model Workplace Policy.

SERVICES AND SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS

BetterBrave

A guide for targets of sexual harassment. Betterbrave presents a definition of sexual harassment and then provides options and presents your rights.

Crime Victims Treatment Center

The Crime Victims Treatment Center provides support for survivors of interpersonal violence through crisis intervention, trauma-focused therapy, legal advocacy, and psychiatric consultations. All of their services are confidential and completely free of charge.This resource is focused on those who live/work in New York State.

Equal Rights Advocates

A national legal enforcement organization with helplines and online "Know Your Rights" materials including a Sexual Harassment in the Office Toolkit.

Human Resources for the Arts

HR for the Arts provides possible mediation assistance for non-criminal sexual harassment situations. This is a place to start for those who are experiencing an unsafe or uncomfortable work environment.

The ‘It Happened to Alexa’ Foundation

A Legal Foundation which supports rape survivors through the trauma of the criminal trial.

National Organization for Women

NOW provides general information and an emergency care guide for victims of rape and sexual assault.

Project Callisto

"Project Callisto is creating technology to combat sexual assault, empower survivors, and advance justice – an online sexual assault reporting system. This resource is currently only available on college and university campuses, but is in the process of expanding to other fields."

RAINN

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

Resource for Male Survivors

A center of resources and support for Male survivors. They also offer weekend recovery retreats across the United States.

tEQuitable

An independent, confidential platform to address issues of bias, discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Transgender Sexual Violence Project

A program that works to provide direct services to transgender, gender non-conforming and gender non-binary survivors of sexual assault. Their website includes webinars, publications, and toolkits directly curated for transgender survivors.

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project provides support and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth.

GENERAL RESOURCE HUBS

Lean In

Lean In provides resources including articles written by publications from The New York Times to The Center for American Progress on various elements of fighting against sexual misconduct from self care to helping others.

Modern Alliance

Modern Alliance is a coalition of organizations, researchers, and creatives working together to protect people from destructive, predatory behavior. They fund research and provide a resource guide and other content.

National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women

A database home to thousands of materials/articles/resources on gender based violence and related issues.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

A center of resources, organizations, and eLearning surrounding the topic of Sexual Violence.

Time’s Up

A source of resources on ‘where you can get help’ and ‘what you can do.’ The women leading Time’s Up partner with leading advocates for equality and safety to improve laws, employment agreements, and corporate policies; help change the face of corporate boardrooms and the C-suite; and enable more women and men to access our legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable.

US Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website

Provides a quick search of sex offenders as well as information on education and prevention.

We Said Enough

We Said Enough includes curated stories from harassment and assault victims.

THEATRE-SPECIFIC RESOURCES

The Actors Fund

The Actors Fund is a nation human service organization for everyone in performing arts and entertainment. The Actors Fund provides free, confidential counseling services to those impacted by sexual harassment and referrals to appropriate resources.The Actors Fund also conducts trainings for employers and unions on understanding and preventing sexual harassment. Other Actors Fund programs include emergency financial assistance, affordable housing, health care and insurance counseling, senior care, secondary career development, and more for theater professionals.

Canadian Actor’s Equity Respectful Workplace Policy

Canadian Actor’s Equity’s comprehensive Respectful Workplace Policy.

Intimacy Directors International

Intimacy Directors International is a not for profit organization that works to ensure that scenes of intimacy are handled in a professional manner that adheres to the highest standards of artistry and safety.

Let us Work

A project run by Rachel Dart that began as a call to action to theatre practitioners, asking them to do more to protect their creative workers from sexual abuse. Dart recently released a survey as she works to collect statistics on harassment.

Not in Our House/Chicago Theatre Standards

Not in Our House is a Chicago-based movement founded to fight against sexual discrimination and harassment as well as gender-based violence in the theatre community.

Public Theater Resource Page

A comprehensive collection of resources on the topic of sexual misconduct provided by a NYC based theatre company.

The Royal Court’s Code of Behavior

A comprehensive code of behavior created by the Royal Court Theatre, offering concrete steps and actions to prevent sexual harassment and abuses of power in the theatre community.

Philadelphia Theatre’s Code of Ethics

The Philadelphia Theatre called together a community of artists to create a Code of Ethics. This is the collaborative platform for the Code of Ethics they are in the process of outlining.

SDC

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society is the theatrical union that unites, empowers, and protects professional Stage Directors and Choreographers throughout the United States. Their mission is to foster a national community of professional stage Directors and Choreographers by protecting the rights, health and livelihoods of all our Members; to facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and opportunities, while educating the current and future generations about the role of Directors and Choreographers; and to provide effective administrative, negotiating and contractual support.

Theatrical Intimacy Education

A group of consultants, researchers, educators, and stage movement specialists, developing and teaching best practices for staging theatrical intimacy. Theatrical Intimacy Education works to empower artists with the tools to ethically, efficiently, and effectively stage intimacy and sexual violence in educational theatre.

TRAINING

Bringing in the Bystander

This prevention program emphasizes a bystander intervention approach and assumes that everyone has a role to play in ending violence against women. In addition to the prevention goal, the program has a research component which seeks to measure the effectiveness of the prevention program with different constituencies.

Creating Safe Spaces

Creating Safe Spaces helps Organizations , Creative Leaders and Communities learn and develop best practices with issues surrounding Sexual and other workplace harassment from an Artist Specific and Supportive Perspective. Working specifically with Theatre Companies, Colleges, Festivals, Dance Companies, Music Venues and other Creative Non Traditional Work Environments & Spaces to help train, coach and foster open dialogue, policy and guidelines surrounding the prevention of Sexual & other work related Harassment.

Center for Anti Violence Education

For the past 43 years, CAE has run comprehensive violence prevention programs for individuals and organizations.Through a combination of education, physical empowerment, advocacy and leadership development. CAE works with marginalized communities to break cycles of violence.

Hollaback

Hollaback! partnered with the bystander program Green Dot to develop tools to help you intervene when you see harassment happen on the street and in other public spaces. You can make a choice to actively and visibly take a stand against harassment. The Five D’s are different methods you can use to support someone who’s being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not okay, and demonstrate to people in your life that they too have the power to make the community safer.

EEOC Respect in the Workplace

The training program focuses on respect, acceptable workplace conduct, and the types of behaviors that contribute to a respectful and inclusive, and therefore ultimately more profitable, workplace. The program is customizable for different types of workplaces and includes a section for reviewing employers' own harassment prevention policies and procedures.

Peacock Rebellion

Peacock Institute for Social Transformation (PIST) trains QTPOC activists, community organizers, and the cutie down the block as cultural organizers for collective liberation.

Traliant

Traliant is a leading provider of online sexual harassment training experiences that motivate employees to act ethically, to speak up and prevent harassment and discrimination, and help promote positive, respectful workplaces.

HOTLINES

Actors Equity Association 212-869-8520

This connects actors to the Actors Equity Association and is open to complaints and questions about sexual misconduct.

Actors Fund Entertainment Assistance 212-221-7300

This program functions as an entryway and guide through The Fund’s many programs when you’re facing personal or work-related problems. It is also a conduit for emergency financial assistance in times of pressing need or in response to catastrophic events.

National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs 212-714-1141

A coalition of programs that document and advocate for victims of anti-LGBT and anti-HIV/AIDS violence/harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct and other forms of victimization. The site has a list of local anti-violence programs and publications

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

A national hotline, operated by RAINN, that serves people affected by sexual violence. It automatically routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider.

National Street Harassment Hotline 855-897-5910

Created by Stop Street Harassment, Defend Yourself, and operated by RAINN, the National Street Harassment Hotline is a resource for those affected by gender-based street harassment. Support is available in English and Spanish.

The Network/La Red: 617-742-4911

Provides emotional support, information, and safety planning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and/or transgender folks, as well as folks in the BDSM or Polyamorous communities who are being abused or have been abused by a partner. Support is available in English and Spanish.

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

A non-profit dedicated to supporting the well-being of transgender people. This hotline is staffed by transgender people for transgender people and is available 11 am to 5 am EST.

Safe Horizon 24-Hr Helpline: 800-621-HOPE (4673)

Safe Horizon offers personalized, non-judgmental support, provide information about safety and resources in your community, and connect you to Safe Horizon’s programs and services.

Women In Film Helpline 323-545-0333

An integrated program to refer victims of harassment to designated mental health counselors, law enforcement professionals, and civil and criminal lawyers and litigators.

PRESS

For Native Americans Facing Sexual Assault Justice Feels Out of Reach (Melodie Edwards: NPR)

How Can My Agency Invest In Building Equitable Community Environments and Support Safe Relationships (Lisa Fujie Parks: VAW)

In The Wake of #MeToo More Victims Seek Help for Repressed Trauma (Sarah McCammon: NPR)

Not in Our Theatre: The Fight Against Sexual Harassment (Ruth Lopez: American Theatre)

Sexual Harassment in Theatre: How Chicago Fought Back (Gordon Cox: Variety)

Theater Professionals Can Seek Mediation for Sexual Harassment (Peter Libbey: NY Times)

Time Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers (Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman, and Haley Sweetland Edwards: NY Times)

Top Ten Things Employers Can Do Right Now to Address Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (Futures Without Violence: Medium)

Transgender Lives: Your Stories

An evolving interactive resource for transgender people by the NY Times. Personal stories written by transgender people that reflect the strength, diversity and challenges of the community.

Unmuffling a Culture of Silence (Diep Tran: American Theatre)

What Happens After #MeToo (Diep Tran: American Theatre)

When it Comes to Sexual Harassment Whose Side is HR Really On? (Tovia Smith: NPR)

What Theatre Administrators Should Know About Sexual Harassment (Howlround)