Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Round House is a theatre for everyone—a theatre of and for our community, committed to Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility. We believe that engaging in the arts is essential to the human experience and that arts education should be available to all. Therefore, we intentionally and rigorously work to break down barriers to attending, learning, and creating theatre—including those based in race, gender, sexuality, ability, and economics. We amplify voices that have been historically under-represented and under-resourced by the theatre field and strive to incorporate anti-racist and anti-sexist practices across all aspects of our work.

We consistently reaffirm our principles of equity and inclusion, our commitment to diversity, and our commitment to the work of anti-racism.

Round House is home to an extended family of artists of all backgrounds. We are committed to telling the stories of all races, ethnicities, genders, identities, religions, sexualities, ages, and abilities on our stage. We have created board and staff workgroups dedicated to improving diversity and equity across our company.

In fulfilling our mission to produce stories that inspire compassion, evoke emotions, and demand conversation, we at Round House Theatre stand strongly for improving equity and inclusion for our entire community.

Gender Equity

In every season since 2013-2014, at least half of the plays that Round House produces are written by women. We have won the 50/50 Award from the International Centre for Women Playwrights more times than any other theatre in the region. Moving forward, at least half of the plays in our season will be written by women, trans, nonbinary, or playwrights of other marginalized gender identities.

Commitment to Anti-Racism 

Round House commits to serving as an ally to communities of color, using our positional power to amplify voices that have been historically under-represented and under-resourced by the theatre field and to incorporate anti-racist practices and anti-sexist practices across all aspects of our work. Learn more.

Equity in Artist Hiring

Beginning in the 2019-2020 Season, we have committed to at least 50% of our artists are women, trans, nonbinary, or members of other marginalized gender identities, and at least 50% people of color.

Equal Play

Launched in 2017, the Equal Play commissioning program is a natural evolution of Round House’s ongoing commitment to gender parity and racial diversity. Over the next decade, Equal Play will commission and develop 30 new plays written exclusively by women playwrights and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and persons of color) playwrights, including ten plays for our Teen Performance Company. We will use this program to combat the pervasive inequality in American theatre while supporting plays that speak to the world’s most pressing issues.

Round House believes that diversity of voices is inherently innovative—the form of theatre changes depending on who is telling the story. By investing in diversifying the voices that are amplified through live theatre, we are contributing to the growth of the art form. Our goal is to create a new body of work with a commitment to parity, social awareness, and superlative art that will help reshape the face of American theatre.

Free Play

Round House believes in the importance of building audiences for the future. Free Play provides teenagers and college students with free Round House tickets — any play, any time. This program removes financial obstacles while nurturing an interest in live professional theatre. In addition, our designated Teen and College Nights encourage young patrons to come with friends to see a production and socialize with artists after the show. Each year, more than two thousand students see Round House productions for free as part of this program.

On The House

In 2019, Round House Theatre launched On The House, a community ticket access program to remove barriers that can make it difficult for some members of our community to experience our work. This program provides complimentary group tickets to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and community-serving organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor who are interested in sharing the enjoyment of live theatre with their constituents.