Inclusion & Belonging

Welcoming the Whole Community

We strive to celebrate and serve the diverse people and cultures that make up our whole community. The IRT is committed to creating and maintaining an theatre that is inclusive, safe, respectful, and accessible.

Whether you have been coming for years or are here for the first time—welcome to your Theatre!

Our Journey

Since 2018, we have been working to discern challenges and opportunities present in our organization around Belonging, Inclusion, and Access.  

The following Values, Commitments, and Actions are the result of deep reflection and community conversation guided by expert analysis. Our aim is movement forward, not perfection, and we will amend as we learn and grow. 

Our Values

• It is our responsibility as a community resource to open our doors wide, eliminate historical barriers, and welcome all to our high-quality, relevant art.
• To be an inclusive organization, we must increase cultural awareness of different backgrounds and experiences. 
• IRT thrives when diverse voices and peoples gather to make, watch, learn from, and support live theatre. 

Our Commitments

• We will represent and engage the diverse people, experiences, cultures, and communities of central Indiana. 
• We will focus on inclusive hiring practices and foster a culture of Belonging for artists, staff, board, and vendors. 
• We will continue and deepen our commitment to Belonging through training for all board and staff. 
• We will be accessible to all audiences, inviting those who have been unheard or unseen in the past.  

Our 2025-2026 Action Plan

The following is a list of current and ongoing Belonging and Inclusion work. Progress is reviewed and evaluated annually by staff and board committees, which include the leadership of both. As we grow and learn, we will continue to add new actions and report on the actions we have completed. To review our progress since 2018, click here.

Artistic

• Continue to develop new work by diverse voices, including shepherding two commissions through development (ongoing).
  • Jessica Huang – IRT’s Playwright-in-Residence 
  • Nathan Alan Davis – Co-commission with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 
• Continue to employ the highest caliber directors, designers, and actors, including those from historically excluded communities .

Audience

• Create annual training for our Front of House staff and volunteer ushers. 
• Install automatic doors in the front of the Theatre to increase accessibility.

Staff and Board Training and Development

• Create and implement Inclusion and Belonging training as a core part of onboarding new staff members and new board members.
• Complete an updated analysis to understand growth, challenges, and opportunities in our Inclusion and Belonging work. 
• Develop a long-term training plan that includes equal employment opportunity and inclusion in the workplace. 
• Continue to lift the people and cultures of the plays we are producing and provide context for that representation through community conversations, spotlight partnerships, and curated cultural events like the annual Sankofa Soirée.

Sustainability

• Conduct an annual demographic review of our staff, artists, board, and audiences to better understand how we are serving our whole community. 
• Diversify our board to mirror the demographics of Marion County by 2028 and increase representation from historically excluded communities to better reflect our whole city.

Connectivity

Our Recent and Ongoing Work

• Sustain the Community Ambassador program, composed of a diverse cross-section of central Indiana’s community leaders, corporate ambassadors, and residents, as an access point to the work of IRT. 
• Build relationships and develop partnerships with historically excluded vendors in all areas of our work to improve representation, partnership, and distribution of resources. 

This information was updated and approved by the IRT Board of Directors on April 17, 2025.