Anti-Racism Action Plan
The core of Profile Theatre’s mission is to center writers whose visions broaden our perspective and deepen our collective compassion. In 2016, we sought to begin addressing the root causes of inequity in theater and identified Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access (EDIA) as top organizational priorities. We believe that by featuring writers who are women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color in our mainstage productions and engagement programs, Profile can create a safe, transformative space where Portlanders can challenge their preconceived notions and grow into a more compassionate and loving city together.
Over the last ten years, we have increased the number of mainstage productions created by and with marginalized writers, actors, directors, and creative staff. We have also increased the number of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color that Profile hires as well as increasing our use of vendors from marginalized communities.
In addition to our mainstage and human resource efforts, we create community-invested theater productions through deep, multi-year partnerships with writers, local organizations, and community leaders.
In 2017 Profile embarked on its first community-invested theatre piece in partnership with National Medal of Arts Awardee Ping Chong + Company. Working in close collaboration with more than 30 Portlanders living with chronic illness and participating in our 2018-2019 Community Profile cohort, we commissioned Ping Chong + Company to create an oral history project helping 6 community members tell their own stories of resilience, hope and wisdom living with chronic illness or caring for someone who does.
Subsequently, we committed to building a body of work over the next decade of community-invested theatre pieces, in collaboration with partners with a variety of processes.
For our current community-invested piece, we are commissioning a work from Cuban-American playwright Michael John Garcés and Black American director Bruce Lemon, in collaboration with artists from Cornerstone Theater and Portland area BIPOC men and youth, that explores masculinity in BIPOC communities. We anticipate producing this community-invested piece in 2027.
This project is part of Profile’s long-term goal to bring our community engagement to the mainstage and to forge partnerships among local communities and national theatre artists. This work amplifies voices of underserved communities, reflects their stories back to them, and shares local experiences with the greater Portland community.
