Collaboraction, a social justice theater company that creates original theatrical and virtual experiences to incite change and grow equity in Chicago, is one of the first two theater organizations in the U.S. to gain certification from On Our Team's Pay Equity Standards
On Our Team launched the Pay Equity Standards in January 2022, as a first of its kind tool to help theater companies establish pay equity within their organization and serve as a public recognition for equitably paid theater.
Anthony Moseley, artistic director, speaks to Collaboraction's decision to gain certification, "At the beginning of our 26th season, as a Chicago theater focused on using our work as a catalyst for social change, Collaboraction continues to strive to grow and evolve to better serve our mission and community. Since change is inevitable and product is process, we prioritize our continued evolution as an institution to manifest an equitable environment for our work. Meeting the requirements of the Pay Equity Standards is a milestone in our institutional growth as a company committed to envisioning a healthier and more sustainable future for our industry."
Pilar Audain was lead writer/performer/guide for Collaboraction’s 25 year anniversary production, Moonset Sunrise, June 8-18, 2022 at Beat Kitchen’s new Bar Sol on Navy Pier. Credit Jaiden Maisonet
The Pay Equity Standards were developed to address increasing calls for equity and the current arts and culture sector needs. The arts and culture industry added $919.7 billion to the nation's GDP in 2019 and the industry includes 5.2 million workers with a total compensation of $447 million, according to a report by the NEA released in 2021.
Yet, as a UNESCO study from 2019 titled Culture & Working Conditions for Artists stated, "the largest subsidy for the arts comes not from governments, patrons or the private sector, but from artists themselves in the form of unpaid or underpaid labor."
"Collaboraction's perspective is that we may not have created these inequitable systems that follow the history of hundreds of years of colonialism, classism, patriarchy, and racism, but we have a responsibility to do what we can to dismantle these flawed systems,” Moseley added.
“We will not perpetuate the "scarcity model" that has plagued our industry. We will embrace the possibility that our work environment can be as plentiful as our creativity and imagination. We respect and value the time and life energy of everyone in our community.”
Adia Alli (left) portrayed Mamie Till-Mobley in Collaboraction’s most recent in-person production, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. The show had two sold-out, debut performances, February 26 and 27, 2022 at The DuSable Museum of African-American History. Credit: Joel Maisonet
Chicago’s 2nd Story is the second theater organization to gain On Our Team’s Pay Equity certification.
Calls for a more fair and equitable industry have become more urgent than ever as the theater industry navigates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continued calls for diversity and access within the industry, and labor shortages. The Pay Equity Standards were developed out of hundreds of hours of interviews with producers and theater company executives, and feedback from artists, staff, and leaders of theater companies of all sizes across the country.
Designed as a checklist, the Pay Equity Standards lay out a path to establishing equitable pay using a three-pronged approach to pay equity: Transparency, Working Conditions, and Accountability.
Inspired by the organic and fair trade food labels, theater companies that opt in and meet all certification requirements will be granted use of the Pay Equity Standards badge. The recognizable badge will allow audience members to make informed consumption choices and support art that is made in a way that aligns with their values. Theater workers can make decisions on where to seek employment based on which organizations have become certified. Certification may also be used by foundations to ensure that their funds are going to organizations that center equity.
Based on a 2019 report from the NEA titled Artists and Other Cultural Workers: A Statistical Portrait, between 2012-2016 "roughly 34 percent of all artists were self-employed." Theater workers often are not protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act as contract workers or freelance artists. The current precarity of arts workers is not conducive to a thriving arts sector.
Any theater company based in the USA can submit to be certified for the Pay Equity Standards at onourteam.org.
The submission portal will be open for 2022 certification through August 31, 2022. Certification for 2023 will begin September 1, 2022. Certification must happen each calendar year in order to retain use of the badge and remain in good standing with the Pay Equity Standards.
"We are thrilled to see industry leaders committed to creating positive change for arts workers in the theater industry. I hope that Collaboraction and 2nd Story’s commitments to pay equity inspire other leaders to take these crucial steps towards living out their diversity, equity, inclusion, and access statements," says On Our Team co-founder Theresa Ham.
Witness Collaboraction's Trajectory of Change: Since the onset of the pandemic, Collaboraction broadened its programming to digital mediums to insight knowledge, empathy, dialogue, and action around our most critical social issues. This video debuted at Collaboraction's 2021 Utopian Ball and offers a peek at the many powerful projects it have produced, including work from Peacebook Festival, The Light, Encounter Englewood, Oh Colonizers, and our digital programs Becoming and Crucial Connections.
Collaboraction’s first The Light ensemble of artist-activists, class of 2021-22 (from left): Ella Rae, Ava Lynn Trpeski, Kyra Pierce, Phallon Pierce, Marcus Jackson and Nate Buescher. Collaboraction is now accepting submissions for year two of The Light youth training program. Credit: Joel Maisonet
About Collaboraction: Changing the map and removing barriers within the theater industry
Collaboraction is a 25-year-old, ethno-diverse company that uses theater and performance to incite social change on Chicago’s most critical issues. Collaboraction produces live and digital performances, anti-racism workshops, and youth programs that incite change and grow equity in Chicago.
Since its founding in 1996, Collaboraction has pushed artistic boundaries working with more than 4,000 artists to bring over 100 productions and events to more than 150,000 unique audience members, and has inspired measurable positive change on social justice in Chicago and beyond. Collaboraction’s work includes Sketchbook, Peacebook, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, Moonset Sunrise, Crime Scene, Forgotten Future and Gender Breakdown.
In addition to live performances, community building and video production, the company centers and presents its work in Chicago neighborhoods historically overlooked like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
Collaboraction, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, has been acknowledged for innovation and inclusivity by using theater as a tool for social change with numerous awards including, most recently, a 2020 Foster Innovation Award from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the 2020 Multi-Racial Unity Award from the First Unitarian Church-Chicago, a 2018 Stand For the Arts Award from Comcast and OvationTV, and an Otto Award from New York’s Castillo Theatre.
Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Humanities, Paul M. Angell Foundation, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation, Spreading Hearts, AV Chicago, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Collaboraction is supported by a grant of U.S. Department of Treasury funds through the City of Chicago.
For more information, visit collaboraction.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.
Want to spark social change in Chicago and beyond? Become a CollaborActivist!
Join Collaboraction’s new member program that supports live programs and digital workshops, helps pay artists equitably, and provides a brave space for diverse voices who create transformative performances on critical social issues. CollaborActivists receive exclusive invitations to social events (virtual and in-person), free or discounted tickets, special swag, and updates on Collaboraction’s community impact. Become a CollaborActivist for as little as $1 a month at collaboraction.org/memberships.