South Bay Musical Theatre acknowledges the racial upheaval occurring throughout the country and in the American theatres. We acknowledge the demands put forth by the BIPOC Equity Action plan, focused on Bay Area Theatres. We acknowledge the demands put forth by We See You White American Theatre on a national level. We give our appreciation to the authors of both documents, and we will continue to listen, to be open, and honor your voices.

South Bay Musical Theatre acknowledges its racist background, works, and practices. We also acknowledge the harm that they have inflicted upon the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. Effective immediately, we are adopting anti-racist and anti-oppression policies and initiatives. We invite our great community to keep us accountable. We are listening and acting accordingly.

Community Inclusivity AccountabilityIn June, SBMT put forth immediate steps to start the process. To date, we have achieved three of four of those goals.

  1. Immediately, we were able to pause our Board elections and recruit to invite a diverse group.
  2. Our Board meeting minutes are now available on our website, and accessible to all.
  3. Our eStudio programs will continue to showcase a diverse background of individuals. Our Readers’ Theatre productions engage an EDI and Casting Consultant, to further our efforts in casting outreach and organizational accountability. Our Readers’ Theatre scripts are vetted in conjunction with our Community, Inclusivity, and Accountability group (CIA). The CIA will keep a watch on our internal actions, ensuring a commitment to inclusive and anti-discriminatory behaviors.

These are the first steps in a long road ahead. As we have paused our mainstage season, we are using this downtime to set stronger goals and engage with a wider variety of artists, which will expand our community and audience. We will use the BIPOC Equity Action plan and the WAT demands document for guidance as we return to the stage and grow our company. We understand that this process will never be complete, that our actions will never be perfect, and that the process will be difficult. We ask our community to know that equity will be a priority in our company.

Our sincere appreciation to the members of our Community, Inclusivity and Accountability group:

  • Kevin Brownstein (co-Chair)
  • Jenni Chapman
  • Khalia Davis
  • Nique Eagen (co-Chair)
  • Sruthi Jayakumar
  • Tony Gaitain
  • Cordelia Larsen
  • Dave Leon
  • Vinh G. Nguyen
  • Sharon Peng
  • Jennifer Petersen
  • Sara Dean, Executive Director
  • Michael Paul Hirsch, Board Chair
To be further involved with South Bay Musical Theatre’s Community, Inclusivity, and Accountability group, please contact kevin.brownstein@southbaymt.com or nique@southbaymt.com

Readers’ Theatre eStudio Casting Metrics

The Importance of Being Earnest (June 2020)
Submissions: N/A.
BIPOC Cast:  36%
The Book of Will (July 2020)
Total Submissions:  52
Percentage BIPOC (presenting) submissions: 27%
BIPOC Cast:  33%
Almost, Maine (Sept 2020)
Total Submissions: 89
Percentage BIPOC (presenting) submissions: 42%
BIPOC Cast: 47%
The Glass Menagerie (Sept 2020)
Submissions N/A
BIPOC Cast: 100%
Casting Note:  The Glass Menagerie was cast and in the process of performance rights acquisition in May, 2020, prior to our change in casting policies. After the change, we did discuss and agreed to proceed with the production as cast.  No other productions or roles in the immediate future are pre-cast.
Special thanks to Vinh G. Nyugen, SBMT Casting Director.