During IETM in Porto, I attended the working session on bullying and harassment. The following were the notes I created during the meeting in collaboration with some of my peers.
- Ten years ago an organisation had a policy document in an elevator so that when visitors came to the office, they would see the principles of the organisation on entry.
- In addition to the above, when a new individual joins the team and gets their keys to the office, they are sat down and asked to work through the document with a member of staff and finish the meeting by signing the document > this means there is no excuse for knowing the code of conduct.
- In Ireland, there would be codes of conduct for political sensitivities and a range of issues which would support artists and audiences Prime Cut would come in contact with. when these codes were drawn up, Una and her co-director wondered why they were not writing codes which would protect themselves.
- Looking at child protection policy (in the UK), it would have been easy to have seen it as 'just a policy'. How do you turn that policy into something which can clearly be actioned in the circumstance that a situation were to arise.
- The Royal Court in comparison to the Old Vic (both in London) shows the differences in how much an approach can influence the culture. The desire to pick up momentum.
- A policy and a code of conduct or behaviour are very different things.
- How do we help individuals who experience abuse, bullying or harassment when it takes place in and around our industry but not necessarily in the 'office' environment? How do we support independent artists who think their experience is of their own and isn't a part of a collective conscious and therefore don't tell anyone?
- The general consensus of this group (based on nods of agreement) is that a way to overcome inappropriate behaviour on the fringes is to be way stricter from the top down about what is and isn't acceptable practice in the rehearsal room, I'm the casting process, in collaborations on the whole etc.
- We need to recognise it isn't always the director or the producer who can and does behave inappropriately. Whenever we employ someone we need to consider our role in monitoring their behaviour so we aren't negligent and therefore aiding a circle of abuse.
- We acknowledge that there is a difference between the pedestal an artist is on versus the position of the stage manager who isn't in the spotlight.
- Finding alternative means to communicate with individuals so you can avoid an interaction with an abuser (such as social media)
- When you are the objective observer it can be easier to call out bad behaviour.
- There is an issue that there can be larger consequences for a victim that comes forward as opposed to the perpetrator being put to the side.
- People fear coming forward, and movements such as #metoo, as they still don't feel safe coming forward with their experiences.
