UK Theatre 10 Principles

On Monday SOLT and UK Theatre released an updated version of their 10 Principles for creating safe and inclusive working spaces in the theatre industry, to help tackle bullying, harassment and discrimination.

The FDS, along with 20 other leading industry trade bodies, membership organisations, unions and members of AAPTLE, supports these Principles.

As FDS partner schools, we are part of the industry, as well as training providers. We are continuously engaged in creating theatre work, on and offstage, working with a full range of professional creative and technical staff to do so and striving to offer our students the opportunities to do this in an as professional working environment. These principles are integral, not just to ensure safe and inclusive working spaces within the schools, but also to inform how we prepare our graduates to emerge ready to create and be responsible for their practice in support of them as they evolve their professional careers.

We encourage all theatre employers, employees, freelancers, trainees, volunteers, and Board trustees and directors to adopt these principles and download this free A3 poster (https://uktheatre.org/assets/10Principles) and display it in your offices, rehearsal rooms and backstage areas.

Originally created in response to the #MeToo movement, the 10 Principles first launched in 2017 as part of SOLT and UK Theatre’s Safer and More Supportive Working Practices Handbook (https://uktheatre.org/_resources/assets/attachment/full/0/1250174.pdf), designed to help employers meet their legal requirements and promote a shared responsibility for creating and maintaining a healthy working environment.

Among the relaunched Principles is the recognition that harassment and discriminatory language or behaviour may be unlawful, and the commitment to explicitly address and seek to prevent racism and all other forms of discrimination and bias, their manifestations and effects.

Theatre employers are urged to accept their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and to respect everyone’s dignity and differences, regardless of seniority.

Download the 10 Principles in English here (uktheatre.org/assets/10PrinciplesEnglish) and in Welsh here (uktheatre.org/assets/10PrinciplesWelsh), and download your A3 poster here (https://uktheatre.org/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=3796829).