Resolution Process
for Code of Conduct Violation Reports
Theatre@First is committed to upholding the standards set forth in our Code of Conduct. We encourage anyone who has encountered conduct that they believe violates the Code of Conduct to take appropriate action in response. The procedures set forth below provide methods for addressing such potential violations, based on the personal preference of the reporting individual and the nature of the conduct involved. Any individual can engage these processes, regardless of whether the conduct was directed at them or at another. To report a violation of the Code of Conduct, please use this form.
Report with No Further Action
At any point, an individual may file a report about behavior that they believe violates the Code of Conduct by contacting an Elected Officer verbally or in writing at the contact information included below or via the report form that can be found online here, which is submitted to the Artistic Director of Theatre@First. The report will be documented, but no further action will be taken in regard to the specific incident. The Elected Officer taking the report can ask if the report may be shared anonymously with the other Elected Officers so that Theatre@First can evaluate how the incident occurred and how to prevent future incidents.
Informal Assistance
At any point, an individual may contact any Elected Officer for informal assistance in handling behavior that they believe violates the Code of Conduct. There may be situations where the individual seeks only to discuss the matters with the Officer and such discussions are welcomed. If requested by the reporting individual, the Officer may also talk to the person whose behavior is at issue on the individual’s behalf. To help identify or implement resolutions, the Officer may consult with other Elected Officers on an as-needed, confidential basis, taking into account the privacy preferences of the reporting individual.
Individuals may reach out to any Elected Officer verbally or in writing at the contact information included below or via the report form that can be found online here, which is submitted to the Artistic Director of Theatre@First.
Formal Mediation
If the contacted Officer deems it appropriate and the reporting individual so requests, the Officer may also refer a matter from informal assistance to formal mediation. In that case, the Officer and the Vice President (or, President, if the Vice President is the Officer to whom the report was made) will convene a Mediation Team of three or more community members and notify the Elected Officers that a formal mediation has been initiated.
The Mediation Team will promptly meet with the involved parties separately to discuss the incident and collect information. Each party may appoint an advocate to stand with or for them at any point in this Mediation process. The Mediation Team will then develop a resolution plan, taking into account the preferences of the reporting individual and aimed at allowing those affected by the behavior to heal from any damage caused, allowing a pathway to restitution for any person whose behavior caused harm, and ensuring the dignity of all involved. Example resolutions include (but are not limited to) a public or private apology; removing a member from a specific T@F event; suspension of a member from future T@F events for a certain period of time or until other conditions are met; removal of a member from an elected or appointed position; directing a member to seek counseling as a condition to continued involvement with T@F; or any other reasonable measure.
As part of the resolution plan, the Mediation Team may recommend that the involved parties provide an Accountability Statement, indicating that each party understands and accepts the resolution of the Mediation Team. If actions are required of any party, the Mediation Team may also require that the statement list those actions and indicate how the party intends to meet them.
If there is a long-term component to the provided resolution plan, the Mediation Team may appoint an Accountability Team to ensure that the resolution is being implemented. Ideally, the Accountability Team would include at least one member of the Mediation Team, as well as at least one person approved by the subject of the report who is willing to support them through the necessary work. The Mediation Team may also recommend the frequency with which the Accountability Team meets, for example after one month, three months, and six months (with future meetings as necessary), to check up on progress and report to the Elected Officers.
The Mediation Team will then provide a resolution report to the Elected Officers (excluding any Elected Officers with a conflict of interest) for approval. That report may include, as necessary and appropriate: a) the names of the involved parties, where appropriate, including the reporting party; b) the time and date an Officer was first contacted about the incident or behavior for assistance; c) the time and date of the incident(s) or behavior; d) a short summary of the incident, including what was said or done, where it happened, any other parties who might have been involved, etc.; e) any additional information relevant to the incident or the proposed resolution, including whether any of the parties affected by the behavior wish to remain anonymous and whether any Elected Officers should not be involved in reviewing the resolution report due to a conflict of interest; and f) the proposed resolution plan. Upon the approval of the Elected Officers, the Mediation Team will then present the report to the applicable involved parties.
Confidentiality and Reporting
For the sake of fairness, information that is learned by the Elected Officers, Mediation Team, and/or Accountability Team during this process must be kept confidential. Respect is owed to all parties, and rumors and gossip detract from that. In certain cases, a breach of the Code of Conduct may impact the T@F community as a whole. In those cases, knowing that the behavior is under review may help the community heal. While the privacy and confidentiality of the involved parties will remain paramount, the Mediation Team may elect, in consultation with the reporting individual, to notify the Steering Committee that a matter has been referred to a Mediation Team and/or that a resolution has been approved by the Elected Officers.
A copy of the documentation of each report filed and each incident referred to a Mediation Team shall be kept in T@F's records by the Clerk. For incidents referred to a Mediation Team, this documentation shall include the resolution report and a summary of the actions taken. All records shall be kept confidential and only made available to Elected Officers on a need-to-know basis. The T@F President shall tally the number of reports filed and incidents referred to formal mediation.
Where to Find this Document and Contact Information for Elected Officers
A copy of this document will be made available on the T@F website, to all Elected Officers, to everyone appointed to a position, to everyone who begins working on a T@F committee or subcommittee, as part of the auditions page and pre-audition materials for all T@F productions, and to everyone who begins working on a T@F production.
A list of elected officers and their emails can be found on the Steering Committee page.