Recent allegations have brought to the fore the fact that our sector, like others, can suffer from abuse of power and sexual harassment and any tolerance of it. FST strongly supports the statement made by UK Theatres and SOLT condemning these behaviours and stating clearly that they are unacceptable, and we encourage our members to add their names to the list of signatories.
Anyone who is experiencing harassment at work is protected by law in the UK. But we know that the law alone is not enough. FST will be working with sector partners to support the development of shared policies and clear, practical guidance targeted on key areas of concern to our members – for instance good practice in auditions, the choreography of intimacy, and issues for leadership and harassment in the workplace as a whole – and we’ll be working with you over the coming weeks and months to do just that, starting with a discussion at our next Members’ Meeting on 6 December 2017.
We know that our members are responding to this moment in different ways: please share what you’re doing with us and we can help to strengthen the message. We will be developing a resources section on our website to link to events and sources of guidance and support as they develop. If you have an event or link that you’d like us to circulate, if you’d like to be involved in policy development, or if you’d just like to talk to us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Jude Henderson
Director