Rider and toolkit to aid anti-racism in touring theatre released

A new rider and toolkit pushing for greater anti-racism practice in touring theatre has been announced.

The initiative will see an eight-page pack featuring guidance and suggestions covering topics including venue engagement, wellbeing and pastoral care.

The programme is spearheaded by Amanda Huxtable, Rowan Rutter (HighTide), Richard Twyman (English Touring Theatre) and Lian Wilkinson (New Earth Theatre), and is based on over 100 personal testimonies and feedback from over freelancers.

The team said today: "After months of consultation and pooling of collective knowledge, we publish the rider today in good faith. We
believe it will effect tangible change in the improvement of working conditions within the industry and offer a toolkit for better working practice for all. The rider is designed to be for everybody, and used by everybody, complementing existing anti-racism work within the sector or providing a starting point for those beginning to implement anti-racism actions in their practice. We hope that it will also serve as an act of encouragement and support for all who have worked tirelessly over the years. Change is needed. The change is now."

On reading the rider, Keith Saha, co-artistic director of 20 Stories High (one of the companies supporting the initative), said: "This is a game-changer. I found it quite emotional reading this. We have been battling years of systemic racism formally and informally. This document sets out brilliantly a blueprint, which will not only help ease the emotional and psychological burdens we have been carrying but offers organisations support as well as holding them to account."