DEIA+
(Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility
)
DIVERSITY PROGRAM & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Idiot Workshop offers financial support for BIPOC students. Apply below.
This program would not be possible without the generous support of the Albert and Bessie Warner Fund.
To add, we understand that racial identity is complicated, mixing visible and invisible elements of identity, and that one can be both white-presenting and BIPOC.
For our efforts at the Idiot Workshop, we are focused on how colorism intersects with BIPOC and are particularly focused on addressing the visible absence created by a predominantly white and/or white presenting community.
We welcome community feedback and input as our work towards more equity is an evolving and changing approach, which benefits from conversation and feedback.
Please note this program is available to all incoming intro students and it can be received up to 3 times. Attendance in the class is mandatory to continue to receive aid. Please note that although we would like to always support this program, it is dependent on the results of fundraising and the funds available.
ABOUT
The Idiot Workshop, a Los Angeles based training program dedicated to supporting the performer as creator, was founded in 2012 by long-time Cirque Du Soleil performer, John Gilkey. The ideology of The Idiot has its roots in contemporary theatrical clown, improv and the trickster archetype. Our community consists of actors, comedians, improvisers, dancers, writers and musicians who seek to discover new creative territory and to collaborate with a wide range of talented artists who share a similar affinity for deep and ridiculous play.
We set ourselves apart from more traditional forms of comedy like improv, stand-up and sketch, by offering a style of performance that is open to broad interpretation. We encourage our students to break the rules of live performance, to find new levels of vulnerability and absurdity, and to forge a relationship with their audience that is engaging and provocative.
In addition to our core Idiot classes we offer classes that focus on writing, acting, movement, and devising. A vibrant community has grown from our classes with shows and events happening year round. Unfortunately, however, our community suffers from a lack of diversity. The purpose of our DEIA+ efforts is to create and foster a more inclusive community for all voices and bodies. We recognize this is a journey and we will make mistakes, but hopefully we are always evolving and deepening our efforts in equity and inclusion.
HISTORY of DEIA
From its inception, the Idiot Workshop has had a lens on equity and has continued to deepen its understanding and efforts.
In the early years of Idiot Workshop, there was a lens on class and income. The IW classes were priced low so they could be as economically feasible as possible. In addition to a low class price, IW also offered payment plans and additional financing options.
Starting in 2016, there was a growing lens on gender. This inquiry led to more gender inclusivity in the ensemble and the teaching body. And this was also the beginning of reviewing the pedagogy and curriculum. Within the classroom, the use of gender pronouns was introduced and this was the unofficial start of scholarships as well.
Starting in 2018, Idiot workshop started examining the lack of racial diversity in the predominantly white community. This kicked off an inquiry and self-examination of the curriculum, the community, the leaders - there is much more to say - but it resulted in the formal beginning of the Diversity Scholarship Program and a fundraising effort. Upon receiving a 10K grant from Spiegelworld, the Diversity Program officially launched in 2019. This first program was structured very differently -- BIPOC students were invited to attend 1 of 3 racial affinity workshops during which there was an introduction to the Idiot Workshop, Idiot play, and then an affinity space conversation led by a DEI facilitator on the intersection of race and comedy. And then anyone from those workshops received a full scholarship for intro. Additionally, in all intro classes, we started holding 50% of the space for BIPOC students.
In early 2021, the entire teaching staff went through racial awareness training, specifically focused on whiteness. And in the summer of 2022, the Managing Director received training with the National SEED Project, to further support the Idiot Workshops DEIA+ efforts.
Looking ahead, we hope that our DEIA+ efforts are not just felt in the classroom but out in the greater community and ultimately contribute to structural and systemic change.
If you would like to donate to the Idiot Workshop, we are fundraising for our Diversity Program, which you can read more about here or donate directly below.
By clicking “Donate” you will be taken offsite to our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT + FEEDBACK
Though we are a community of white, asian, lantinx, black and indigenous folx, we are also predominantly white, and so is our audience. And we also name that there are very few black voices in the community, both on and off-stage. That means we, as an organization, have different work to do. And though we have a diversity program, there's more to be done. We are working to examine ourselves and our practices through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion; and asking ourselves how do we center voices of color. We know we will falter, and we will stand in that feedback. We invite you, our community members, into the conversation.
Please use this form if you have any feedback, comments or suggestions. We are committed to staying on this path and making it a lifetime practice, so we are proactive and not reactive.
Our job as artists is to reveal our collective humanity and play. Nelson Mandela once described the African concept of ubuntu – or, I am because you are – as “the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others.” As artists we strive to reveal our collective humanity, and we can't continue to do that until we reclaim humanity for all.