LENOX, Mass. – In an extension of its mission to live creatively, work collaboratively, and honor community, Shakespeare & Company has launched the #LiveinCompany social media campaign, spear-headed by the Company’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee.
Highlighting the words and work of visionaries in myriad disciplines under one hashtag – #LiveinCompany – the campaign features social media content designed to be shared by anyone. It also takes a cue from the Company’s overall mission and vision, which centers on the idea of engaging with the three vital questions at the heart of each of Shakespeare’s plays: What does it mean to be alive? How should we act? and What must I do?
The campaign serves as a vehicle for many types of messages; to date, original content has been created to commemorate Black History Month, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and solidarity with the people of Ukraine, among other topics. Members of the IDEA committee plan, research, and collaborate on content using a social-media calendar as a guide. Members of the Company at large including supporters and patrons are welcome to submit ideas, and invited to engage with the #LiveinCompany campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The IDEA committee — comprised of year-round staff, seasonal artists, board members, and volunteers — has taken the lead in planning, researching, and collaborating to identify people, causes, days of recognition, and other important events using a social-media calendar as a guide.
Jaclyn Stevenson, director of Marketing and Communications for Shakespeare & Company, said the #LiveinCompany campaign is just one of many moves the Company is making to deepen collective Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility knowledge.
All Shakespeare & Company full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff complete trainings in cultural competency, bystander intervention, sexual harassment prevention, and micro-aggressions, through resources provided by several local and national organizations,” she said, noting that these outfits include Multicultural BRIDGE (Berkshire Resources for Integration of Diverse Groups through Education), Right To Be, and Derald Wing Sue. “And just this year, Shakespeare & Company started incorporating optional company artist and actor-training faculty pronouns in marketing materials, such as press releases, e-blasts, and print pieces – including the Season Playbill.
Shakespeare & Company has completed two years of formal IDEA work, with the goal of becoming a more inclusive, anti-racist organization, through continual practice to build a foundation. For more information, visit shakespeare.org/IDEA.
