TRANSPARENCY

We believe transparency enables the sharing of power and responsibility. We commit to be open with how Theater in Asylum decisions are made and money is spent.

This is a snapshot audit of how Theater in Asylum operates as of April 18, 2021. We are currently working to broaden leadership and deepen community engagement with a more equitable distribution of power. We invite our community to aid us in these efforts and thank you for holding us accountable. You may email here or submit feedback anonymously here.

How decisions are made

The vast majority of Theater in Asylum’s decisions are made by consensus between Paul Bedard, Katie Palmer, and Kathryn Appleton.

  • Company-wide structural and operational decisions are conducted with one to two meetings and countless emails a week.
  • Artistic & Season planning decisions typically follows what Paul, and sometimes Katie, is interested in exploring artistically and personally. Currently, the selection of TIA’s pre-scripted plays is governed by the relationships Paul has cultivated with playwrights. 
  • Financial decisions are led by Kathryn, with input by Paul and Katie.
  • Hiring and casting decisions are led by Paul and Katie, with input from Kathryn, Hilarie Spangler, and lead collaborators (playwrights, dramaturgs, etc).
  • Cold Reading curation decisions are made by Paul, Katie, and Hilarie by consensus. We curate at least 50% of plays by female playwrights and at least 50% plays by BIPOC playwrights. Guest facilitators are hired by Paul, Katie, and Hilarie, and are sometimes offered to choose a play from a list, or invited to propose one. We then follow the same process to approve the selection. Roles are assigned by the facilitators, with input by Paul, Katie, and Hilarie. We aim to shuffle reading opportunities around, prioritizing new readers and BIPOC readers.

We acknowledge that Theater in Asylum’s leadership team is both small and privileged. We are white, able-bodied, neurotypical, college-educated, and economically stable. We are actively working to broaden and diversify the leadership team to share responsibility and decision-making power.

How money is spent

Completed 2020 Budget
Major projects
  • Two productions (Hephaestus — commissioned by the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center — and the online, free version of The Debates 2020)
  • One cabaret (The Electability Cabaret)
  • Cold Readings
  • In lieu of the planned party to commemorate our 10 year anniversary, we published a retrospective magazine. Many plans changed throughout the year due to COVID-19.
Expenses
  • Personnel: $4,418 (38%)
  • Production Costs: $2,361 (20%)
  • Space: $1,203 (10%)
  • Administrative: $3,418 (29%) **This is largely our magazine publication
  • Anti-oppression training: $370 (3%)
  • Total: $11,770
Revenues
  • Donations: $8,121 (61%)
  • Grants: $0 (0%)
  • Tickets: $0 (0%)
  • Special Events: $1,142 (9%)
  • Commissions: $4,000 (30%)
  • Total: $13,263

Projected 2021 Budget
Major projects
  • Two productions (The Debates 2021 and Occupy Prescott)
  • Cold Readings
Expenses
  • Personnel: $11,900 (47%)
  • Production Costs: $6,930 (27%)
  • Space: $3,900 (16%)
  • Administrative: $1,100 (4%)
  • Anti-oppression training: $600 (2%)
  • Contingencies: $1,092 (4%)
  • Total Cost: $25,522
Revenue
  • Donations: $12,500 (50%)
  • Grants: $3,000 (12%)
  • Tickets: $6,600 (26%)
  • Surplus from previous years: $3,000 (12%)
  • Total Revenues: $25,100

How Theater in Asylum is paying people in 2021
  • In 2021, we project hiring 54 people (18 for The Debates 2021, 18 for Occupy Prescott, 18 for Cold Readings).
  • Company leadership (4 people) is not paid for their administrative work.
  • For The Debates 2021: All collaborators (regardless of role) will be paid a $200 stipend.
  • For Occupy Prescott: All collaborators (regardless of role) will be paid a $300 stipend.
  • For Cold Readings: Individual Guest facilitators are paid $50 per reading and theater companies guest facilitating are paid $100 per reading. Theater in Asylum facilitators (Paul, Katie, Hilarie) and Readers are not paid.

Theater in Asylum's values

This page is part of our larger efforts to clarify and live up to our values: