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 30, 2023. 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. To read more about our leadership team, click here.
  • Company-wide structural and operational decisions are conducted with one to two meetings and countless emails between the Artistic and Managing Directors each week.
  • Artistic & Season planning decisions typically follow 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, in collaboration with Paul and Katie.
  • Hiring and casting decisions are led by Paul and Katie, in collaboration with Kathryn and lead project collaborators (playwrights, dramaturgs, etc).
  • Marketing and messaging decisions are led by PR and Marketing Manager, Charlotte Dow, in collaboration with Kathryn, Katie, and Paul. 
  • Cold Reading curation decisions are made by the Cold Readings Coordinator in collaboration with the Artistic Directors. We aim to curate at least 50% of plays by female playwrights and at least 50% plays by BIPOC playwrights. Guest facilitators are invited to  choose a play from a list, or invited to propose one. Roles are assigned by the facilitators. We aim to shuffle reading opportunities around, prioritizing new readers and BIPOC readers.


All leadership meeting notes are shared with the annual staff (Artistic Directors, Managing Director Marketing & PR Manager, Cold Readings Coordinator, Grants and Fundraising Coordinator)

How money is spent

  • 2023 Payment Structure
    • Artistic Directors (2): $120* for all work during the year (does not receive project stipends).
    • Managing Director (1): $120* for all work during the year (does not receive project stipends).
    • PR and Marketing Manager (1): $1,200 for all work during year (does not receive project stipends)
    • Cold Readings Coordinator (1): $1,200 for all work during year (does not receive project stipends)
    • Fundraising and Grants Coordinator (1): $300 for August 2022-February 2023
    • Cold Reading facilitators (up to 5): $50 per facilitation
    • The Nobodies Who Were Everybody (January reading) actors: $125 stipend
    • The Nobodies Who Were Everybody (August production): Full collaborators are paid an $800 stipend. Folks who come in just for performances (or are not doing the whole pre-production / rehearsal process) are paid a half stipend, $400. Hourly load-in and load-out labor is paid at $25/hour.
    • *Midyear budget revision: Artistic Directors were originally budged to receive $1,200 for all work during year (does not receive project stipends). After the post-grant-season rebudgeting process (March 2023), this was taken down to $120 for all work during the year (does not receive project stipends). Managing Director was originally budged to receive $1,200 for all work during year (does not receive project stipends). After the post-grant-season rebudgeting process (March 2023), this was taken down to $120 for all work during the year (does not receive project stipends). The Nobodies... Collaborators were originally budged to receive $900 stipends for this project. After the post-grant-season rebudgeting process (March 2023), this was taken down to $800.
  • 2022 Budget Transparency Report
  • 2021 Budget Transparency Report
  • 2020 Budget Transparency Statement

In addition to a yearly audit, Theater in Asylum releases each project's financial details to all collaborators working on the project.

How time is spent

We work hard to keep our usage of folks' time sustainable and fulfilling.

Theater in Asylum's values

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