Update on Anti-Racism work: May 2021

Guildhall School is committed to making our institution inclusive for everyone. We understand that the work to address and dismantle racism in our School is long-term, rigorous and requires sustained commitment across all areas of our organisation. This update aims to give our external community a progress report on the action we have taken so far, and the action still to come. Click to jump to the Acting update.

We previously gave updates to our external community in July and October 2020 about the work undertaken so far. At the end of 2020, we mentioned that an Anti-Racist Task Force would be formed within the School to develop the findings from our ‘Listen & Learn’ groups into a series of recommendations, and that these would be shared with the whole School at the start of the spring term. The Anti Racist Task Force included representatives of the staff, the student body, and the Board of Governors, prioritising those who have experienced racism.

Working with an external specialist in equality, diversity and inclusion, we have now shared a report with staff and students that summarises the work of the Anti-Racist Task Force and outlines the next steps to advance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at the School.

This includes the formation of five key Equality Objectives for Guildhall School:

1. Demonstrate equality, diversity and inclusion commitment
2. Create an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive
3. Contextualise the library, curriculum/repertoire, and pedagogy
4. To attract under-represented student groups
5. To attract, select and retain a diverse workforce

The Task Force has developed specific actions to support the delivery of each of these objectives, acknowledging that work is already underway in many areas. These actions will be driven forward by a reconstituted Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

The new EDI Committee includes staff and students from across the School, representing a range of protected characteristics, and/or who have specific experience of working with people from these groups. The first EDI Committee meeting took place in April, and the group will meet at least termly going forward.

The action plan delivered by the Anti-Racist Task Force sets out recommendations for the EDI Committee’s approval and prioritisation, recognising that some recommendations will require further consultation to assess their viability and effectiveness in achieving the five objectives. The EDI Committee will integrate the action plan into a School-wide action plan spanning all of our departments and faculties, and covering our broader School audience and equality groups.

The School is also planning to appoint a staff lead on EDI. This role will be responsible for managing the EDI programme and the delivery of the equality objectives, and will chair the EDI Committee.

We recognise this is only the start of the School’s journey in this area. Departments are continuing their own development of actions specific to their areas of teaching, and we’ll be ensuring that their work aligns and feeds into the work of the new Committee. In particular, work has been moving at speed in the Acting programme, and we have included a specific update for this area below.

Acting

In Acting, a significant amount of work is underway under the leadership of Vice-Principal & Director of Drama Orla O’Loughlin, who was appointed in 2019 with a mandate for change.

Staff Training and Reflection 

In September last year, the Acting staff began a comprehensive and ongoing process of training and reflection. This training included an Introduction to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Unconscious Bias; Creating Inclusive Environments; Safeguarding; Creating Safe Spaces.

It also included training specifically in anti-racist practice. Led by a team of experienced practitioners, white staff members engaged in training on Anti-Racist Practice; Interpersonal Racism and Systemic Racism. At the same time, the team of practitioners facilitated sessions exclusively for Black and Asian staff members.

Underpinning this work has been a series of fortnightly sessions facilitated by group analysts. The purpose of these sessions is for staff to consider the impact of the training on their work, their personal responsibility and accountability for the culture that exists at Guildhall.

New Equality & Wellbeing Posts

In March, we appointed two Equality and Wellbeing Associates (Drama). These dynamic and evolving freelance roles have a specific focus on supporting and empowering students within the Acting Programme to share agency in creating an anti-racist culture at Guildhall. Their roles will be split into three key component parts: listening and signposting; facilitating space for students to share their experiences; and advising the senior leadership team within the Drama Department on relevant and necessary training for students.

Acting Advisory Group

In the Acting Action Plan published in June 2020, we made the commitment to establish an Acting Advisory Group to give critical feedback and advice on a wide range of different issues pertaining to anti-racist practice within the Acting programme.

This group was first convened in July 2020 and has met weekly or fortnightly during term time since then. It is comprised of recent alumni, external partners and staff members. To date, the group has given advice around staff training and reflection; alumni relations; improving the reporting and complaints process; mental health support provision for staff and students; resources in anti-racism for staff and students; recruitment and audition processes; and curriculum and repertoire.

Acting Curriculum

In April, the BA (Hons) Acting programme was ‘revalidated’ – a higher education process that involves formally revisiting a programme to ensure it is fit for purpose. This process has allowed Orla and the rest of the Acting leadership team to significantly redevelop the programme, in consultation with students, staff, graduates and industry professionals. It’s the result of a comprehensive review of our Acting curricula over the last two years, with a particular focus on making it more inclusive and more aligned to progressive and contemporary industry practice.

The newly revalidated programme will include modules in Reflective Practice, which will enable students to explore in an informed way key social, political and ethical issues that speak to contemporary performance, as well as to their training and careers as actors. This work will facilitate an inclusive and compassionate learning environment. Further new modules in Screen and Self Led Work are also being introduced to better reflect the modern industry our graduates will be entering upon graduation. Repertoire and reference points have been reviewed and reframed in order to ensure content which is representative of the diversity of our students. For example, the new Projects modules now focus on key aspects of acting and performance rather than relying on traditional genres and historical canons of work.

In addition, in September, we appointed Maureen Salmon of Freshwaters Consultancy to receive accounts and experiences of racism from Acting alumni in order to produce an independent, anonymised report, summarising the culture of the Acting programme over recent years and making a series of recommendations. This report, written with and for our Acting alumni, is available here. The report has been sent to all of our Acting alumni, accompanied by a response and unreserved apology from the Vice Principal & Director of Drama and the Principal. The recommendations from this report will be used to inform the new Acting curricula and the rest of our work going forward, and in addition, School-wide recommendations will be fed into the work of the new EDI Committee.

Please be advised that this report contains distressing content and accounts of racism.