Mission & Vision

Adopted July 2022

The cultural ecosystem of the city of Santa Monica includes a high concentration of creative individuals and resources that is adjacent to one of the nation’s largest and most influential cultural regions — the greater Los Angeles area. We recognize the fluidity of Santa Monica’s population as it triples in size daily due to a commuting workforce. BroadStage acknowledges the many communities that have developed and shaped Santa Monica into its present-day existence as a creative center and tourist destination.  

BroadStage is part of Santa Monica College, recognized as a leading Community College in California, and the nation. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, SMC embraces Santa Monica’s commitment to historically underserved populations. The college embodies and educates a microcosm of the distinct communities of Los Angeles County. Our relationship to SMC faculty, staff, and 33,000 plus students allows us to connect the arts to curricular goals, influencing and developing the future of arts audiences and participants.  

Historically, BroadStage audiences have not been reflective of the array of identities and experiences that occupy the city of Santa Monica and its surroundings. As we move forward, we invite audiences that are intergenerational, encompass all gender identities, include varied socioeconomic, racial, and cultural backgrounds, and strive to accommodate people of all abilities. We recognize that our work will become evident gradually with each season as we expand our community relationships with the many Santa Monicas — past, present, and future.

BroadStage’s artistic vision and programmatic integrity are upheld by the following ideals:   

1. We are a facilitator and a conduit of inspiration, joy, learning, and introspection, while confronting the most complex issues of our day.   
2. We convene the many communities of LA County into a shared space where the arts and artists provide a platform for collaboration, conversation, healing, and partnership.  
3. We champion bold artistry and celebrate innovation and authentic practices across a variety of cultures and aesthetics. 
4. We pursue lasting creative partnerships with artists whose work stimulates and extends BroadStage beyond the walls of our venue. 
5. We are dedicated to presenting works that reflect the ever-changing landscape of ideologies, social issues, and human potentials by showcasing a variety of voices, artistic expressions, and perspectives. 

Adopted June 20, 2019

Statement

BroadStage seeks to be a prominent arts and culture resource for Los Angeles residents and visitors, focusing on the diversity of race, gender, class, ability, age, and orientation as factors in curation, staffing, and governance. Established in partnership with Santa Monica College in 2008, BroadStage is committed to aligning with the College’s culture of equity and inclusion. Through this commitment, BroadStage will carry out its mission to gather artists, thinkers, and audiences to celebrate our shared humanity and expand the role the arts play in the vitality of our diverse community.

Policy

BroadStage’s Board of Directors recognizes that unconscious bias is part of human nature. Because it is in our culture, it is an issue that requires continual evaluation and awareness of its effects on our decision-making. We understand that our role in the community as a non-profit presenter of performing arts is to convene audiences in an effort to offer proximity to cultural difference. BroadStage is committed to creating a governance structure that represents this value proposition as a performing arts presenter, which in turn will lead to diversity of staff and programming.

Plan

BroadStage adapts its practices to the community and its needs. BroadStage is committed to addressing cultural understanding, leadership, and expression for our organization and the field.

Board of Directors

• Commit time and resources to create more diverse governance and advisory bodies.
• Expand cultural competency and advocacy skills of each member in order to provide informed, authentic leadership toward equity at BroadStage and how it is expressed.

With our Staff

• Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization through substantive and sustained learning.
• Improve the cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting policies and recruitment fostering leadership that reflects the full breadth of the Los Angeles community.
• Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and report organizational progress.

On Stage

• Provide a platform for contemporary viewpoints addressing equity and diversity.
• Represent all art forms and cultures authentically with input from artists and representatives.
• Create a balance of gender, age, and race for artists each season.
• Offer American Sign Language interpretation on request for select performances.

For our Community

• Present artists as part of our Education & Community programs who are reflective of the audiences, students, and families we serve.
• Provide responsive and substantive arts programs, matching BroadStage resources and expertise to the goals of partner organizations and schools.
• Include community voices in the evaluation and generation of Education & Community programs to ensure relevance and impact.
• Reduce economic barriers via lower family pricing, community ticket codes, and admission-free programming.

A Message from Rob Bailis, Artistic & Executive Director, BroadStage

June 2020

"America must start to change right now while the image of the brutality of Mr. Floyd’s death is still a present and clear image in our minds, and while the pain and hopelessness he felt under the police officer’s knee weighs heavy on our hearts." –Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, Superintendent/President, Santa Monica College 

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, the countless that came before, and those still being identified, make it impossible for us to turn away from the systemic racism and institutionalized oppression that plague the United States and have since before our founding. Black Lives Matter. 

We will continue to show solidarity and demonstrate insistence with each action we take, from the artists we present to the staff we employ and the company we keep. It is our responsibility to advance racial equity and to help end oppression of all kinds in our immediate community and beyond.

Art and artists are essential to creating a more just world, where bias and prejudice are tragedies of the past. It is our commitment to amplify the stories, perspectives, reflections, and protests of the unheard, the oppressed, and the silenced as we help move our nation toward an equitable and inclusive society.

As a campus citizen of Santa Monica College, one of the most progressive, diverse, and accessible educational institutions in the country, we at BroadStage take direct inspiration from our environment by seeking to represent, engage, and learn from the full spectrum of our community. 

As we face these challenging times, full of frustration, anger, grief, and loss, our promise is to listen deeply and come forward with meaningful experiences that build consciousness, create empathy, and move us all forward. 

There is an unmistakable urgency to this moment. Our nation has reached its tipping point. We stand united against racism and oppression and will fight with dignity and integrity for a brighter future. We commit ourselves to a daily practice of acknowledging the truth about our nation's past, accepting responsibility for what has never changed, and taking the actions necessary to make those changes.