Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging
Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging at Arcade:
Arcade Comedy Theater is committed to being a place where all people feel welcomed, safe, and supported, and where the variety of diversity is celebrated. To contact the theater staff and Inclusion and Belonging Committee, please email inclusion@arcadecomedytheater.com.
| Step | What it Looks Like |
| PERCEIVE | Notice that something happened. Trust your instinct. If it felt wrong, it probably was. You don’t need to have a label for it to name it. |
| ASSESS | Consider the context. Is this a moment for real-time intervention, or a private conversation later? Think about safety, your role, and who else is present. |
| USE YOUR VOICE | Name what happened. You don’t have to be perfect. A simple pause is enough to start. |
| SUPPORT | Check in with the person who was harmed. This can be private and simple: “Are you okay? I saw what hapened and I want you to know it wasn’t okay.” |
| ESCALATE | If the situation is beyond what you can address alone, use Arcade’s reporting pathway (see below). You are not expected to fix everything. You are expected to not look away. |
Sometimes it can be hard to know what to say in the moment. These are phrases you can use right now:
“Hey, can we pause for a second?”
“I don’t think that landed the way you meant it.”
“Can we rewind? I think something just happened.”
“That felt off to me. Can we talk about it?”
“I noticed something and I want to check in with you.”
“I’m not sure that was okay. Can we address it?”
These resources come from Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell of BW3 Culture at the Spring 2026 diversity, equity, and inclusion training conducted at Arcade Comedy Theater.
Reporting Pathway:
When a situation requires escalation, Arcade is here to support you. You can inform us of what you observed by sending an email to inclusion@arcadecomedytheater.com. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can use this anonymous reporting form: https://forms.gle/pKD5cpUFvWv5hBzP6
The email and anonymous form go to our Interim Executive Director Andrew Lotz, and to our DEI Chair Anna Faila. Non-anonymous reports will be acknowledged within 48 hours. They will be reviewed by the IED and DEI Chair. If the incident should involve either of those persons, the report can instead be made to Arcade’s Board of Directors: board@arcadecomedytheater.com
If further investigation is warranted, it will be conducted to protect, as much as practicable, the privacy of all persons concerned. The Theater expects theater personnel, Board, interns, coaches, house/stage managers, performers, volunteers, Academy faculty and Academy students who are contacted in connection with an investigation to cooperate fully and maintain confidentiality.
Arcade’s A.B.I.D.E. Policy and Guidelines
Arcade’s Academy operates following the guidelines of our A.B.I.D.E. policy, which can be viewed here:Arcade A.B.I.D.E. [4.26 Update]
Arcade seeks to provide a welcoming and safe environment that serves the community and provides an outlet for comedic expression, and part of that mission includes our Policy Against Harrassment, which you can view here:
https://www.arcadecomedytheater.com/policy-against-harassment/