FRINGE CODE OF CONDUCT – Hollywood Fringe Support

OUR COMMUNITY ETHOS: WHY DO WE HAVE A CODE OF CONDUCT?

The Hollywood Fringe is committed to creating an inclusive environment in support of participants from a multitude of backgrounds, especially those who have been historically underrepresented based on race, ethnicity, disability, D/deaf, age, socioeconomic status, physical appearance, body type, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, or religion.

This festival is built on freedom of expression and lack of censorship, which means we must maintain the utmost respect for one another to create a safe place for people to take risks in their work. We do not censor your words unless they are actively harmful or hateful towards a protected group, for example, women, people of color, queer & trans folks, disabled folks, d/Deaf folks, fat folks, and religious folks.

There are limits to this uncensored nature, which is often set by our Access Committee and enforced by our staff and Code of Conduct Committee.

We have a very diverse community, one that often has more women and nonbinary people producing than men, and we attempt to foster a community where these folks do not face all the gendered issues they typically face in a working environment.

We are on a path to making this Fringe a more accessible space – this sometimes means people may use disability-related terms you’re not familiar with or an interpreter may block your view of the panelists – we encourage you to use that as a learning opportunity. Google those terms, move seats, and appreciate the privilege you have to not face these oppressions in other environments.

We are a space that is committed to anti-racism, not only through our words but through our actions. In many environments, people face micro-aggressions and racism daily. At Fringe, we actively work to keep these behaviors out of our spaces. We are radically aware of this, and try to engage folks in conflict resolution when they make mistakes.

We fiercely protect our community ethos and reserve the right to ask anyone to leave or take a break from our space at any time. This isn’t to scare you but to encourage you to take this path with us. This is also a promise to those in this room that face these issues outside this community- we will actively work with you to make sure these issues are handled. We strive to have a wholly inclusive environment and invite you to join us on this journey.

WHOM DOES THIS APPLY TO?

The primary producer is responsible for upholding this Code of Conduct within their production, and will be held responsible for the actions of their cast and crew while they are participating at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The primary producer is also responsible for providing a copy of this document to each member of the cast and crew before rehearsals begin.

WHERE DOES IT APPLY?

The contents of this Code of Conduct are concepts we hope our participants value in their daily lives, but this Code of Conduct applies specifically to interactions in various areas of our shared festival grounds: including, but not limited to, festival-sponsored events, shared online spaces (including social media), Fringe Central, performance venues, Fringe-specific rehearsals, Fringe workshops/town halls, Fringe Hot Spots and other surrounding businesses.

WHAT IS IT?

The Hollywood Fringe actively works to confront racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ageism, fatphobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, audism and ableism at the festival. This includes, but is not limited to, any derogatory comments, unsafe actions, intentional misgendering or harassment towards any party.

We strive to eliminate microaggressions within our community.

A microaggression is a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group. This may include but is not limited to: evoking stereotypes, uninvited comments or actions, or making assumptions about an individual.

Verbal and physical intimidation, hate speech and/or harassment are not allowed.

Hate speech is abusive or threatening speech (verbal, written, and/or any other form of communication) that expresses prejudice against a particular group, especially on the basis of race, religion, gender, body type, or sexual orientation.
Harassment is unwanted, unwelcomed, and uninvited behavior that demeans, threatens, or offends the victim and results in a hostile environment for the victim.
Harassing behavior may include, but is not limited to, epithets, derogatory comments, assault, impeding or blocking movement, offensive touching or any physical interference with movement, and visual insults, such as derogatory posters or cartoons.

Sexual harassment and sexual assault are completely forbidden. Sexual harassment includes unwanted touching, comments, lewd propositions, and gestures.
Know your limits when it comes to alcohol and other legal substances.

Fringe reserves the right to stop serving you at any point.

Aggressive behavior (which often goes along with excessive drinking) has no place at our events. Aggressive behavior can include, but is not limited to, physical violence, physical and verbal threats, and verbal altercations.

If you see or experience any of the above, report it to any present Fringe staff member or Empowerment Team member as soon as possible. Or you can email conduct@hollywoodfringe.org. (This email is exclusively monitored by Fringe executive staff and will be responded to within 48 hours.)

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU’RE NAVIGATING THE FESTIVAL

Intention Vs Impact

Intent is what you aim to achieve through an action, and impact is how a person or community receives that action. However, the impact of that action does not always match the intent. Good intentions do not always result in a positive impact, and although our intention is not to hurt someone, our actions may lead to harm.
At The Hollywood Fringe we look at the impact of our actions, whether direct or indirect, beyond the original intention. Read this blog post about intent vs impact to understand why, and how to respond if you get called out for harmful impact.

Public Vs Private Interactions

Our actions, discussions, and behaviors are nuanced between different settings. And sometimes what’s appropriate in one setting may not be appropriate in a public setting.
Especially when you are in a public Fringe space, keep your interactions appropriate for our community and please be mindful of how others there might be affected by your behavior.

If you make a mistake, bravely take responsibility for it, listen, and learn.

We encourage you to take a deep breath and avoid defensive reactions that come from pride, embarrassment, and white supremacy culture (see here for more reading on this).

HOW IS THE CODE OF CONDUCT ENFORCED?

Consequences for breaking the Code of Conduct are based on the nature of the incident and are decided upon by a committee of Fringe veterans, board members and peers. The decisions from this committee hold participants accountable for the impact of their actions regardless of intention. The Hollywood Fringe believes in allowing ample opportunities for growth and education whenever possible.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival staff reserves the right to ask you to leave any Fringe activities at any time. The Hollywood Fringe Festival reserves the right to refuse access to anyone from Fringe Festival activities, events, spaces, programs, and more for violating the above policy, with or without warning. The Hollywood Fringe also reserves the right to prohibit you from presenting as a part of the festival.

The Code of Conduct Committee considers each side of cases brought to our attention. From there, if the afflicted party wants, we will try to engage in conflict resolution. This is up to the afflicted party to want and cannot always happen.

If another party has injured you, know we will work with you to make sure you feel supported coming back into the community, but sometimes it will take a bit of time. We work as quickly as possible but need to do our due diligence and confer with all parties involved. Please note that if a situation is brought up in the moment, it helps us expedite this timeline.

HOW TO REPORT

If you witness or experience any of the above, report it to any present Fringe staff member as soon as possible. Or email conduct@hollywoodfringe.org.

In person or virtually, you will always have Fringe staff members who you may come up to as a trusted person in the room. All Fringe staff is trained to provide a safe space where concerns can be raised, and if they are not the person to talk to, they will point you in the direction to more senior staff members who may assist. The primary objective of our staff is to protect and advocate for our participants, hopefully preventing harmful incidents from occurring; such as microaggressions, hate speech, non-consensual contact, etc.

We practice victim-centered mediation, where the victim's wishes, safety, and well-being take priority in all matters and procedures.

HOW TO REACT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS ON YOUR TEAM

If you make a mistake, bravely take responsibility for it, listen, and learn. We encourage you to take a deep breath and avoid defensive reactions that come from pride, embarrassment, and white supremacy culture.

Our number one goal is to approach those who breach our community ethos with empathy, and we are not in the business of punishment and actually reject that idea whenever possible. However, if you are not in a space to handle this professionally and respectfully with us, we will protect our community from you or a team member’s behavior.

We also are fiercely protective of our diverse community of artists, and community well-being takes precedent above the individual. If you cause harm, even accidentally, you may be asked to leave (or take a break) for the emotional safety of our artists.

If a member of the Fringe staff comes to you about a complaint, please take it seriously. If our Code of Conduct is not followed, your time at Fringe may come to an end. Participating in Fringe is a privilege, not a right.

We reserve the right to tell you that you cannot use our platform to uplift your work- whether or not you agree with our reasoning.

Remember, as the primary producer on a project, the actions of your cast and crew are ultimately your responsibility, and you need to make sure they follow this ethos in our spaces. Please print out a copy of our Code of Conduct and have these conversations. Thank you in advance for honoring our Code of Conduct and, in doing so, showing your respect for your community!

ANTIRACISM, INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST, AND OTHER RESOURCES:

Intent vs impact

Understanding white supremacy culture

Anti-racism reading lists

Disability & Queer resources

Articles in this section