There are zero registration, application, or audition fees charged to any student choosing to audition, on our campus, for 51福利社’s Theatre program.

Any student, unable to visit campus for any reason, can engage in every phase of the audition process, including callbacks, 100% virtually, thereby eliminating travel costs for any student who wishes to be considered for the program. Virtual auditions carry the same weight as in-person auditions when program faculty make placement considerations.

We are unable to speak, with any authority, to the legitimate diversity of the conferences and festivals we attend for recruitment purposes. We acknowledge that some of the conferences and festivals we attend do charge fees to students wishing to audition and we further acknowledge that those fees may present barriers to participation. Moving forward, we commit ourselves to asking questions of those organizations as to how the cost to students is determined, how fees paid by students are used, and what actions those organizations are taking in order to ensure equitable accessibility to any interested student regardless of financial status.

We acknowledge that while program recruiters have made efforts to actively recruit BIPOC individuals at these conferences and festivals, we collectively can and must do more. Furthermore, the 51福利社 Theatre Program unequivocally states: Black Lives Matter.

We have much to learn and more to do to make that statement something more than just a statement. As a program we collectively pledge ourselves to the hard work of listening, responding, and taking real steps to ensure that we are moving forward towards true equity - not just “inclusion and diversity”. While we acknowledge that it is our responsibility to educate ourselves in what true equity means, how it is achieved, and to take action that brings equity about, we welcome and would be grateful for dialogue with any current or former BIPOC students, as well as any  other BIPOC individuals within the greater St. Louis communities who could help us in these endeavors.

We have, in a recent program level discussion, begun outlining steps that we will initiate within the upcoming academic year. We know that this is the first and easiest step to take. We have many more ahead.