Values and Accountability

At Avalanche Theatre, we believe that theatre is a powerful tool for storytelling, community building, and transformation. Our values are rooted in fostering a space where all artists, audiences, and collaborators feel welcome and empowered to take creative risks. We recognize that the stories we tell and the way we tell them matter, and we are committed to upholding inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist practices at every point in the creative process.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We believe that theatre must reflect the full spectrum of human experience. New voices matter to Avalanche. We are committed to amplifying diverse voices, particularly those that have been historically underrepresented. This is important now more than ever, as voices in the arts are being actively silenced. One part of the way Avalanche combats this is to seek out and collaborate with artists from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.

We strive to ensure that our leadership, ensemble, and collaborators reflect the diversity of our community. We recognize that working toward equity in the American theatre is an ongoing process, and we are committed to fighting white supremacy and unfair practices through the artists we hire and the spaces we create for them.
We recognize that inclusion goes beyond representation; it requires ongoing collaboration to create a space where everyone feels valued and heard.
We believe that access to theatre is critical for a thriving community, regardless of ability to pay.
- We commit to a “Pay-What-You-Can” flexible ticket pricing model for our Next Draft and mainstage programming.
- We host a free monthly community event that welcomes all theatre artists to share their work and network with each other.
We aim to pay our artists equitably, as resources allow.
- Between 2023 and 2025, we increased artist stipends by 100%.
- We aim to continue our growth, with a long-term goal of paying our artists a fair hourly wage.
We actively seek partnerships with organizations and artists who share our commitment to equity and justice in storytelling.
- In 2024, we partnered with Silk Road Cultural Center to workshop Monkey by Shail Modi with an entirely ASEAN cast and creative team.
- In 2025, we partnered with Silk Road Cultural Center to workshop Grape Leaves by Alexander Attea with a largely SWANASA cast and creative team.
We hold open submission policies to welcome playwrights and theatre-makers at all stages of their careers, ensuring access to opportunities for all.

Community and Collaboration

Avalanche Theatre is built on the belief that theatre has the power to foster strong communities. We prioritize collaboration in every aspect of our work, ensuring that all voices within a creative process are respected and uplifted.

We create spaces that encourage trust, curiosity, and open communication among artists and audiences alike.
We recognize that meaningful collaboration requires active listening, accountability, and a willingness to learn from one another.
In 2023, we created the role of Artist Advocate to work as a company member, advocating for the rights of our artists, acting as a liaison for conflict resolution, and holding our leadership accountable to continue upholding our values.
Our Artist Advocate is Gabriela Diaz. If you have any questions about our conflict resolution pathway, please feel free to reach out to artists@avalanchetheatre.com.
We view our work as part of a larger ecosystem and seek to support the broader Chicago theatre community by sharing resources, fostering partnerships, and uplifting artists beyond our own productions. We’ve collaborated with organizations such as:
- Silk Road Cultural Center
- Idle Muse Theatre Company
- The International Museum of Surgical Science
- Platform (A Production Company)
- The Tramps
- Backstitch Story Arts

A Commitment to Learning and Growth

We view growth as an ongoing process. We are perfectly imperfect, and we believe that inaction is complicity. Therefore, we are dedicated to learning and growing alongside our community and embracing change as a vital part of our mission.

We value feedback and remain open to evolution, ensuring that our work and our practices reflect the needs of the artists we serve.
We acknowledge that mistakes are part of any learning process and commit to engaging with humility and a willingness to improve.
- We have created a robust post-mortem process for each project we work on, and actively work to implement feedback with agility and flair for future projects.
We commit to revisiting these values at least once a year and updating this page to reflect the steps we are taking to reach our goals.

Current as of May 2025.

Questions?