Frequently Asked Questions

Who is on the FTG Committee?: The current members of the Committee are: Fredo Aguilar, Kelcie Beene, Will Bishop, Sarah Burnham, Veronica Bustoz, Samantha Dzirko, Maggie Fullilove-Nugent, Uriel Gomez, Jason Lynch, Erica Sandvig, Johnnie Schleyer, Nikolaj Sorensen, and Jeremy Wilson.
Who will have access to my data?: All members of the Committee, and any List Accessor who has been granted access through our application and review process. All List Accessors are required to submit a personal anti-racism statement and identify areas in our commitments where they feel they have room to improve.
Who can apply to be a List Accessor?: Anyone can apply for list access, however most Accessors will be those with some degree of hiring power within their organization. E.g. producers, production managers, artistic directors, TDs, etc.
What happens if a List Accessor breaks one of the rules?: If a List Accessor has reached out to you without following some of our List Accessor Guidelines, we’d like to know so we can take appropriate action. Please reach out to us at forthegroupchicag0+bestpractices@gmail.com and include copies of all relevant communications with the List Accessor.
How do I update my entry?: You can submit an update through the same form you used to submit your original listing. There is a separate question path for updates within that form. We ask that you resubmit all of your information.
What if I move away from Chicago?: If you move away from Chicago AND do not anticipate that you will accept work in the city for the foreseeable future, please email forthegroupchicago+logistics@gmail.com and ask to be removed.
Why are you asking me for an anti-racism reflection statement?: While this resource will primarily be used by people making hiring decisions, its intended purpose is to serve BIMPOC Practitioners. In order to protect these Practitioners, we want to ensure that the people who have access to their data have reflected on their relationship with anti-racism in their personal and professional lives. Companies do not hire people: people hire people. We want List Accessors to spend a moment reflecting on where they are on their personal journey and where they feel they have room to improve on our Commitments, so they can better apply anti-racism work to their hiring processes. We will ask them to revisit this statement periodically in order to check-in on their progress and keep our whole community moving forward.; With that said, we understand that for List Accessors who belong to historically marginalized communities this reflection may not feel safe, and we do not require it in these cases.
Why do I have to reapply for access?: Anti-racism is a journey, not a destination. By asking List Accessors to revisit their anti-racism reflection statements, we aim to encourage continued thought and growth in this arena. Based on where you are in your journey, the committee will determine how often we’d like you to reassess your growth and reapply.
If people hire people and not companies, why are you asking for my institution’s anti-racism statement?: We value transparency and accountability. In addition to knowing that they’ll be treated equitably during the hiring process, Practitioners deserve to know that the companies they’ll be working for will continue to treat them with respect. Providing these statements (which will be linked on our website for reference) demonstrates your institutional commitment to justice and serves as a touchstone for public accountability.
Can I sign up for my company? I.e. if I gain access and then leave my position, will my successor also have access?: When you apply for access to this list, you apply as an individual. Your access will stay with you across job changes (assuming you keep us up to date), but will not be passed to your successor unless they apply for access and are approved separately.
What if my company doesn’t have an anti-racism/EDI statement? Will my application be rejected?: Your application will not be rejected based on your company’s statement or lack thereof. However, the absence of a statement from your company will be publicly acknowledged on our website.
Are there ways to support this project?: Yes! You can volunteer to serve on one of our leadership teams, or spread the word to your friends and colleagues.
What if I have a problem with a List Accessor who already has access to the list?: Please reach out to us directly at forthegroupchicago+advisory@gmail.com and we will look into the matter. Please be aware that we can only promise action in cases where List Accessors have explicitly failed to follow our List Accessor Commitments, and that we cannot get involved in previous hiring/labor disputes.
What if I have a complaint against a current member of the Committee?: Please email forthegroupchicago+advisory@gmail.com and one of our other Committee Members will follow up with you directly. If the person against whom you have a complaint is currently on the Advisory Team (current assignments can be found on the Committee Members page) you may choose to direct your email to forthegroupchicago+bestpractices@gmail.com instead.
What if, after being hired, I have a bad experience with a person/company that has access to The List?: As an independent organization operating within the Chicago theatre community, we have neither the expertise nor the resources to get involved in workplace disputes. If you feel your experience warrants certain people or organizations losing access to The List, please submit a complaint through the normal process and our Best Practices team will follow up.
What if I want to be removed from the list?: Email forthegroupchicago+logistics@gmail.com with REMOVE in the subject line.
I am affiliated with a Black and/or Indigenous owned/led organization/business that would like to partner with your group. How should I contact you?: Please email our Advisory team at forthegroupchicago+marketing@gmail.com with more information about your organization and what you envision for a potential partnership.
I am a List Accessor who has recently changed jobs and now have a new email address. Do I need to reapply, or will my access carry over?: You will keep your individual access, however we ask that you inform us of the move and provide us with the information for your new position and organization (anti-racism statement, job title, links, etc.). You may do so by emailing forthegroupchicago+logistics@gmail.com at any time.
Why does this List focus exclusively on BIMPOC Practitioners? What about queer or disabled folks?: We firmly believe in the importance of uplifting the needs and voices of our queer and disabled colleagues alongside BIMPOC Practitioners, however in the planning of this project we have been primarily focused on serving the latter group. We feel that there is value in this specificity, and that a narrower focus helps us to better support the community than trying to be all things for all people. The conversations and work needed to effectively support BIMPOC individuals are related to, but separate from those needed to support queer and disabled individuals. While we hope to eventually be able to expand our focus to more directly serve these communities, we are conscious of our own limits as a small, volunteer-run organization, and do not wish to do more harm than good as a result of spreading ourselves too thin.; There is space on our Practitioner listing form to indicate any intersectional identities which feel important to you, which can be updated at any time as you progress through your personal identity journey. If you are interested in helping us expand our work into new arenas or in starting your own project with a different lens, we’d be more than happy to speak with you and share our knowledge and resources where possible.
Can I share Practitioner information with people in my organization who do not have access to The List?: We acknowledge that in the process of hiring, multiple people at your organization may wish to view resumes or portfolio materials originally accessed through The List. We encourage you to share such information directly with the relevant parties, however we do ask that you not share The List itself with anyone who has not individually been granted access.
I’m a BIMPOC actor, but I don’t see any way to list that in the Practitioner form. What gives?: In short, this list is a hiring database and not a casting database. The hiring process for actors follows a very different route from the hiring process for technicians, designers, etc., and many of our commitments would not apply to the casting process. Chicago also has a few existing resources in this vein - check out our resources page for more information.

If you have questions which are not answered in this FAQ, please email them to forthegroupchicago+logistics@gmail.com and someone will respond to you within a few days.