Knowing that words are powerful when coupled with action, The Flying Carpet Theatre Company will be open, transparent, and accountable to our Core Values. Our Core Values will be reflected in the content of the art we create, in how we operate and relate to each other at FCT, and how we connect to and support the communities where we live and perform.
Empowering the Artist: Artists dream big, access their vulnerabilities, and produce work that is deeply personal. We believe it is our responsibility to provide safe, accepting, supportive spaces for artists to learn, grow and make authentic, inspired theatrical work. We strive daily to hone ways we can empower artists to shape their creative visions and processes. Artists invest considerable time and money to fuel their passion, gain expertise, and strive for a sustainable career. The Flying Carpet can provide valuable support for artists to achieve their artistic goals by offering development opportunities that are focused on building their capacity and sustainability.
Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression: It is our mission to build anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices into the foundation of our work. We believe it is the responsibility of cultural institutions to create and maintain structures that defy, subvert and dismantle biased traditions and practices. We will continue a daily practice of cultivating the ways we identify and rectify systemic inequalities in our company and communities. We will listen, learn, work to hear and amplify the voices of those who have been marginalized. The Flying Carpet Theatre Company stands with the Black Lives Matter movement and believes it is our daily obligation to work as individuals and as an organization to create equitable, free, and just lives for our Black and Brown friends, colleagues, neighbors, and communities. We commit to continuous learning and improvement in our organization, through our work, and with our partners to dismantle systemic racism and build a shared anti-racist future.
Equity: We are committed to seeking out and embracing diverse communities and individuals, both in the theatre we make and in the communities we serve. We recognize the history of oppression that has resulted in ongoing disparities for our community and many others, as well as the limitations of a traditional non-profit framework to address them. We believe that The Flying Carpet Theatre Company is at our best when we engage and support diverse perspectives and that our daily practice of behaving equitably has profound impacts on our society.
Inclusion: We believe in inclusive spaces and actively sustaining a company culture of belonging and connectedness wherever we find ourselves making theatre. We enthusiastically seek out and welcome artists into our community from all backgrounds including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement: The Flying Carpet Theatre Company is committed to the practice of acknowledging and honoring the tribal land that we occupy throughout the country. FCT’s New York City base resides on the traditional homelands of the Lenni-Lenape People on the Lenape Island of Mannahatta. FCT’s Atlanta, GA base resides on the traditional homelands of the Cherokee People and Muscogee Creek People. We acknowledge the original peoples of these lands who were forcefully removed during colonization resulting in erased and excluded peoples and culture. This acknowledgement is merely the first step in our daily practice of mindfully and actively searching for ways to honor these communities and their land through the artists and communities we serve.