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Level UP! Strategy Area: Compassion Fund

Pilot Project: Exploring parental leave funding options for part-time and contract staff

Project Duration: 2023–2024 Season

Continuing to Implement: As needed, on a case-by-case basis

Resources Shared: Project Field Notes

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About Chromatic Theatre

Location: Alberta
Artistic Discipline: Theatre
Operating Budget: $100,000 to $1,000,000

Chromatic Theatre is a racialized theatre company based in Moh-kins-tsis (Calgary). We create, develop, and produce racialized stories for racialized communities. Our work is guided by the following mandate:

• • To develop and support diverse voices that contribute to an artistic landscape reflecting the spectrum of diversity across our country.
  • To create opportunities for diverse artists and marginalized community groups through the arts.
  • To build bridges across societal issues and structures that divide us based on cultural identity.
  • To engage non-traditional theatre-going communities through cultural representation in the arts.
  • To promote a broader appreciation of diversity.
  • To employ diverse artists and pay them professionally and equitably whenever possible, strengthening our community of professional artists.

Chromatic Theatre’s Level UP! Project

Chromatic Theatre’s Level UP! project focused on providing maternity leave funding for a part-time staff member, recognizing the lack of financial parental leave support for contract workers. Funding was provided as a lump sum to the staff member to help cover lost wages, directly supporting the staff member’s financial well-being during the leave.

The initiative reinforced Chromatic Theatre’s commitment to care-based values and sparked conversations about expanding support for contract artists. While funding remains a challenge, the project served as a catalyst for reimagining how small arts organizations can integrate care-based initiatives into their operations.