DEIA Statement for Short North Stage
The beauty of live theater is in bringing people together. Our goal at Short North Stage is to do that in a meaningful way. Whether you are in the audience, a cast member, on the creative team, in the band, working backstage, or on our staff; it is extremely important to us that we are creating a space for all people to feel included, safe, heard, engaged, supported, valued, and affirmed. We are committed to putting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at the center of everything we do from casting to programming to the expansion of physical accessibility for our audience. Listening, learning, and taking action are important to us as we work together with our community to grow into a stronger theater company that reflects the rich fabric of Columbus. At Short North Stage we are committed to this intentional work and have begun initiatives to enhance our knowledge, address and unlearn personal biases, practice inclusive behaviors, and create positive experiences for everyone who enters our space. Thank you for your support and patience as we continue this perpetual work.
DEIA INITIATIVES
The work will be continuous. Here is what we are doing now:
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Staff trainings throughout the season.
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Cast, crew, creative team workshops for each show focused on Adaptive Strategies, Implicit Bias, and more.
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Resident Culture and Diversity Management Consultant on staff from The Ohio REST Collective.
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Engaging in continuous conversations with the community.
Associate Artistic Director
Dionysia Williams Velazco
Dionysia Williams Velazco (she/her) has been with Short North Stage since the very beginning, performing in their first production of Follies. Since then she has been seen onstage at SNS in Marvelous Wonderettes, Cabaret, Fugitive Songs, A Chorus Line, Spamalot, The Performers, Pippin, Saturday Night Fever, Young Frankenstein, White Christmas, Into The Woods, and Sondheim On Sondheim.
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After receiving her B.F.A. in musical theatre from Wright State University Dionysia toured across the country and internationally performing in many Broadway musicals including The Pajama Game (National Tour), Fame (China Tour), and Grease (Istanbul) and has been seen in many different regional theater productions around the country.
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As an award-winning professional director/choreographer, Dionysia has worked for Short North Stage, Shenandoah Summer Music Theater, Wright State University, Columbus Children’s Theatre, CATCO, Human Race Theater Company, and BalletMet2. Most recent credits include Legally Blonde, The Prom, Wild Party, Beautiful, Rock Of Ages, Altar Boyz, Mamma Mia! at Short North Stage (director/choreographer), Bring It On at Columbus Children’s Theater (director/choreographer), and Newsies at Shenandoah Summer Music Theater (choreographer).
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Dionysia is currently on faculty at BalletMet Dance Academy. and a member of the ImprovEdge Ensemble. Dionysia has a strong passion for the arts and loves being able to share her passion with inspiring students and amazing audiences around the world!
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