Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

ABOUT METROPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (MPAC)
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (MPAC) houses 329 seats and hosts hundreds of produced and presented performances each year, including a Main Stage subscription series and various concerts, comedies, and cabarets.

The Metropolis School of Performing Arts (SOPA) enriches the lives of thousands of students aged 4 – 80+. Our school curates arts curricula for students of all ages, including those with disabilities.

• History
• School

OUR COMMITMENT
• Metropolis Performing Arts Centre stands against systemic racism, hatred, and violence.
• Metropolis strives to ensure our theater is a safe space and secure environment, free of harassment or intimidation.
• We acknowledge that lack of action is harmful. Metropolis has implemented and will continue to take specific, actionable steps toward long-term and sustainable change.

OUR PLEDGE
• To recruit and engage people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and voices (including but not limited to BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities) within our staff, on our board, on our stage, and in our school.
• To engage institute-wide, anti-racist education and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training to build a lasting culture of inclusion in partnership with YWCA: Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women.
• To regularly evaluate the effectiveness and impact of our choices as experienced by these populations.
• To onboard staff, creative teams, and artists with training on harassment and discrimination as well as communication guidelines.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that our performing arts center is located on the unceded, ancestral lands of indigenous tribes, such as the Council of the Three Fires–comprised of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations–as well as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations.

We recognize the intentional displacement of Indigenous peoples and cultures by European settlers and government actions. Non-indigenous people continue to profit from this decision-making today. We encourage our Metropolis staff and community to reflect on this power dynamic and to center and honor Indigenous peoples in future relationships with and on these lands.

We embrace our commitment to Indigenous rights, racial justice, and cultural equity not only through this statement but also through our commitment to the exploration of works by Native American playwrights, pieces by indigenous artists, and curriculum that reflects the rich experiences of Indigenous peoples as part of our mission of education through the arts.

We believe that our land acknowledgment is only one part of a broader constellation of initiatives. Our first step towards change is education: learning historical and cultural context. Below are links that helped to inform this statement, and we encourage our community to explore them.

RESOURCES
• https://aicchicago.org/
• https://chicagoaicc.com/
• http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/diversity/chicago-indigenous
• https://mitchellmuseum.org/
• http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/diversity/chicago-indigenous
• https://www.artic.edu/about-us/land-acknowledgment

On days where there is a performance, the box office will remain open through the start of the show.