Theatre Welfare Resources

CN: This page contains mentions of sexual assault, sexual harassment and practices around sexual misconduct relating to intimacy and consent

We are committed to making sure that the ADC Theatre and Corpus Playroom are places in which people feel safe and supported, both as creatives and individuals. We are taking steps to formalise a welfare policy which applies specifically to our venues, but have listed and linked other resources below which we hope will be useful to anyone putting on a show in Cambridge. 

As a department of the University of Cambridge, the ADC Theatre is committed to preventing any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or sexual misconduct, among its staff, the student community and our customers. More detail on this policy can be found on the University's website. We are committed to being a place in which people can feel safe, and those found to be conducting discrimination, harassment, victimisation or sexual misconduct will receive disciplinary action and will be subject to an investigation by the University's Office of Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals.

Reach Out Campaign

The Reach Out Campaign has been designed by staff at the University of Cambridge to signpost students to support available on a range of issues. Whatever the problem or issue, there are lots of people who can help. Reach Out to your Tutor or DoS, college welfare or nursing team or student services. You can access support at: https://www.studentsupport.cam.ac.uk/ 

It's not all about work; it's important to take time out, do things you enjoy. 

Harassment or Discrimination

If you have been the subject of harassment while at the ADC Theatre or Corpus Playroom, or would like to report any misconduct, you can find more details about our reporting procedure on this page of our website.

The flow chart below (and its text-only version) also lays out the different pathways following an incident or complaint, including options for informal and formal processes at a society, theatre and University level.

Sexual Assault and Harassment

In addition to the above University resources and our internal reporting procedure, you can also go directly to the University Sexual Assault and Harassment Advisor who is able to offer support to survivors regardless of whether or not they choose to engage with any reporting processes. 

  • Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre are a local charity, separate from the University, who can offer support and counselling to female survivors of sexual violence. 
  • Safeline offers telephone and email support for all survivors of sexual violence, regardless of gender, and they also have a dedicated telephone support line for male survivors of rape and childhood sexual abuse.
  • The University Counselling Service also offers a free and confidential service to all students. 

You can also look at the guide below, produced by student society Loud and Clear, which talks in more detail about how to deal with sexual harassment and assault. It includes resources for victims, including where to find support and guidance on reporting, and also contains advice for friends, such as how to support someone who has been assaulted, and what not to say.

Consent and Intimacy in Theatre

In collaboration with Robbie Taylor Hunt, an alumni of Cambridge University and trained Intimacy Director, the ADC Theatre now has a set of 'Intimacy Direction Guidelines' (visible below) to be used by any and all theatre productions in Cambridge. These should be a starting point for any show, whether or not there is explicit intimacy content, as there is lots of generally helpful information about safeguarding and closure for sensitive content in theatre. 

The ADC Theatre often runs termly 'Introduction to the Basics of Intimacy' workshops, which productions will be invited to if their shows have intimacy content - any remaining spaces will be opened up to students on a first come, first served basis. For shows with more intense intimacy content, there is a possibility that more specific sessions with professional Intimacy Directors can be arranged through the ADC Production Manager. The cost of all of the general workshops are subsidised by the theatre, and the specific sessions have previously been facilitated by generous donations from the societies below: 

  • Cambridge University Amateur Dramatics Club
  • The Fletcher Players
  • The Mighty Players
  • Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society
  • The Cambridge Footlights
  • Brickhouse Theatre Company
  • Christ's Amateur Dramatic Society

There are several other industry guides that may also be useful when navigating intimacy and consent in theatre, of which a few are linked below:

Content Warnings

Content warning around potentially distressing topics is a really important part of making people feel safe enough to engage with productions, both from an audience perspective and for someone wanting to get involved in the cast/crew. It's important that productions indicate in advance any topics which might cause distress/harm to those engaging with it by content warning any and all material they release around it - for more information on exactly what content warnings are and how they're used, we've put together a guide for using them in Cambridge Theatre, which you can access and download below.

[CW for below guide: this document contains brief mention of multiple distressing topics including but not limited to sexual assault, self-harm, suicide, discrimination/bigotry and death]

Tips on Audition Inclusivity

The Cambridge Trans Theatre Collective have put together a document all about being more trans inclusive in the audition process, which can be accessed below. We also have a guide on making identity-conscious theatre from the CUADC Diversity and Inclusion Officer, in collaboration with Bread Theatre and Film. 

If you're a director, producer, or involved with the casting of a show (any show) please have a read of both these documents to make sure you're being as open and inclusive to performers as possible. If, after reading, you have any questions please get in touch with the Production Manager, who can put you in touch with the authors of these documents specifically.