IA Code of Conduct

THIS DOCUMENT OUTLINES OUR EXPECTATIONS OF YOU WHILST YOU ARE ENGAGED AS AN EMPLOYEE, VOLUNTEER, PERFORMER OR STUDENT WITH OUR ORGANISATION. IGNORANCE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS AN EXCUSE FOR VIOLATING THIS CODE OF CONDUCT.
• You are expected to attend any scheduled meetings, classes or pre-show rehearsals for activities with which are involved. If you know you are going to be unable to attend please inform your co-workers, teacher, director or stage manager as soon as possible.
• You are expected to arrive punctually in advance of your meeting, class, rehearsal or call time on the date of a performance, and to listen carefully to any important information or safety guidelines that are announced. If you know you are going to be late please inform your co-workers, teacher, director or stage manager and bring yourself up to speed regarding any important information or safety issues as soon as possible after arrival.
• You must not partake in drugs or alcohol immediately prior to or during any work activities, classes, rehearsals or performances. Any persons suspected of being affected by or under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be required to stand down and not participate. 
If you believe yourself or some other person to be affected by drugs or alcohol you have a responsibility to declare yourself unable to work or take part in the class, rehearsal or performance, or inform a properly authorised representative of Impro Australia of your suspicions as the case may be.
• You are required to bring to the attention of your colleagues, teacher, director or stage manager any physical or medical condition that may affect your work or participation in classes, rehearsals or performances. Once informed of your condition Impro Australia will seek to accommodate your participation in the activity in a way that is safe for you and for those around you, but understand that you have a responsibility to ensure that you don’t engage in any activities which will place yourself or any other person at an increased risk of harm.
• Staff, students, performers and crew are expected to behave with proper care and consideration towards each other at all times. You have a responsibility to ensure that your actions do not place yourself or others at risk.
• You are required to refrain from any action or statement that may reasonably be expected to abuse, insult, demean, harass, harm or distress any other person participating in the activity with which you are involved. Any person believed to have recklessly or deliberately undertaken such actions or statements will be required to stand down until a proper investigation of the incident has been carried out by Impro Australia. 

If you are aware of or believe that an incident of harmful, harassing, demeaning, insulting or abusive behaviour (whether it be verbal or physical) has taken place, either at an Impro Australia activity or externally if the incident nonetheless impacts upon your or any other person’s ability to safely participate in Impro Australia’s activities, then you have a responsibility to inform a properly authorised representative of Impro Australia. Please be aware that if you believe any incident might be criminal in nature then your primary responsibility is to report it to the police. 

Impro Australia does not tolerate incidents of this nature and will take all necessary steps to follow up on reports of such behaviours and investigate as confidentially as possible given the circumstances of the reported incident. The perpetrators of such incidents will be held accountable for their actions or statements and the victims of such incidents will be supported by Impro Australia.
• Staff, students, performers and crew at classes and public performances have a particular responsibility to act with consideration towards your colleagues and the audience. All persons should refrain from any statement or action that may reasonably be expected to discomfort or distress a fellow student, performer or member of the audience.
• Providing they emerge in an appropriate context, adult concepts, language and sexual references may be considered to be an acceptable part of a typical class or performance. Unwarranted vulgarity, obscenity and behaviour or language that is liable to vilify on the basis of race, gender, disability or sexual orientation will not be tolerated. Statements and behaviours liable to serve as triggers to survivors of abuse are also unacceptable. If you have any doubts about how your behaviour or statements might be received then you should refrain from vocalising or acting them out.
• Audience members may with an appropriate manner and good humour be encouraged to interact with a performance or provide scene offers or suggestions from their seats, but should not be compelled to do so or be made to feel uncomfortable if they don’t want to interact with the performance. 
Audience members may with due care and consideration be encouraged to leave their seats and sit, stand, talk or move around on an ordinarily safe stage, but in such cases they should not be asked to undertake any unusual physical exertions or made to participate in any activities which might be considered to be unsafe. Under no circumstances should a member of the audience be compelled to leave their seat or made to feel uncomfortable as a result of their choice to become involved with the performance or to refrain from doing so.
• It is never appropriate to discomfort, humiliate, demean or abuse a member of the audience. They have come to the performance to have fun, not to be made fun of.
• Please understand that you are required to act at all times in accordance with the properly issued directions of any authorised representative of Impro Australia, whether that be a staff member, teacher, director, stage manager, show technician or other authorised person as the case may be.
If you have any questions or have anything to report please contact the General Manager of Impro Australia, John Barnier, on +61 413016343 or admin@improaustralia.com.au