Behavior
In our creative environment, where collaboration and trust are key, behavior plays a crucial role in maintaining a positive and productive atmosphere. As a team of artists who develop shows together, our interactions—both professional and personal—directly influence the work we create. Respect, open communication, and consideration for one another’s ideas and boundaries help us foster an environment where creativity can flourish. Because many of us are friends, it's especially important to balance camaraderie with professionalism, ensuring that everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to contribute their best. As we work together, we also hold each other accountable—leading by example and upholding our shared guidelines to create an environment where everyone thrives and contributes to our collective success.
House Rules
These are our room values and expectations. They are standards we abide by in any working space that we may be in. It is understood in the space that we can utilize a “vibe check” in order to realign ourselves and others with the house rules.
Click here to view our House Rules
Vibe Check
‘Vibe Check’ is our internal tool and phrase used for maintaining accountability and upholding the core values that keep our creative environment thriving. When a Company, Staff or Ensemble member notices that someone is not aligning with our House Rules—whether it’s in communication, behavior, or collaboration—this informal but direct check-in serves as a gentle reminder to get back on track. You simply just either pull someone to the side and say ‘hey i would like to Vibe Check you’ or say it in the moment the behavior is happening. It’s a way for us to support one another in staying true to our shared principles and ensure that the energy we bring to our work remains positive, respectful, and focused. The goal is always to help each other grow, stay aligned, and keep the creative flow strong.
Substance Use and Professionalism
Maintaining professionalism during performances and rehearsals is essential. How we show up reflects on all of us as a company, and it's important that we each contribute to the high standards we’ve set. If you feel as though someone is not abiding by the guidelines listed here, please report it to the stage manager.
Smoking:
If you smoke cigarettes before or after a performance, you must take measures to ensure there is no residual odor. Brush your teeth and/or use mouthwash, wash your hands thoroughly, and cover your costume and hair to prevent any smoke aroma from affecting the audience, scene partners, or other actors due to close proximity. It is the responsibility of each actor and company member to ensure they do not smell of smoke or alcohol, including when consuming alcohol offsite (e.g., at a restaurant during a break or before a call). Please ensure that if you smoke outside, any interior doors are completely closed so that smoke does not travel inside. There are things (mouthwash, deodorant) in the SM kit that are at your disposal to use to freshen up.
Vaping:
Vaping inside of any building we work in is not permitted. You may vape outside during breaks.
Consuming Exodus Food and Beverages:
No food or beverages intended for production or audience consumption may be consumed by company members unless they are perishable items that would otherwise be discarded post-performance (e.g., leftover charcuterie or an open bottle of champagne).
General Substance Use:
No exodus artist should be intoxicated in a rehearsal or performance setting. Arriving at work or working under the influence of any substances that impair your ability to perform your duties safely and effectively is prohibited. "Under the influence" is defined as any state of impairment from alcohol or drugs, including legal recreational or medical substances like alcohol and cannabis in New Mexico. Consumption of legal substances before work or during meal breaks is permitted, impairment at work is not acceptable. The use of illegal drugs at work is strictly prohibited and poses a significant liability to the company. If smoking (cigarettes or cannabis) or consuming alcohol before work or during breaks, it is the responsibility of each artist to ensure they do not smell of smoke or alcohol when working with other artists. This is particularly important for being courteous of your scene partner(s), given the extremely close proximity of our work. Please ensure that if you smoke outside, any interior doors are completely closed so that smoke does not travel inside.
Alcohol and Smoking (Performances):
Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed on site at the performance space either before or during a performance (i.e. during preset or green rooms during the performance) . If you are attending a performance as an audience member, responsible consumption of alcohol that is integrated into the performance (e.g., having a beer served by a character in the play "Zero") is permitted. After a show, perishable items such as open bottles of champagne or charcuterie may be consumed if they cannot be preserved for future use. if perishable beverages are present after the performance ends, actors/support may responsibly enjoy a beverage during mingle or after the audience leaves.
Attendance & Dependability
Our Lateness Policy
Our Stage Manager will send out both Weekly & Daily calls. If you have any confusion as to when you should be somewhere, please contact Bel, the Stage Manager, at bel@exodusensemble.com. We value punctuality as an essential part of maintaining a productive and professional work environment. To ensure clear expectations, please be aware of the following protocol for repeated lateness:
Second Instance of Lateness: Verbal warning issued.
Fourth Instance of Lateness: Written warning issued.
Fifth Instance of Lateness: Grounds for termination.
We encourage everyone to be on time and communicate any challenges in advance. You are considered late any time after the set time you were supposed to arrive. For example, if call is at 9AM and you show up at 9:01, you are considered late! We recommend getting to the place you are called 5 minutes early in order to settle in.
Discrimination Policy
Click here to view our full Policy
Resolving Conflict
We are all bold, courageous, sometimes outspoken individuals. Whenever artists come together and voice ideas, speak their truth, question intentions - it is likely for conflict to arise. We encourage folks to ask hard questions and to speak up when they feel like they need to voice something. In this section are a list of tools to help folks understand our culture around conflict and to help with conflict in the moment.
Our No-Gossip Rule
At this link here, you will find a reading about eliminating gossip that has been embedded into our company culture. The main thing to take away from this is, if you are not willing to speak directly to the person who you are having conflict with, it should not be discussed in any capacity with other folks in the company.
The Clearing Model
At the link above, you will also find a section about clearings. Clearings are a method used to resolve conflict.
Repair List
We work together in close proximity 30-40 hours a week! A Repair List is a tool to aid in difficult conversation. As conversations escalate, or when tension arises you can turn to the list and identify which phrases will help aid you through the conversation.
Everyone should have a physical copy of the Repair Checklist- if you do not please contact the Stage Manager. You can view the PDF version here!
Evaluations
Exodus provides evaluation and feedback sessions for each member of the company to foster growth, identify strengths and areas of improvement, and boost company engagement. Each person in the company chooses an advocate (sometimes called an “eval buddy”) to meet with for frequent feedback meetings. Your advocate is your point person - a resource to listen, answer questions, deliver feedback, and be an overall voice of support for you. We encourage you to meet with your advocate bi-weekly to check in on each other.
Quarterly- Evaluations
In addition to meetings with your advocate, each member of the company is asked to participate in quarterly evaluations. Quarterly evaluations (sometimes called “evals”) are a more formalized system for giving and receiving constructive feedback. You will receive and be asked to complete an evaluation form every quarter (about every three months) to give feedback for each member of the company that is currently active. All currently active members of the company will be completing evaluation forms for you as well. The questions on the quarterly evaluation form are as follows:
How do you think (company member) shows up for the group on a day-to-day basis?
Does (company member) consistently uphold our House Rules? Which House Rules do you think they could be more attentive to?
What do you like most about working with (company member)? Be specific.
In what areas has (company member) grown within their role or the company?
Name a moment when (company member) did not meet the expectations of the company. How would you suggest they move forward and improve?
Where else do you see that (company member) has room for improvement?
How well do you think (company member) communicates?
Do you feel comfortable resolving conflict with (company member)? Why or why not?
You are encouraged to assess other company members’ performance fairly and truthfully. Please answer the responses as if the person receiving the feedback will know it is you. If you are giving criticisms, please do so in a kind manner and possibly provide resolutions for the person you are evaluating. Your advocate is responsible for delivering the responses to your quarterly evaluation without disclosing the respondents’ names. This is designed to give respondents some anonymity when filling out an evaluation form; however, respondents should be aware that certain words, phrases, and recalling of specific circumstances might reveal a respondent’s identity.