Blind Tiger Comedy is committed to reducing the barriers to participation in our comedy classes, and to making those classes as safe/brave as possible. The better we can create spaces where more folks are welcome, the more welcome those folks will feel, and the more those spaces will be welcoming.
Our work in these directions takes a few different forms, from proactively creating space in classes for folks, to building policies and practices that support fun, safer classes and shows, and hosting jams and training events that foster learning and growth for our community as a whole.
Through programs like our Welcome initiatives and inclusion events we have seen a noticeable change in the demographics of our comedy community, and we know there is a great deal of work remaining to contribute to Vancouver’s comedy stages better reflecting their communities.
We welcome your feedback on all our inclusion and safer spaces programming at classes@blindtigercomedy.ca. Thanks for your time and interest in Blind Tiger Comedy!
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DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP
FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP
FREE CLASSES & JAM SHOWS
ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
COMEDY CLASS GUIDELINES
ANONYMOUS HARASSMENT FORM & THIRD PARTY CONTACT
Diversity Scholarship
Blind Tiger Comedy (BTC) is dedicated to increasing the representation of people of different ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and abilities into Blind Tiger Comedy’s classes, shows, and the Vancouver comedy community as a whole.
BTC’s Diversity Scholarship is available to people of colour, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and members of the disability community. The details of this scholarship are subject to change as we learn and receive feedback about this programming.
Who | What | How
As of January 2021, Blind Tiger Comedy is committed to making at least two spaces in all classes available to scholarship students. Historically the majority of these spots are diversity scholarships with some (around 20%) being financial aid scholarships. In rare instances it may be necessary to limit scholarship spots to one space per class, but much more often than that we are able to offer three or more spots in a class. Wherever possible, we seek to find ways to get scholarship applicants into classes.
The BTC Diversity Scholarship is not explicitly need-based, though we ask that applicants be mindful of their need when considering applying so that the scholarships may be given to those who might not otherwise be able to take classes at Blind Tiger Comedy. In the cases where students are able to pay a partial scholarship, the rest of that scholarship is passed on to another applicant in that class or another class.
BTC would like to acknowledge that some of the spaces they teach are lacking in terms of accessibility. We are actively seeking to address this but given the difficulty finding space in the city it’s also important to acknowledge we do not currently predict a quick solution to this challenge.
Applying
We have endeavoured to make the application process as light as possible, however there is no way around needing some information from applicants. Thus, to apply, we ask that you fill out this five-question application.
Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the exception of those applying who have already received a scholarship. Preference will be given to new students, therefore students who have received a scholarship and are applying again (welcome back!) will be contacted closer to when the semester begins.
Applicants will be contacted by the General Manager and/or Assistant General Manager of Blind Tiger Comedy within three business days of their application (often quicker).
Blind Tiger Comedy would like to acknowledge the work of other great theatres and communities have done developing programming like this, and specifically some of the language used in our programming, particularly HUGE Theater, Bad Dog Theatre, and Rapid Fire Theatre.
THE BLIND TIGER COMEDY FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP
Blind Tiger Comedy is committed to reducing barriers for anyone who wants to try comedy. The BTC Financial Aid Scholarship is available to students for whom cost is a barrier to participating in a comedy class.
As of January 2021, Blind Tiger Comedy is committed to making at least two spaces in all classes available to scholarship students. Historically the majority of these spots are diversity scholarships with some (around 20%) being financial aid scholarships. In rare instances it may be necessary to limit scholarship spots to one space per class, but much more often than that we are able to offer three or more spots in a class. Wherever possible, we seek to find ways to get scholarship applicants into classes.
Who | What | How
We have endeavoured to make the application process as light as possible, however there is no way around needing some information from applicants. Thus, to apply, we ask that you fill out this five-question form.
We ask that applicants be mindful of their need when considering applying so that the scholarships may be given to those who might not otherwise be able to take classes at Blind Tiger Comedy. In the cases where students are able to pay a partial scholarship, the rest of that scholarship is passed on to another applicant in that class or another class.
We get that applying for financial aid can be stressful. We’ve tried to keep the application as short and unintrusive as possible. Every member of the Blind Tiger Comedy team has experienced significant financial need, and that’s why this scholarship is important to us.
Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the exception of those applying who have already received a scholarship. Preference will be given to new students, therefore students who have received a scholarship and are applying again (welcome back!) will be contacted closer to when the semester begins.
Applicants will be contacted by the General Manager of Blind Tiger Comedy within three business days of their application (often quicker).
As always, we welcome your feedback on this programming! Thank you in advance for your time.
FREE CLASSES & JAM SHOWS
Blind Tiger hosts free classes for the general public every semester. They’re great, they’re fun, and we advertise them in the free classes section of our classes page.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee programs other free classes and Jam Shows that are for particular communities who might be interested in identity-specific classes or events.
An Example Night
The format is ever-evolving, but an example night (in this case, for LGBTQIA+ folks) who identify as looks like this:
6pm – Sparkling waters and timbits are served! Come chat with your fellow comedians.
6:15-7:15pm – The Free Improv Class for LGBTQIA+ Folks! – This one-hour improv class is open to all LGBTQIA+ folks. Beginners are very welcome, as are more seasoned improvisers! Members of the public are not invited to this part of the night.
7:30-8:30pm – The LGBTQIA+ Jam Show – this chill performance opportunity is for LGBTQIA+ improvisers of all levels to play hosted by the faculty member who led the night’s free class! The public is very welcome to watch!
-Come at 7:15pm to sign up for the Jam, just so we know you’re interested!
THE ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
The Blind Tiger Comedy Anti-Harassment Policy is central to our entire operation at Blind Tiger Comedy. All students are required to sign it, we review it every year, and it governs how we respond to issues that may arise in classes, shows or special events. It is important that everyone we work with reviews it and feels comfortable using the reporting procedures that are outlined in it.
Together with our Comedy Class Guidelines (below), this is the foundation of our approach to creating classes and shows that are as safe as possible.
THE COMEDY CLASS GUIDELINES
The Comedy Class Guidelines offer students and teachers a pragmatic outline of the values and practices you can expect at all our classes and shows. This document is also there for incoming students to understand a bit more what a class is like and whether classes at BTC are right for you! To quote the CCGs themselves: “if these guidelines feel too strong, Blind Tiger Comedy may not be the comedy training option for you.”
Together with our Anti-Harassment Policy (above), this is the foundation of our approach to creating classes and shows that are as safe as possible.
ANONYMOUS HARASSMENT FORM & THIRD PARTY CONTACT
If you are part of the Blind Tiger Comedy community, and would like to use our anonymous harassment form, click here. Note that the form does not disclose your name, but that anything written in the form will be read by Artistic Director Tom Hill, Consulting Director Caitlin Howden, and/or Sasha Mark, special projects manager and faculty at Blind Tiger Comedy.
If you are not comfortable sharing concerns with those folks, we have a third-party contact available to share concerns with. Her name is Beth Dart and she can be reached at bdart@catchthekeys.ca. Beth is paid to respond to these concerns but is not part of Blind Tiger Comedy in any other capacity and does not live in Vancouver.
