About Ars Nova

How We do it

At Ars Nova, how we make is just as important as what we make, which is why we’re committed to ensuring that theatermaking and theatergoing is as sustainable as possible for artists and audiences.

OUR CORE VALUES

We are zealous in our pursuit of our mission to discover, develop and launch early career artists;
We trust and follow the artists’ impulse, placing it in the center of everything we do while aiming to be flexible, responsive and say ‘Yes’ whenever possible;
We embrace uniqueness by celebrating and advancing artists whose work is unconventional, adventurous, forward-thinking and often genre-bending;
We believe in telling stories with a heart, born from artists with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and points of view, and value entertainment as a virtue in and of itself;
We are ambitious, fearless industry leaders who take calculated, daring risks;
We approach our work collaboratively, eschewing silos, promoting a horizontal, “best idea rises to the top” atmosphere and supporting a healthy work/life balance that appreciates the importance of people’s lives outside of the theater;
We believe that each and every member of our community deserves to be treated with generosity, equity and respect and are committed to creating and maintaining a safe, inclusive and diverse work environment;
We see providing a fun, inviting atmosphere that welcomes everyone, while also specifically cultivating the next generation of audiences, as a core companion effort to our mission to develop the next generation of artists. We embrace and celebrate that next generation as the most diverse in our nation’s history; and
We strive to remove all barriers to access, so we: make affordable tickets available for all of our programming, directly reach out to audiences where they are and engage on the platforms they naturally employ to consume entertainment media.

OUR CORE PRACTICES:

Fair Pay

The majority of our annual operating expenses go towards compensating people for their time, talents and labor. We call this investment the Fair Pay Initiative, which we formally launched in 2017 with significant investments in immediate raises from the theater industry’s widely-accepted wage floor.

Our Fair Pay commitments are:

To strive to compensate artists and arts workers a living, not minimum, wage;
To consistently prioritize individual compensation, pushing against a non-profit culture that attempts to make more possible with less on the backs of undercompensated workers;
To consistently interrogate our practices and push as far as we can towards fair wages every year;
To implement these values equitably.

Learn more about our Fair Pay commitments:

The work of the Fair Pay Initiative is both not enough and never done. Do you believe that artists and arts workers should be compensated fairly? Do you want to help us get further towards this goal? Support our commitment and efforts.

Accessibility

We strive to make our shows as easy as possible to engage with for everyone! Come as you are; you are welcome here! Both our venues are wheelchair accessible and offer gender-neutral restrooms.

You will find information on every show page about:

Seat spacing, sizing, and type(s) available.
Wheelchair accessibility;
When and if ASL interpretation, captioning, or assisted listening devices are available;
When and if audio-description or touch tours are available;
When and if relaxed performances are available;
When and if mask-required performances are available.

Have an accessibility question or suggestion? We’d love to hear from you! Contact accountability@arsnovanyc.com.

Transparency & Accountability

Ars Nova believes in transparency around our decision-making, and accountability in how we uphold our core values to one another in community.

Within our community of artists, staff, and board, we hold other accountable to our core values in our work together through our Code of Conduct, linked here.

We also share these values and practices with the public, to be transparent with potential artists, staff, and supporters on what we believe and how we work, and to make it more possible to hold ourselves accountable to our aspirations and goals.