Policy on Sensitive and Banned Topics

When everyone takes care of each other, everyone brings out the best in each other.

Because our jam is open to anyone to play, we typically get improvisers from different walks of life, with different backgrounds and experiences from all over the world. We want to make sure that we are fostering a safe environment for everyone to participate in. Therefore, we have established sensitive and banned topics that we would like players who participate in the jam to avoid.

We specified sensitive topics versus banned topics because sensitive topics, although not a dealbreaker, can be excessive for some players in our community. Please approach these subjects with discretion. Banned topics must never be utilized in play, as they are topics that are either emotionally triggering to some and/or offensive to others.  These include any topics making fun of experiences that drastically affect quality of life or encouraging the marginalization of people who historically are already marginalized.

If any player approaches a sensitive or banned topic, they will be notified by one of the jam’s volunteers.

We also have a timeout policy that can be utilized by anyone, including jammers and audience members. The Time Out Policy may be used when anyone feels that the subject matter in play affects them to the point that they can no longer safely participate in jam activities. If a Time Out occurs, volunteers will investigate the incident either during or after the jam. The Time Out Policy is not meant to deter players from participating due to topic restrictions, rather it should be a reminder that we should be taking care of our fellow improvisers and audience members by respecting each other and our boundaries. 

For further guidance on sensitive and banned topics, please contact us at intercityimprov@gmail.com.