‘I’ve Breastfed In Makeup Chairs’: Industry Leaders Support Parents & Carers In Performing Arts Pledge

To mark its 10th anniversary, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA), announced the launch of the PiPA Pledge, a new initiative inviting performing arts organizations “to commit to building workplaces that truly value, support, and empower parents and carers to thrive,” according to today’s announcement.

The country’s trade bodies UK Music and LIVE, Help Musicians, Attitude Is Everything, and many of the UK’s iconic theaters have co-signed the pledge. Full list of co-signees below.

The PiPA Pledge, in PiPa’s own words, is a “sector-wide commitment to long-term structural change that makes the performing arts more accessible, equitable and sustainable for those with caregiving responsibilities.

It’s also “a promise and a pathway for progress,” as it “encourages arts organizations to recognize and celebrate all forms of parenting and caregiving, viewed through an anti-racist and intersectional lens, and to take tangible steps toward inclusive, sustainable change.”

According to the organization, there is no one-size-fits all approach to supporting parents and carers, so actions honoring the pledge will be determined by each organization individually.

By signing the PiPA Pledge, participating organizations commit to five key principles:

1. To recoginze the real barriers faced by parents and carers working in the performing arts, and address them with informed action. 
2. To champion carers and parents, who are integral to the country’s creative strength, and to shape inclusive workplaces that respond to their needs.
3. To help performers find a work-life balance that supports their wellbeing and powers their creativity, by building a culture of flexibility grounded in open conversations about how, when, and where work happens. 
4. To evolve and stay relevant by developing adaptable, responsive and supportive policies and practices.   
5. To celebrate and showcase the exceptional creativity, skills and experiences that parents and carers bring to the performing arts.

More than 80 performing arts organizations had committed to honor this pledge at the time of this writing. Full list after some comments from creatives, highlighting the often times absurd and untenable situations, in which parents and carers are finding themselves in the fast-paced, chaotic environment of their respective industries.

Making Live Work For Mothers & Fathers: ‘Parents Are Loyal, Efficient & Selfless’

Comments:

Emmy the Great, Musician: “I think about what kind of industry future generations will inherit, whether they’ll see themselves reflected in it and want to be a part of it. The PiPA Pledge is about building that future now. It’s about making sure the music industry doesn’t just survive, but that it evolves with our times, with care, with equity, and with imagination.

“When we support parents and carers, we’re not just supporting individuals, we’re investing in the long-term health and diversity of our creative communities. I know firsthand how hard it is to balance the demands of a music career with a family. This moment offers the possibility of a new path forward.”

Rosalie Craig, Actress: “Care is an important universal human experience. Yet too often, parents and carers are forced to choose between their families and their careers. But care is not a compromise, it’s a strength. When we support parents and carers, we keep talent in the industry and make space for stories that reflect real life. This is about working together to create an arts world where no one has to choose between family and career.

“The PiPA Pledge is about collective action and shared responsibility. It’s really encouraging to see so many PiPA Partners have committed to it – this is absolutely the push we need.”

Rakie Ayola, Actress: “I’ve breastfed in makeup chairs, changed [diapers] in dressing rooms, expressed milk in rehearsal rooms, and for several years didn’t know on Thursday morning, if the last-minute schedule would allow me to host my child’s birthday party the following Saturday afternoon. These anecdotes aren’t unique to me, and they’re examples of how much care work is quietly carried by so many in our industry.

“The PiPA Pledge is a bold invitation to stop pretending that care and creativity exist in separate worlds. It’s a call to build structures that honor both. I’m proud to be part of a movement that doesn’t just ask for change, it shows us how to make it.”

Sophia Di Martino, Actress: “When I had my first child, I was filming on set just a few months later, breastfeeding between takes and trying to hold it all together. It was joyful and exhausting — and it made me realize how invisible the challenges of caregiving can be in our industry. The PiPA Pledge matters because it says: we see you, and we’re building something better. It’s not just about flexibility, it’s about fairness, and about recognizing that care is not a barrier to creativity, it’s a part of it. I’m proud to stand with PiPA and the 60+ organizations who are committing to real change.”

Tom Kiehl, CEO UK Music: “The PiPA Pledge is a bold and necessary intervention for the future of our industry. If we’re serious about building a resilient, inclusive and world-leading music sector, we must address barriers facing parents and carers.
This is about talent retention, economic sustainability and cultural relevance. UK Music is proud to support PiPA’s vision and we urge policymakers, funders and industry leaders to back this, not just in principle, but in practice by working with PiPA.”

Kate Varah, Executive Director and Co-CEO, National Theatre: “Ten years on, we’re seeing what’s possible when we commit to reimagining the way we work. The PiPA Pledge builds on that momentum – empowering the sector to lead with purpose, take action, and celebrate success.

“At the National Theatre, signing the Pledge is a reflection of our deep commitment to creating a workplace where parents and carers are not only supported, but recognized as vital to our creative and cultural strength. This is about embedding care into the fabric of our industry – and we’re proud to be part of that change.”

SOLT & UK Theatre Co-CEO, Hannah Essex: “SOLT & UK Theatre have supported PiPA since its inception. Ten years on, we are pleased to pledge our support for their ongoing work to find new ways to recruit and retain parents and carers, who form a vital part of our brilliant theatre workforce. We look forward to working with PiPA and leaders across the sector to ensure we continue to create inclusive working environments.”

Charisse Beaumont, Chief Executive, Black Lives in Music: “The PiPA Pledge offers a powerful and practical framework for real change because transformation doesn’t come from good intentions alone, it comes from accountability, data, and action. As a mother of two, I know first-hand the importance of and the need for a workplace that embraces the fullness of human experience. Parenthood doesn’t take away from our skill or ambition, it enhances it.

“When we’re supported and trusted, we give even more. It’s time to stop the exodus of parents and carers from the music industry and build one that truly works for everyone. The Pledge recognizes that parents and carers, especially those from marginalized communities, face deep-rooted barriers that can’t be solved by policy tweaks. What’s needed is a cultural shift a music industry that opens its doors wider, values every story, and makes space for us all to thrive.”

Cassie Raine and Anna Ehnold-Danailov, Co-CEO’s Parents and Carers in Performing Arts: “The PiPA Pledge marks a turning point for the performing arts. This isn’t about words on paper, it’s about driving structural change and building an equitable, care-centered industry. 80 organizations have committed to actions that will reshape how we work, care, and create. What matters now is action, and how we make inclusion real together. This is about moving from words to delivery and reshaping the way our industry cares and creates.”

80 Arts organizations who have signed the pledge as of Nov. 12, 2025 in alphabetical order:

Actors Touring Company (ACT); Al Seed Productions; An Tobar and Mull Theatre ; Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT); ATG Entertainment; Attitude is Everything; Back to Ours; Balbir Singh Dance Company; balletLORENT; Birds of Paradise Theatre Company; BECTU; Birmingham Repertory Theatre; Carbon Theatre; Chichester Festival Theatre; Creu Cymru; Dance Base; Dance Mama CIC; Dance Professional Fund; Dancers’ Career Development; Derby Theatre; Diverse City; Donmar Warehouse; Drake Music Scotland; Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; English Touring Theatre; Equity; Exeter Northcott; Factory International; Federation of Scottish Theatres; Graeae; Grid Iron; Help Musicians and Music Minds Matter; Hull Truck Theatre; Independent Theatre Council (ITC); Jacksons Lane; Leeds Heritage Theatres; Leeds Playhouse; LIVE; Liverpool Everyman Playhouse; LUNG Theatre; M6 Theatre; Mercury Theatre; Middle Child; Musicians Union; National Theatre; National Theatre Scotland; National Dance Company Wales; Next Door But One; Northern Ballet; Northern Broadsides Theatre Company; Nottingham Playhouse; Octagon Theatre Bolton; One Dance UK; People Dancing; Rhiannon Faith Company; Royal and Derngate; Royal Ballet and Opera; Liverpool Philharmonic; Royal Shakespeare Company; Sadlers Wells; Sheffield Theatres; Shotput; Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre; Sonia Friedman Productions; Spotlight; Stage Management Association (SMA); Stellar Quines; Stephen Joseph Theatre; The Association for Lighting Production and Design (ALPD); The Music Managers Forum; The Old Vic; The Paper Birds; Theatr Clwyd; Theatr Iolo; Theatre Hullabaloo; Theatre Royal Wakefield; Tutti Frutti Productions; UK Music; Unicorn Theatre; Wales Millenium Centre

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