WISE 2026 Commitment Charter

·WISE 2026 Commitment Charter·

FOR A SAFE AND CREATIVE FESTIVAL

PREAMBLE

WISE aims to be a festive, inclusive, creative festival that fosters connections and encounters.

To guarantee this, we must provide a safe environment for everyone.

This charter defines our values and mutual commitments. It is the core foundation of our festival.

It applies to all participants: trainees, instructors, artists, volunteers, partners, and the public. It applies everywhere: on stage, backstage, in workshops, at the bar, in the street, and in the auditorium.

OUR VALUES

■ Equal access, inclusivity & representation:

Rejecting all forms of discrimination and fostering a diversity of profiles and identities. Providing adjustments and accommodations for those who need them.

■ Freedom and Empowerment:

Feeling free to be oneself and to propose whatever one wishes, without judgment or self-censorship.

■ Respect and Humility:

Accepting that one can cause offense or hurt without intending to. Remaining vigilant and knowing how to question oneself.

■ Solidarity and social engagement:

Fostering cooperation, support, and mutual aid. Expanding target audiences and cooperating with cultural and social organizations.

■ Physical and emotional safety:

Seeking the global well-being of everyone. Strict attention is paid to risk prevention and to creating a protected environment.

CONSENT

We consider consent to be an indispensable prerequisite for defending these values.

It is:

Freely given

It must be given without coercion, pressure, threats, or blackmail. The person must have a real choice to say “no”.

Revocable

A “yes” at 2:00 PM can become a “no” at 4:00 PM.

Specific

Agreeing to dance is not agreeing to be touched. Agreeing to a contact is not agreeing to a kiss. Giving consent to one person is not giving it to another.

Informed

All necessary information must be provided (risks, consequences, alternatives). And one must ensure that the person is in a fit state to receive it.

Justifications and availability are never owed.

If a situation, a scene, or an interaction does not suit us, we have the absolute right to withdraw without having to justify ourselves.

The specific case of improv:

Improvisation does not mean that everything is acceptable. Physical contact (lifts, kisses, intimate touch), scenes of humiliation, or other attacks on a character likely to hurt the actor playing them must be treated with particular attention and care.

■ Prior agreement

As far as possible, ensure you have a prior agreement.

■ Absolute listening

In all cases, demonstrate absolute listening to the partner’s stop signals (verbal or non-verbal).

■ Limits of the other

Ensure you give your partner the opportunity to make their limits understood. Silence does not mean consent.

PROHIBITED BEHAVIORS

The festival is committed to providing a respectful and safe environment. Consequently, certain behaviors are incompatible. We expect full responsibility from each participant, whether experienced or new, on or off stage, euphoric or angry, intoxicated or perfectly sober.

Legal offenses:

Any behavior constituting an offense under the law is strictly and logically forbidden.

Undermining the collective experience and respect for others:

Behaviors that, without necessarily constituting a criminal offense, undermine the safety or well-being of participants are also prohibited.

We expect everyone to avoid:

Any intrusion into personal space: Insistence, failure to respect a refusal (verbal or non-verbal), non-consensual physical proximity, handling personal belongings, or intruding into private spaces.
Failure to respect instructions: Ignoring or disputing requests from the organization team, security, or any identified festival staff.
Any sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or ableist remarks or behavior.

We remind you that if you use this type of language to denounce a certain reality, make humor, or create artistic content, you are responsible for what you say. You must take care not to hurt anyone and not to trivialize these forms of discrimination.

SPECIFIC POINTS OF VIGILANCE

For trainees:

I commit to supporting my acting partners, being attentive to their feelings, respecting verbalized boundaries, decoding visual or verbal signs of discomfort, and ensuring I give them the means to express them.

For instructors:

Aware of my potential position of authority, I question my influence to avoid any abuse of power. I guarantee a space of trust without disparagement and systematically implement the festival’s prevention tools (consent circles, debriefs, etc.).

For organizers:

Aware of our position, we ensure the fairness of our decisions. We commit to listening to every word and report with seriousness, confidentiality, and impartiality, and to taking immediate necessary measures.

COMMITMENT

In case of non-compliance or need to talk?

If you are a victim of or witness to behavior contrary to this charter, you can directly contact the festival’s SVSH (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Harassment) contact persons. These individuals will be introduced to you at the beginning of the festival and will be your points of contact to discuss this charter or related issues on-site. You will find their personal numbers in the “wiseur” guide provided to you.
They are also the only ones with access to the dedicated email address (safewise@lilo.org).
This inbox will remain open even after the end of the festival; you will always have the possibility to write to this address to report events that occurred during the festival.
Faced with behavior it deems problematic, the organization reserves the right to issue sanctions ranging from a warning to permanent exclusion from the festival without refund, or even legal proceedings.