Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Who Designs and Directs in LORT Theatres by Gender: Phase Two
HowlRound: In 2015, I started working on a project about designers in League of Resident Theatres (LORT) because I wanted to know who gets hired to design in US regional theatres. Phase two of the LORT designers study continues to collect data on gender of designers, and begins to look at directors and artistic directors, partially in relation to designers. In continuing the work of the study, I hope to establish a baseline and foster a conversation for where we hope to be in the future.
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3 comments:
This data showing the lack of female leaders in theatrical design across the United States sadly, does not shock me. As we have seen in the lack of females being recognized for things like the Academy Award for Directing in the past few years is not uncommon across all positions in all forms of entertainment; television, film, and in this case, theatre. The problem, of course, does not come from the lack of enthusiasm for or interest in theatre in young women, but instead the decreasing exposure to theatre for young people, the small amount of schools that offer programs in theatrical design, and especially the unequal treatment many women face when applying for jobs (not only in theatre or other performance entertainment). By educating young people today in and about theatre, these drastic statistics may lessen as more people of both genders are encouraged to follow creative careers and positions as costume, scenic, sound, lighting, media, and artistic directors.
None of this information is shocking with gender in the work force. Its sad that that's the way it is. But I see these numbers increasing in the future for woman. More and more woman are getting out into the work force of male dominated jobs. We see woman everyday making more progression and I think its great. I think where we lack in getting more females into this positions is schools. I know that every year schools are lacking funding for drama programs around the country. That's what exposing all these woman to these programs starting in high school. Its unhearting that people aren't being exposed to the wonders of theatre at a young age. I hope in the future that this will change and that the numbers will relect it.
I find this article interesting, for several reasons. One is because it conformed my suppression, that there are more males in the technical theater realm than females, and two, that it is swapped for our current precollege program. Even though the data is just talking about LORT theaters I believe that this data really applies to all theaters. There just seem to be more men in the design and technical production side of theater. I am not sure weather or not I believe that that is a good thing or a bad thing though. Based on the data, in all design fields except for costumes, males make up for about 70% and up, and I don’t exactly think that this is a bad thing. I think that it is just a fact, and that there is nothing wrong with their being more men who are part of the technical aspects of the theater. We live in a male dominated world, and technical theater is just another place that males dominate.
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