Friday, September 25, 2015
Victory Gardens Launches Directors Inclusion Initiative
Stage Directions: Victory Gardens Theater has named the first five directors of their new Directors Inclusion Intitiative, aimed to develop talented and emerging Chicago stage directors identifying as people of color, disable, women, transgender and gender non-conforming.
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3 comments:
This is a great thing to see and a very important intentional effort that more theatre companies have been and should be thinking about. Diversity in theatre, both on and off stage, is extremely important, and although theatre is considered to be pretty accepting and progressive, the professional industry continues to be dominated similarly to the rest of society with white men possessing much of the control. If we have only one viewpoint telling a story, there are very few stories we can tell. Diversity in theatre is important because oftentimes those who are marginalized in society are the ones who need to tell their stories the most. Using theatre as a platform to bring issues to the public’s attention, to inform, educate, and in the process entertain, is the preeminent purpose of contemporary theatre. I am very confident in the industry’s ability to continue the progress it has made in efforts to be more inclusive of different narratives and look forward to what is to come.
Hell yeah! I comment on the diversity article every week and discuss how we take the “progress” that is done solely for publicity sake. However here there is totally actually progression. I say this because I truly believe the real sign of progression is when the smaller theatres, those who could get away with maintain a non status quo, incorporates diversity. Goes out of there way to even. This is a sign of progress because no one is holding this theatre to this, they are choosing to include all types of people.
In the long run this inclusion will really serve theatre, as people of color, disable, women, transgender and gender non confirming have a lot too offer to the field of art. There are interesting stories within their lives that have not yet been represented in theatre, and cannot be accurately until we are in the position to direct it. We just need a chance, an equal opportunity to express ourselves- and when we do the theatrical world will see a whole new range of new, engaging shows.
This is a fantastic initiative. I have met and spoken with the Managing Director of Victory Gardens and the theatre is well-known in Chicago for its purposes and quality of work. Some may say that having an article about it is diversity for publicity, but I would actually claim that it is publicity for diversity. Victory Gardens is not the only company in Chicago with progressive initiatives and policies meant for the advancement of people without racial or gendered privilege. If these policies (of color-conscious casting, diversity in staff, and these types of initiatives) continue to receive publicity, it may begin to alter the fabric of patriarchy-based theatre in our country, particularly in New York. These articles have been based (as far as I have seen) in Oregon and Chicago, whose theatre scenes have a very different community than in New York City. New York, however, is still rightfully regarded as the capital for theatre in the world. The change needs to begin to have an effect on that city, otherwise the best practitioners may need to begin to focus their work on cities more apt to move forward in progress for diversity.
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