Variety: Just last week, “Allegiance,” a musical set during the Japanese-American internments of WWII, and starring a mostly Asian-American cast (including George Takei), opened hot on the heels of “On Your Feet!,” the biomusical of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, with a predominant-ly Latino cast. Already open is a production of chestnut “The Gin Game” starring Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones; and a new staging of “Spring Awakening” featuring deaf actors and, for the first time in Broadway history, an actor who uses a wheelchair.
7 comments:
I think Broadway is slowly getting more and more diverse. The shows and people in the shows on Broadway right now are from many different cultures. It would be nice if the backstage side of theatre were more diverse and accepting of minorities. The theatre world is mostly run be white men. There are not a lot of women producers and writers in the business. I think women would give a very different and good view on theatre and the industry as a whole. A lot of change could be made with more diverse people running the business of theatre. I really like that people are making more of an effort to show off women writers and their work. If the world notices that there is a lack of diversity then there is a better chance that more of a change will occur. I hope that we continue to move in the right direction.
Reading the first chunk of this article put me over the moon. It is so unbelievably exciting to see Broadway, an art form notorious for being behind the times, take giant leap frogs over racial and other minority divides and finally have a season stuffed with the kind of stories that actually reflect the people of this country. It broke my heart to realize that this change is only skin deep, so to speak. The work that we as theatre artists are trying to create can't be formed on a strictly homogenous platform. Without the backstage diversity to match what we are seeing on stage, the strides that the theatrical community make feel transient. Shows like these only get made because of those working behind the scenes. Without teams that match that diversity, the change we see isn't all that all encompassing. It is amazing that we have come this far, but I still think we can do better.
Diversity isn't something that will happen overnight, as centuries of prejudice have shown us. As Broadway productions begin to showcase minorities more and more, the eyes of the public are slowly turning away, saying that everything is alright now that we have the Hamiltons of the world. However, the issue, as the article states, reaches much further than that. The article talks strictly about playwrights and producers, but explains that among that group the diversity is practically non-existent, with many of the most successful from both fields are white males and females. You don't see the same gender divide among producers as you do among playwrights, but it still exists nonetheless. The article then goes on to discuss how Broadway has been staging things that seem like safe bets as opposed to riskier productions that aren't sure to draw in an audience, which I believe dilutes the point. We should be focusing on giving everyone a chance to showcase their art, regardless of a ticket sale. Smaller-investment festivals and competitions are a step in the right direction, but we need to go further to truly be considered the all-inclusive art form we claim theatre to be.
The spotlight for talks on diversity has recently only been focused on playwrights. I haven't really considered the other positions in the field, just because it seemed like the impacts of diversity on their positions seems less obvious. However, their worth mentioning and discussing. Designers and technicians who are all white males just aren't possibly going to be able to bring the kinds of experiences and perspectives that a more diverse staff on a theatrical production can bring. The interesting thing about the diversity conversation is that the world is obviously headed in a more diverse direction, and ultimately not going to be dominated by white males. So I find it very interesting that people still hang on so hard to the idea that white men belong on top, because it's just not going to be that way long term. It's already BEEN long term.
If you are questioning quota vs. quality, your quality test is incorrect. I think the author’s statement is so true; to a certain degree, we should be past that point of discussion at the very least because there are plenty of capable and talented people of all genders and ethnicities and available for all jobs. If you cannot seem to find them, either you are not looking hard enough or you are overlooking qualified candidates.
I do concur with the author that the general change in programming that has been occurring over the past season will help diversify the theatrical workforce. In one way, it will directly impact playwriting, directing, and acting because job are specifically becoming available for females people of certain races. On the other hand, I think it will create jobs for designers and technicians because jobs will becomes available over time and with a general awareness of working to correct gender imbalances.
I think it is incredibly important that we hold the entertainment industry to the highest standards possible when it comes to showcasing diversity, in the stories being told, the actors telling the story, and the people behind the scenes working to make the story come to life. The entertainment industry should be a close reflection of the variety of people who make up everyday life, because storytelling and entertainment are meant to reflect the stories of our own lives. When discussing the lack of opportunities for female writers and directors in Hollywood, or in discussing the lack of POC behind the scenes on Broadway, we should be keeping in mind that the only way to get more stories about women and POC in the entertainment industry is to allow them the opportunities to tell their stories that they deserve. The only way to continue to hold the entertainment industry to this high standard is to continue to fight for opportunities for those who work behind the scenes. Like this article said, it is one thing to have diversity in your actors and your stories being told, but it is hard to maintain this standard when the people behind the scenes do not reflect the diversity onstage.
I think that the world of Broadway has seen a positive change with the production of more diverse casts. I also think that is signifies that the industry is slowly undergoing the changes to accept more female and racially diverse directors, writers, designers, and technicians. I talking with someone over the summer who was the lead automation person for a rock and roll tour and she gave me some great advice about being a woman on the road in the HUGELY predominant male field. She was telling me something interesting that I really hope is true; male employers are beginning to understand the value of having female managers, department heads, and valuable employees. Some of it stems from somewhat sexist ideas; basically assuming all women are organized and patient, but many of us do succeed in leadership roles because of important communication skills that I personally feel a lot of men in the industry, of all ages, don’t seem to quite understand. Just off the top of my head women are less likely to interrupt someone when they are speaking, which I can say from personal experience, people who I work with, under, learn from, and learn with interrupt me at every chance.
Post a Comment