Friday, February 26, 2016
Watch: 'Eclipsed' Playwright Danai Gurira Argues for the Need for Female Characters of Color
Women and Hollywood: When the Liberia-set war drama "Eclipsed" makes its Broadway debut on March 6, it will mark the very first time that a Great White Way production's cast, writer and director are all women.
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Wow! This is so great! The need for diversity in theatre is a greatly talked about subject and while their have been a lot of great strides in all aspects of diversity or theatre and its audiences, I think this article sheds light on an instance that has broken the mold! I love how Danai Gurira went to grad school to learn the rules, but more importantly, to learn how to break them. Not only did she write what sounds like an incredibly moving and eye-opening play as a women, but also as an African-american women, and its opening on Broadway!! she is AMAZING!!! I love the fact that she will now give audiences a story mainly based on African-American women! She will give girls of color the opportunity to see people like them on stage and give them the opportunity to dream that they will one day get their like those before them. Again, what Danai has done is truly awesome! she saw a problem, a hole in society, and filled it in with something that I'm sure will be truly beautiful.
“the very first time a Great White Way production’s cast, writer, and director are all women (of color)”, “the only new play by a female writer on Broadway this season”; every time I read something new like this my mind is blown, and I can’t understand why not everyone I meet is unbelievably angry about these kinds of things. However, in spite of this anger, I’m glad that this article provides hope; this play is being produced, and is making a step towards the equal representation of women of color in theater. Despite people like Patina Miller who are glamorous theater icons, in reality women of color are by far the minority as performers in theatrical productions. I agree that a lot of it comes from the lack of minority stories being told onstage, which is why a Broadway play about women held captive during the Liberian war is so groundbreaking. However, I think a lot of it also has to do with the entertainment industry’s idea of what is “normal”. Many plays which don’t have a direct focus on race still use exclusively white actors, since white is too often seen as the default. If an actor of color is hired, it will most likely be for a stereotyped side character. This attitude doesn’t only make it so much harder for actresses of color to find work, but it also perpetuates a cycle in which young girls of color have very little to look up to or any relevant stories they are able to find a connection to. Many artists talk about the purpose of art being to make meaningful connections, and we will never be able to do this is we are excluding such a crucial aspect of our society.
This is so exciting! I love that everyone involved is a women of color! So often we get a lot of women through the door and we forget about the women of color. I hope his is a great show and inspires children to get involved in all parts of the arts, not just the performance part. As an African American, I look to theatre to find my people and so many of them are on stage. That's not an insult to anyone, just my experience. This show will represent all types of women in every field of production. I think that will completely re invent theatre too in the next coming years, because different types of people have different types of stories to tell and different design style. This is clearly shown in the fact that this is the only show written by a female, it has to be revolutionary. How exciting, I hope it last for ever.
Every week I seem to feel the same feelings - I see an article on the growing diversity in theater, whether it be about overcoming sexism or racism or homophobia, and then there is some comment at the end like: "[Eclipsed is] the only new work written by a woman being produced on Broadway this year..." And my heart sinks. I'm tired of a show about African American women being abnormal. I'm tired of any show not about white men being abnormal. The purpose of theater in my eyes is to show how people live - through their emotions and experiences - and so many shows focus on a very specific group of people. I'm honestly just so tired of sexism, it's getting old. Get with the program, world.
That being said, I know things don't just happen at the drop of a hat. This play probably required a ridiculous amount of push from the team and while not probably being overtly opposed (because theater people are sooooo progressive) and the fact that it is going to Broadway is a great sign. I hope I will be able to see it this summer. I just can't wait until a show for women, by women, isn't an abnormality.
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