It might seem that the Great White Way was more involved in politics than ever before, but that's not exaclty so.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
How Broadway is fighting for diversity under Trump
It might seem that the Great White Way was more involved in politics than ever before, but that's not exaclty so.
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I don’t mean to belabor this point (as I know I had a lot to say about it in response to another article) but I think this article got it more right than the other one did. I can’t agree more with Zachary Levi when he says “Let’s have conversations”. Because we desperately need a conversation as a country, a real conversation that isn’t just two opposing sides slinging hatred toward each other. Well thought out and articulated points that doesn’t fall upon deaf (or even worse, resistant) ears that go back and forth between two groups of people that I think both genuinely care about American democracy. It’s about a conversation that has a dialogue, not shit posting about how the other side is the second coming of Hitler. And I get why people say that, I really do, but regardless of whether or not there are fair comparisons to make between Trump’s campaign and Hitler’s rise to power yelling that and ignoring all the issues that people who support Trump have with the way the system works now is not how we get together as a country to move in a positive direction. Art and culture has a really cool way of bringing people together and finding the common ground between people, and that’s a really powerful tool we have as people who want to contribute to this conversation.
The election is huge when it comes to the theater world. Although the day of the election and the couple days that came after were filled with sorrow and really tough for almost every single person and every single one of my friends, there was hope shortly after. People started to protest and voice their opinions and I realized how important, despite being negative, for theater companies around the world. Theater is there to make a statement or send a message and with Trump's victory, there's a lot to be said about many different issues. Illegal immigration, racism, sexism, misogyny are all among the topics that have become so much more important than ever before. I agree with Alex: we need to have conversations. Appropriate, logical discourse is required in order to mend the anger between the two sides in this country. This starts with quitting the whining on social media (although it does help in your community to an extent) and actually going out to do something. One major example, create a theater piece! (Just emphasizing the importance of theater given the present situation).
I think that my views on race are getting more confused an refined all the time, and a lot of it revolves around the question: “is the status quo rasist?” The answer is invariably yes, but why? If I look at the current state of our world, and specifically the entertainment industry, what exactly should I think is the problem? There is a wildly disproportionate number of plays written, directed and acted in by white male actors, that is certainly a problem if other genders and races are being passed over for that work, but is that whats going on? I honestly do not know, it very well could be. If only 20% of produced plays were written by women this year, is it because fewer women wrote plays or because people chose not to produce women playwrights? If it is the later, we should all be out in the streets protesting those that made that decision, if it is the former isn’t that a bit like getting angry at the birds because no fish ever get to fly? Racism is real, and we must combat it everywhere we see it. I am however just as fearful of racists as I am of people that think all racists are the same or that all white people are equivalent to racists. I want every individual to be judged harshly according to their own individual merits and faults. I don’t think the fight against racism should be fought with statistics, it should be fought with individual compassion, nuanced understanding and empathy.
I think the theatre community is one of the best communities to be a part of. Maybe it is because theatre people have to tap into their emotions more and we see other people creating stories that are important to tell. There is a very strong sense of community between people that may not even know each other, but they have the same passion and drive for theatre that brings them together. There are a lot of diverse artists in theatre, which also makes it difficult to not be an inclusive and accepting person because these people are your friends so what makes them “different” is not really noticeable or just does not really matter. It is really important that theatre people are speaking up about politics because almost everyone has a close friend that is probably personally affected by what could happen under Trump’s administration. It is very difficult not to care or be angry at other people who are saying hateful things about your best friends.
This article reminded me of a video I saw on facebook last night where the cast of Hamilton made a special shoutout to Mike Pence. The cast wanted to tell him to be tolerant and be the vice president for all of the people. For celebrities, Facebook and facebook live can be a tool for activism. It can encourage people who might not have access to broadway theater to be involved in the theater community. Instead of just being a spectator, people can feel a part of the theater community. Also, if people see that broadway theater can be a tool for social change, they might be encouraged to use theater on a smaller scale for social change. Broadway shows need to keep up the momentum and keep pushing forward. I’m all for people sharing their beliefs online as long as it's done in a polite way.
Anyone else feel like the tone of this article is just a tad patronizing at times? Anyone? Broadway, like the rest of theater has always been political by default. As a historical safe space for GLBTQ people, even before Stonewall, and a place for minority narratives (of varying accuracy, I'll add-looking at you, Miss Saigon). Theater, especially the avant gard has been progressive by default, simply by accepting racial and sexual truths earlier than other industries.
This is not to say that Broadway or theater is without major flaw, especially in terms of race and gender, where there's significant dearths in administrative representation. However, this sort of political alignment is not especially new, and certainly isn't going away. As the face of Broadway changes, so will its stories. I can see this shift making people uncomfortable, and this challenge to the status quo infuriating those who still view theater as something you do after a nice dinner in the city. Theater is an unwitting and very vocal vehicle for social change, people. Get used to it.
Ah how relevant this article is, and they didn't even know when they wrote it how many people a few days later would be talking about the exact same thing. I stayed very quiet about this issue the past few days on Facebook because my whole news feed was filled with outraged theater people who were making the same point I would have been making. There were few minds to change, not that posting on Facebook really changes minds. Art and theater have been a vehicles of social change for as long as they have been around. We are consistently years ahead of everyone else socially and that is pat of the reason the arts are so often scrutinized. When Mike Pence attended Hamilton I assumed that the audience would not be very receptive to him. They booed him and they have every right to do so. The first amendment allows them to say when they want when they want. It also allows the actors to do the same exact thing. The cast was polite and their statement was hardly a disparage or Pence but a plea for him to take their rights into account. Something I don't believe he deserved. People are going to scream and cry about their speech but the place of the arts has always been to push forward, and we will continue to do so even in the trying times of the next four years.
Recently, Mike Pence, the vice-president elect, went to Hamilton and the cast, specifically the actor playing Aaron Burr, said a speech for him after the final curtain call. It was not offensive in any way, it simply said what a lot of people have been fearing since the election results came out. There was no derogatory language or comments made on him personally, simply what these next four years needed to be. Trump's response pointed out that yes the theatre is supposed to be an open, safe place, but only to a certain extent. Theatre is focused on conflict, shows point out the decisions people make and why people make them. Trump said that the cast of Hamilton made the theatre an unsafe place to be, when they were simply having a call to action for Pence to make America a place for all people in the next four years. It is so important for issues to keep being brought up in theatre, because once one person says something, it makes it easier for those who follow to speak up. I believe that theatre has always been a central place for change, due to the fact that people are able to put on a mask and say things that are typically harder to say. The first voice is not technically their own. Theatre needs to continue to be controversial or it just becomes a place of comedians, which is not what it should be.
I do find this article a little off-putting, but I think the overall message is good. I do think it's incredibly important to rely on the arts when it comes to politics, as the arts are usually one of the ways people normally without as much of a voice can actually be heard. I do also think that this article makes broadway seem a little too perfect. It still has many major flaws with gender equality on the administrative side, and it is by no means completely past a lot of the other major issues, it just historically has been better about them. I absolutely love that Hamilton because as big as it did during this election because I really think it allowed people that might not be thinking about how a lot of what both candidates said could affect not just them, but those around them as well.
It’s very inspiring to see Broadway artists speaking out against the blatant hatred and inequality circling after the unfortunate results of our presidential election. While I definitely wouldn’t consider “She Loves Me” a beaming pillar of diversity or feminist ideals, it is very cool to hear that the two white leads have been using their platform and privilege to speak up about the injustice that’s happening. Even though Broadway’s purpose is for-profit, I think that the inherently emotional and societally relevant nature of art itself makes it almost impossible for Broadway to not get involved in these recent events. As Trump said himself, theater has always been a “safe space”, a sanctuary of sorts, for minority groups to speak out and tell their stories. The 70’s and 80’s saw a huge influx in theater groups made specifically for people of different races and sexual orientations and genders. Plays like The Normal Heart and As Is spoke out about governmental inaction directly in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. I think it’s very important to use theater to speak out about injustices as they are happening, and not just in hindsight. While it’s important to remember the mistakes of our past, I think it’s even more important to use art to process and counteract the discrimination present in society.
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