broadwayjournal.com: They’re among more than 800 in and outside of theater who signed a petition requesting the New York Times hire either a woman of color or a transgender person of color to replace Charles Isherwood, the second-string reviewer who was fired earlier this month. “For as long as I’ve been reading the Times, it’s been white men,” Winter Miller, the playwright who started the petition, said about its full-time theater reviewers. “Trump’s cabinet has more diversity.”
5 comments:
I think it is fantastic that there is this push for diversity in theatre criticism, because I agree that it offers new perspectives and in an industry calling attention to and working towards greater diversity, there should also be a diverse range of critics. (Plus there should be employment diversity in every industry.) I also appreciated that it wasn’t just about only aspect of diversity, but suggesting gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and even disabilities. While I support the general idea, I am kind of worried about it for this particular job. As the article points out, the gender and racial diversity in the American Theatre Critics Association, among other organizations, is disappointing to say the least. The article also notes that this is one of the most prestigious theatre critic jobs being discussed. I’m concerned that limited diversity of theatre critics will shrink the candidate pool. The article convinced me that there is a diversity problem that is particularly important in this job because it is not just about equal opportunity but diverse perspectives. I just don’t know if starting at the top is the best solution. Granted, I also know absolutely nothing about theatre critics, so it’s entirely possible there is a perfect candidate I have never heard of.
It's a little bit shocking that The New York Times, an institution I tend to think of as fairly liberal, still only has white male critics. These are the eyes reviewing what is becoming an increasingly (slowly but surely) diverse world onstage. And as the stories we are telling diversify, the voices that we allow to build up or tear down a show must diversify as well. It is interesting that I have not thought critically about the demographics of reviewers before. And that is obviously a product of my enormous amount of privilege and I would not have been as sensitive to a misunderstanding of a play's content like the example of the play set in Uganda because my background contributes to a similar disconnect. However, what I want from a review is to hear those biases addressed and corrected and I don't believe someone who has grown up in the white/straight/cis bubble is capable of that. I think that especially in light of recent events prominent newspapers like The New York Times have a responsibility to not only keep reviews and coverage of the arts but move us away from always looking at the world through a white, male lens.
I've never realized the lack of diversity in professional theatre criticism. I guess I kind of assumed that crtics would be just as diverse as the kinds of shows that are being produced. All art is subjective and you background can heavily influence they way you interpreter the piece. The Nee York Times should be itching to get their hire a woman of color as their theater reviewer, especiallly in our current political climate and with the direction theater is currently moving toward. We are seeing outcry for more diverse work showcasing, minorities of all races, secualities, and genders to get the stories of others out for the world to see. If there is a lack of diversity among our theater critics then how can we ever see a more dimensional view on the work that is being produced. Although this article focused primarily on black women, I'm hoping there are critics of other ethnicities as well. It also pointed out a lack gender diversity, which surprised me even more since feminist writing is populating the industry so much these days.
It constantly amazes me how theatre as an art and an industry can be so progressive yet simultaneously so backwards. The rest of the world tends to see theatre as inclusive, but those of us in theatre know diversity is an uphill battle. It’s like there are two different worlds in the industry, and this petition really highlights it. You have a group of playwrights fighting for diversity in a field that is supposedly already diverse. But in order to move forward, theatre artists have to stop pretending we already hit the threshold of inclusiveness because there’s a lot of white gay men. And in terms of how we look at the theatre industry, it’s very important to look beyond the faces you see on the stage. We need to be diverse in cast, crew, management, producers, and yes, even critics. This article is highlighting just one of the many ways in which theatre is failing to live up to it ‘diverse’ label. And it’s time to fix that.
Emma Reichard put it perfectly! The entertainment industry is widely reputed as being progressive an representative of all people, yet I find it almost the complete opposite. It amazes me how some of my peers have to fight to be seen, or to be considered for roles that don't specify race/gender. For an industry that is supposed to be progressive, we seem to be producing work that doesn't provide opportunities for people of color and when we do, the award shows don't typically celebrate diversity. Rather theres this underlying attitude of disadvantages. I don't know how to keep these award shows accountable- perhaps if enough people boycotted or asked to be removed from the ballot it would send a message to the nominating committee and all the other artists thinking the same thing. I truly believe its time we start holding producers, directors, cast members, and crew accountable and stand up to the systematic disadvantages of this industry.
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