Friday, November 03, 2017
Where Are the Women? Parity Productions Is Keeping a List
AMERICAN THEATRE: Gender parity is the name of the game for Parity Productions. The New York City theatre company’s mission is to produce work with 50 percent women and transgender artists behind the scenes, and it doesn’t stop there—the company also encourages other theatres to do the same by listing shows that meet or surpass gender parity. Parity Productions’ Qualifying Productions program compiles a list of current shows in New York City which have a creative team of at least half women and transgender artists, including the writers, directors, and designers. It’s a way not only to honor artists and institutions that have made this commitment, but to allow consumers to vote with their purchasing power in support of parity.
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Now this is a mission statement I can get behind! "The New York City theatre company’s mission is to produce work with 50 percent women and transgender artists behind the scenes, and it doesn’t stop there—the company also encourages other theatres to do the same by listing shows that meet or surpass gender parity." I love that this company has made it a literal part of their mission to help promote women and transgender artists behind the scenes. Often times, a lot of the focus is on the more visible aspects of theatre--what show is on stage and what the cast is. Backstage jobs and designers need just as much advocation for diversity and inclusion as our performer brethren do, and often times are left out of the equation. The fact that they are working for advancement onstage as well just further rounds them out, and I hope they have many successful seasons to come.
This is just like the Kilroy's but with a stronger focus on the people. The Kilroy's is a "gang of playwrights and producers in LA who are done talking about gender parity and are taking action. We mobilize others in our field and leverage our own power to support one another." They create a list every year of Trans and Women plays and playwrights. This list can be found here: https://thekilroys.org/list-2017/ I love that this group is taking this idea a step further and working to make a cultural shift from an often predominately white-male dominated field. The backstage and behind the scenes are often some of the least diverse groups because as Madeline pointed out they are not paid much attention to at all. I can’t wait to see how this group continues to move forward and make a difference for all. It’s a great reminder that taking even small actions is what will lead to a greater change.
I love that this company is so dedicated to creating gender parity in the arts, and I think that this is a very important mission. Something that I didn't expect was that they also advocate for equality backstage as well as onstage. I think a lot of the time people forget about design teams and how male dominated they can be, so it's really refreshing to see this company acknowledge this. Including transgender theatre artists in this parity conversation is also very important, as many people will commonly just cast them aside simply for their gender identity. Keeping a running list of productions with gender parity is an awesome idea because it holds other companies accountable to this same standard. If a huge musical like Waitress can do it then there should be no excuse from other creators of large new musicals. Holding people accountable for their lack of inclusion and promoting people who are inclusive is an important step we must take toward ma true gender parity.
This is so exciting because it gives people a real view into how bad our problem is. A facebook page called "Women in Theater" was just recently started and not has over 50,000 members who discuss problems that they may be having at work or ways to strategically stand up to their boss o even just some you can do it encouraging messages and advice. It has been amazing to be a part of it so far mostly because I really don't know that there were so many women in the field, and I am not alone in that assumption. So many young women have spoken out on the facebook page about how they had no idea that a community like that even existed for them in this field. It has also been a great resource for hiring as far as I am aware because women who are looking to fill positions just post a job and a city and immediately there are female candidates. It has made the hiring of more women in male dominated fields much easier because there is a place to find them. I think in the arts we don't talk about gender disparity as much because it feels like art is a "girly" profession but we are paid less percentage wise then women in business fields and that is one of the best kept secrets of our industry. I hope moving forward we hire more women, and that they are given more opportunities to grow and have booming careers just like men.
The concept of creating gender parity in the arts, and particularly behind the scenes, is incredibly important, and I believe that what Parity Productions mission statement is equally important. By shedding a light on something that we all know exists but still ignore, Parity is able to call out other companies that are lacking and hold accountable those who claim they hold true to gender parity. “It’s important that we be part of the conversation in always making sure art and theatre remain a safe, diverse, vibrant place for everyone who wants to participate.” The importance of making true theatre that creates a conversation is so important and only truly possible if all perspectives are prevalent and acknowledged, which us truly only possible through gender parity and inclusion on a broader sense. I absolutely love what this company stands for and I think they are one of many companies that are making a strong step forward to create an environment that is focused on gender parity and overall equality.
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