Hall, who brings more than 30 years of theater experience as an actor, director, playwright and educator, officially takes the helm at LHT on Wednesday, Sept. 16, succeeding interim Artistic Directors Aldo Billingslea and Darryl V. Jones, the theater company announced Wednesday, Sept. 9.
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It always raises a yellow flag when people celebrate a company who appoints a new diverse leader because I am skeptical about what it really means. Just because a company put a BIPOC individual in power doesn’t mean the white board supports this new leader's choice. Also, it doesn’t mean that the company has diverse staff or good diversity policies. I feel like appointing a new diverse leader 9 times out of 10 is a PR stunt. Call me jaded and unoptimistic but this is something that I’ve had many conversations with peers about. However, after analysis of the website it seems to be a Black filled company and a lot of female-presenting people seem to be on the board. This being said it is sad to read about how the company’s namesake was literally the first Black female to have a show produced on Broadway yet in the forty-year history of the company there hasn’t been a female artistic director. I am glad that Hall has been quoted as saying that she will go back to honor the theater company’s namesake. I am glad that the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is putting its money where its mouth is and starting financial support for black voices. I hope this isn’t the only move this company makes.
Reading this article was almost bittersweet - bitter only because I can't imagine that a theater named after Lorrainne Hansbery, a celebrated African American woman, has never had a woman appointed as the artistic director until now. However, as I went through the article, I was inspired once again. A person of Margo Hall's accomplishments deserves it all, and it makes me really happy to see change being enacted after all our nation has gone through/is going through. As a POC myself, even these small local changes are enough for me to have hope for our future, especially under the name of someone as inspirational as Lorraine Hansberry. Back to Hall, I am excited to see the diversity she brings to the theater - not just through her own presence but through the introduction of new female and non-binary playwrights to the theater's stage. Even in the midst of our global pandemic, I'm sure the art created under Hall will add to a much needed narrative of underrepresented voices.
This article leaves me with rather high hopes for the future of this company. It is in fact high time that a woman be appointed this position, but better late than never I guess. The high praise for Margo Hall and her reputation and work from all of her past positions leaves me with big expectations for the up and coming seasons for this company. I expect to hear more about what this company is doing in the future in terms of reaching out to BIPOC artists and theatre makers and what is being done to showcase their work. I just hope that the company does not stand in its own way by standing on any kind of ceremony or tradition and end up stoping the wonderful progression that Hall and her leadership may bring. However, I think that in this day and age that is not as much of a concern as it was even a year ago.
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