Friday, November 20, 2020
Study Credits “Hamilton” For Modest Improvements In Theater Diversity
Deadline: The first Actors’ Equity diversity and inclusion report since 2017 finds “modest improvement” in the hiring of actors and stage managers of color in the last three years, but describes the slight shift as “extremely gradual, inconsistent and not enough to change longtime problems in the industry.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I appreciate what his article says. More hirings were done in the industry to bring in more performers of color. The caveat being that a lot of those new hires were specifically when casting touring shows of Hamilton. As of right now there are two touring groups of Hamilton, an Off-Broadway, and a Chicago company (with a LA based group that was supposed to open in March) with a cast size of 21. In the original casting there were 4 white characters cast, meaning 17 non-white performers.
If we use those numbers that means there were 68 non-white performers being employed by all of Hamilton shows. The portion of non-white members increased by 8 percentage points. If hiring an extra 50 people who are not white is enough to be a marked change then what is that saying about our industry as a whole and its members.
Yes, I am happy that the numbers of BIPOC artists and managers are increasing. I am also glad that this article did point out that the majority of the numbers are due to the multiple productions of Hamilton across the country. Does that really mean there is an effort to bring diversity to theatre and, specifically, to the Broadway world? It really does not as BIPOC artists and managers are being shunted to the “BIPOC show” and not being given the opportunities to be in the “white shows.” Again, really glad that numbers are going up, but there needs to be a push to stop the divide of forcing BIPOC into certain shows and roles. What I think needs to happen more often is that for these “white shows”, BIPOC need to be hired into leading roles as often as possible to start a larger change in the diversity of Broadway.
Yeah I can’t say the findings in this study is particularly surprising. You know the theatre industry is in rough shape when a single production can be responsible for the growth in BIPOC contracts. On the optimistic side it is wonderful that this show was produced with these specifications and has found such widespread success that it is creating a significant demand and opportunity for the BIPOC theatre communities. But in a more pessimistic interpretation it really shows how whitewashed our industry is and how inherent white privilege is in the structure of what we do. As much as 2020 has taken from the industry I can only hope it has provided the space for clarity and realization the changes that need to have actions associated with them. Conversations about these topics are not enough as we need to support those marginalized in our community if we really want to embrace the idealism shared by so many.
I’m glad they recognized that it was a “modest” improvement although it’s kind of sad that “much of the increased representation of people of color can be attributed to multiple productions of Hamilton alone.” We can simultaneously be grateful for the improvement of BIPOC contracts from 16% to 23% while also recognizing that it is not enough. The percentage of BIPOC people in America is 40%. And they are the majority on a global scale. So until the hiring percentages in the theater industry reflects that, we cannot be satisfied. And we definitely shouldn’t celebrate the fact a single show brought the majority of the growth. Now, if every show hired like Hamilton, then we might have cause to celebrate. I am grateful for Hamilton though, and i hope it’ll impact the industry enough to create a ripple effect of hiring BIPOC artists. I am an optimist and believe big change can come come from small beginnings.
It is unfair to state that diversity in the theatre has increased when that is only due to one production. Like this article states, Hamilton is surely pulling most, if not all, of that weight. With productions on Broadway, in Chicago, on West End, touring America, Australia, Puerto Rico, and Europe- Hamilton has got to be making up most of that number. It’s sad to see that shows have to be created for people of color in order to see them onstage. POC aren’t getting cast in traditionally white roles, no matter how many times theatre consumers complain about it. This is really apparent in shows like Dear Evan Hansen and Waitress. Only two Evans and one Jenna have been played by people of color. One of those Evans was an alternate. Alana Beck in Dear Evan Hansen is a black role. This sends all black actresses auditioning to Alana and pushes them away from Zoe, a strategic way to keep both leads played by white actors.
I'm very happy that we've seen gains in BIPOC hiring and casting as well as advancements in the pay and contracting of female and non-binary people, but just as the article says, there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done to make theatre truly a more diverse and inclusive environment. It doesn't surprise me at all that a good chunk of those gains, especially in the BIPOC community, can be seen in the various runs of Hamilton that have swept across the nation, but I think that Hamilton does present an excellent model that the rest of theatre can follow. Not every show needs to be race-specific in their roles, and Hamilton shows that race does not have to make the story. Obviously, many, if not all, of the characters in Hamilton were white in reality, but the show was expressly written for BIPOC actors and actresses to fill those roles. It was a show that took an extremely white story and made it a celebration of diversity. If other shows could see that message and take it to heart, I really think this industry could start to soar. Theatre is built on stories and experiences, but that can't be true unless all stories are told and all experiences are recognized.
Mmmm I completely understand what they are saying when they credit Hamilton with this feat BUT can we also acknowledge that this was a piece that used all musical influences from the black community specifically, and boiled it down to a way that white people would finally receive rap as “presentable”. That’s bothered me for such a long time. This seriously can’t just be credited to this one show. While it did spark something in the theatre community about how white-washed it is, the show is problematic with race within itself. Why the fuck did black people have to be rapping onstage in a production for people to start changing the way they produce and hire more diverse companies. I just have a real worry about how BIPOC people will be placed into only roles like Hamilton. Like JC said, I don’t see a change until more dark-skinned BIPOC individuals are placed into the leading roles of these productions.
Its honestly kinda sad that one show can make such a difference on the percentage of people of color in the industry. Something that always bothered me was how revolutionary Hamilton was with its casting, it really made me open my eyes about the actual lack of people of color in the industry. I wonder now, what will happen to those numbers once Hamilton is taken off broadway because the number of other shows hiring people of color in all aspects of production is still very limited. There is still a ton of work to be done because there cannot be a person of color show every year on broadway while all the other shows continue taken their one token black or brown person while everyone else is white. The person of color show cannot always be some sort of "revolutionary" sound that then is made palatable for white people. The entire industry, not just people on stage but also off, need to start hiring people of color, relying one show just feels segregated and frankly fucking weird.
Post a Comment