CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Black Theatre United, Theater Industry Leaders Outline Widespread, Historic Reform Agreement In “New Deal For Broadway”

Pittsburgh in the Round: Black Theatre United, the nonprofit advocacy organization that’s taken a leading role in the move for greater equity, diversity and inclusion on Broadway, has released a comprehensive, industry-wide agreement on wide-scale reform that includes increased training, expanded casting efforts, the naming of theaters for Black artists and a pledge for producers to “never assemble an all-white creative team on a production again, regardless of the subject matter of the show.”

1 comment:

E. Carleton said...

The Black Theatre United’s New Deal for Broadway is an outstanding demand for Broadway to commit to being more inclusive, diverse, and equitable. What I love most is the thorough nature of the document such that it is as broad as covering the overall diversity of the cast production team crew, no matter the show’s topic, to as specific as making sure that there is a racial sensitivity coach, and requirements for Broadway to be more understanding of different natural hair types. I hope Broadway will uphold the New Deal and be an example for theaters and entertainment groups across the country (and even the world). This also holds Broadway accountable for ‘performance activism’. I remember the controversy amongst black designers, creators and managers when the movie Black Panther hypocrisy on Marvel’s behalf for only pushing for black creators for a black story. I hope that other groups focused on equity (or Broadway itself) create similar deals for other marginalized groups, for example such as disabled people or people with language barriers.