AMERICAN THEATRE: When playwright Mashuq Mushtaq Deen resigned from his residency at New Dramatists in August 2022 and published an open letter on his website explaining the reason for his decision, he expressed hope that his experience would serve as a cautionary tale for the larger theatre community, and that talking about it might prevent similar harm from happening to someone else.
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Before reading this article, I honestly didn’t expect the fallout between Deen and New Dramatists to be based on the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility issue. I suppose I didn’t know AND have forgotten how difficult it was for theatremakers to protect themselves during those times. But then again, Deen openly talking about his experience only reminds us how a small conversation can turn into disagreements that could later cost people their jobs. The key message of the article, though, is the collaborative (or rather the lack of) process of theatre-creating. The author talks about how the theatre world often prioritizes process over product, focusing on the development of works through a collaborative and iterative process that can sometimes stifle creativity and innovation. This could ultimately result in a lack of diversity and fresh perspectives in the plays that make it to the stage. I personally feel like it’ll also be challenging to speak one’s thoughts when there is an inherent power imbalance and unfortunately, there are very few places where the imbalance doesn’t exist, so there should always be an ongoing conversation about making the space more welcoming and inclusive.
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