StageLync: As most in theatre know, a show is filled out with cast members called the ensemble. The ensemble is anyone in the cast who is not considered a named or principal role. The ensemble cast fill several important duties whether the audience is aware of it or not.
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I never had a chance to act in any local theatre productions back home, however I learned a little bit of vocabulary from my best friend, who was a member of the ensemble for several different shows at her theatre club. Despite that, I didn't know that traditionally the ensemble was split by gender until I read this article. It doesn't seem to make sense to me, as the gender of the ensemble wouldn't matter much except in certain situations. I remember that the ensemble of Hamilton had no clear gender split for the majority of the show, and despite having seen the filmed show on Disney+ countless times, I cannot recall whether the ensemble was majority male, majority female, or evenly split.
It was interesting to read about the logistics of labeling and assigning props and microphones to the ensemble members, and I hope this change from the traditional method of gendering ensembles will help make this a smoother process.
Reading this passage about gender-neutral terms in theatre really got me thinking about how even the smallest changes in language can make a huge difference in fostering inclusivity. It’s one of those things I hadn’t considered before—how labels backstage, like “M1” for microphones or gendered ensemble roles, can unintentionally exclude non-binary or transgender performers. Changing those labels to something neutral, like costume descriptors or wig colors, is such a simple yet impactful way to create a more inclusive environment.What struck me the most was how these changes affect the entire system, like a domino effect. Props being labeled with gender-neutral terms might seem like a minor adjustment, but it signals something bigger—a shift in the culture of theatre towards being more adaptable and inclusive. The passage also reminded me of how important it is for creative industries to lead by example. Theatre has always been a space where people explore identity, yet it’s taken time to reflect that openness behind the scenes. Seeing this kind of progress is inspiring because it proves that tradition doesn’t have to hold us back—it can evolve.
This article highlighted how theatre productions are using more gender-neutral labels to be more inclusive of non-binary and transgender people. In the past, ensemble roles were usually split into male and female categories for practical reasons, like microphone assignments and props. Some shows are now using terms that don't explicitly state gender, which helps to make sure that everyone feels included and welcome. For example, instead of using male or female for microphones, some shows label them with terms like dress or coat or some might label their wigs based on color. This change also affects props, which are usually labeled by character name, but now some productions use gender-neutral terms. All and all I think this should have happened long ago however I think it's great to see the theatre community become more welcoming and diverse, and by the time we all start working for this industry after college it will be great to see what changes are made then as well!
It is interesting to learn about how theatre has been changing with the times. For a form of entertainment that is so whimsical and all about expression, it sure has some deep rooted issues relating to gender. I am glad that as times move on to become more diverse and inclusive, theatre is too. I also learned a lot from this article because I was not aware of the fact that ensemble members were split between genders. I knew what being an ensemble member meant but I didn’t know the specifics of how the ensemble was built. The other thing that stood out to me about this article was how props labeling is also changing to become more gender neutral. I was always taught to label props with character names but I didn’t know that in other spaces, the props were labeled with gender or other identifiers. Overall, this was a super interesting and thought provoking read.
The way my school has always done splitting ensembles is either by vocal group, or simply asking people which side they’d prefer. In my opinion, I don’t think it’d really be that big of a deal if we just asked everyone what they’d prefer. I understand for greater scale shows it might slow things down. But I feel like it’d be pretty easy to just send out a google form to everyone. Labeling identifying features feels like it’d be not only more inclusive but also just more useful in the long run. If there’s an ensemble of 30 people and I see that one person’s mic isn’t working, it will be so much quicker to know “it’s the person with a pink wig on” rather than, “well I know it’s one of the women, and I think I have that mic to this person…”
As someone who is a cis white man, especially in a position that has historically been held by cis white men, I try very hard to make sure everyone around me feels included and that when they speak their voice will be heard. I think that even though theater is typically thought of as a progressive space compared to other job sectors, there are still numerous amounts of verbiage used that are outdated and deserve to be updated with the changes in society's understanding of gender. My first thought goes to the way we typically speak about plug types or any type of connectors: male or female. I do think there has to be better ways of naming items like these in order to make this industry a more accepting place, and I think it is most likely our generation that achieves this and gives theatre a more gender neutral update to what it was in the past.
I really think that this kind of thing is just so important to have as a standard across all industries really. The more we as an industry normalize gender neutral language before it's even necessary the more we can help more gender nonconforming individuals be accepted in the industry as a whole. When people only start to change the language they use once it applies to a non binary person on the cast or crew, it can start to feel like its burdensome to have them their, only having a all gender bathroom or dressing room once they’re hired feels like a chore because it wasn’t necessary before and that kind of change that only happens when necessary can put a lot of pressure on the person its for, so if we make the effort to create the change before its necessary it can just become a standard in a business rather than extra work to be inclusive once you have to be.
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