In case you thought that the big kerfuffle about the number of women playwrights on the Broadway stage was going to just vanish quietly into the night, here are some ladies who would like to tell you different. In a well-attended (crammed, actually) forum at the Julia Miles Theater on Tuesday the 25th, a panel full of can-do speakers held forth on a range of issues facing women in theater. Honey, it was an eye-opener. The event served as a launching point for the project 50/50 in 2020, a ten-year initiative that aims to get roughly proportional representation on the boards before the first jet car comes out. Because, as many of the speakers pointed out, women aren’t a minority.
Some of the night was dedicated to contextualizing the controversial findings made by Emily Glassberg Sands in her thesis, chiefly by Susan Jonas who cowrote the 2002 report that pointed out some of the scarier statistics a half-decade ago. To paraphrase, in 30 years, the percentage of women playwrights on Broadway has gone from 7% to 17%, while the percentage of women directors has crept from roughly 7% to 12.5%. The scariest stat: Theaters with the highest budgets hire the fewest women, and so the greatest representation for women happens in the lowest budgetary tier. Thrillingly, Jonas also challenged us to go out and learn about the theater greats who came before us: “We can’t stand on the shoulders of giants if we don’t know who they are.”
Both she and the editor-educator Alexis Greene pooh-poohed the common argument that theaters that mount “classic” work will naturally skew their productions towards male playwrights. Greene brandished a book that had a 75-page bibliography of work written by women before 1900. Mount that, Roundabout!
Greene also noted the avalanche of Machinal productions that followed Sophie Treadwell’s publication in Judith Barlow’s collection, and wanted to remind us that a little anthologizing can clearly go a long way. This sort of practical solution was very much in evidence. Airy chats about fairness were shelved in favor of clear discussions about nationalizing the effort (à la Eve Ensler’s V-Day Celebration), networking tips from Julie Crosby (of the Women’s Project) and some incredibly hard-headed commentary about criticism and sexism by Linda Winer.
Jonas again: ” We need to measure progress against perception. Raising awareness doesn’t create change.” She reminded us that English suffragettes only started getting legislation passed after they stopped making nice and started breaking windows. “I’m not advocating the destruction of property…necessarily,” she cracked. Natatia L. Griffith, a commissioner on the New York City Commission on Women’s Issues and a pay-equity advocate, sat cheerfully amid the theater types, beaming sweetly. Then she gave it to us straight. “You’ve got three options,” she said. “(1) Lead by example. (2) Hit them with lawsuits. And (3) Legislation.”
It was electrifying. I’m getting my bloomers in a twist just thinking about it!
I am so glad to see this! I was unable to get to the meeting, and have been waiting to hear a report.
I’d like to hear details of the “practical solutions” and ways those of us out of the loop can help. Also, consider appealing to older women, who are a disproportionate part of the theatre audience and active in volunteer work in the arts. They–we– have nothing to lose when it comes to pissing off the decision-makers, who are already embarrassed to see our boring gray heads cluttering up their trendy lobbies.
Thanks for writing this piece in a lively, entertaining way. I attended the gathering and reading your take on the panel should inspire others to at least think about the matter of the under representation. Thanks to your editor for giving it space!!!
Hello, Geralyn Horton! If you want to know more about how to get involved, I would contact Melody Brooks at the New Perspectives theater company. She organized the panel, and her company’s website newperspectivestheatre.org has information about 50/50 in 2020. One of the big, practical things that was mentioned over and over again: Vote with your feet. Go to see work by women playwrights or pieces directed by women. If you are in the theater, mentor a woman (Julie Crosby told it to us straight: This business is about connections.). And, of course, get involved in 50/50 in 2020…
This is not only an important discussion for playwrights but for actresses as well. The disparagy of work for professional actresses is insane, and relative to both the season selection process and the availablity and willingess to present stories with women writers, characters and for the female audience.
Speak up to the Artistic Directors about their blatent malecentric choices, and boys club attitude. Not for profit companies have a responsibility to not descriminate, and that means also with the products they are presenting onstage, with tax breaks, grants and donations.
most women writers and composers get shoved aside. men get pushed ahead generally speaking. how do you stop that from happening? it’s who knows who and who has money and who can sell tickets.
maybe things can change
some women theater writers get produced but the women are usually those with money or with power
money usually does it
producers like THE SWEET SMELL
OF MONEY
ESPECIALLY IN THESE TIMES
GIVE ‘EM A BUCK AND
THEY’RE IN SEVENTH HEAVEN
THE NON-PROFIT AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS
MAYBE THIS CAN CHANGE
I WRITE MUSICALS