TCG's 2012 Young Leader of Color, Malcolm Darrell, responds to Drew Barker's question on diversity and inclusion. "How do institutions and artists negotiate between sincere attempts at 'bridge-building' and creating productive 'multicultural' explorations without falling into the potential traps of audience pandering or cliché?" Working Past Assumptions/Breaking Through Bias First and most important, we begin by acknowledging that we (institutions and artists alike) have cultural, religious, gender, racial prejudices the moment we meet someone who does not conform to our prescribed world of comfort. I too as a black man with my liberal backbone and conservative tendencies, often check myself regarding thoughts and assumptions I make about people and their journey. To answer the question more specifically- Institutions:
Artists:
In closing, like any change in life, it all begins with an initial step. My hope is that after reading this the process has begun.
5 Comments
TCG's 2012 Young Leader of Color, Maile Holck, responds to Drew Barker's question on diversity and inclusion. "How do institutions and artists negotiate between sincere attempts at 'bridge-building' and creating productive 'multicultural' explorations without falling into the potential traps of audience pandering or cliché?" Accountability: How to Avoid Pandering and ClichesWhat I have to say is probably going to come across very simplistic and maybe even simple minded, but here goes... I think back to what Ralph Pena (founding member/current artistic director of Ma-Yi Theater Company) said during the sustainability plenary session in Boston: "We have to get the leaders (of theatre institutions) to acknowledge their own biases." Absolutely. I also believe we have to stop thinking of them as large institutions and start looking at and talking directly to the individuals who run them. By the same token, those individual leaders must stop perceiving themselves as large institutions and begin behaving as individual artists who want to create great theatre...because at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want? We can holler til the cows come home, but if the individual leaders of those institutions cannot - or refuse to - self reflect and recognize their own biases, then we might as well be talking to a brick wall. An endeavor such as this must be a two way street. If the attempts are truly sincere - and there are equal amounts of give, take, interest, curiosity and real listening, then while we may not always succeed, I would bet that, more often than not, honest, productive and "multicultural" explorations and theatre experiences will be the result. I think what it boils down to is people (leaders of theatre institutions as well as individual artists...but mostly those leaders) need to hold themselves accountable. People need to also have a genuine interest and curiosity in "multicultural" explorations in order for any of it to be a real bridge building experience. They can't do it just because it's what they think they're supposed to do...you know? That's when the pandering and cliches come in. TCG's 2012 Young Leader of Color, Alfred Heartley, responds to Drew Barker's question on diversity and inclusion. "How do institutions and artists negotiate between sincere attempts at 'bridge-building' and creating productive 'multicultural' explorations without falling into the potential traps of audience pandering or cliché?" Singularities vs. Multiplicities: Flat vs. Dimensional Diversity This question presents an answer that requires balance. Although I have not worked in American theater for a very long time, I have had my share of thinking about and writing about multiple iterations of diversity in theater. I am interested in eliminating racism in theatrical institutions and getting to a place that Claudia Alick described as diversity being a natural part of the larger conversations in theater rather than a forced conversation that must be started by people of color. In theater we have been hungry for plays that present and propose a complex human and emotional experience. I believe that in theater we do not go from the simple, but as I saw in a quote we make the complex simple. When theaters look for artistic merit in a piece, they look for multiple themes, complex ideas and characters, and a world that is sustainable within the play. If administrators and artists see something being explained too simply and plainly, we as theater artists and subsequently audiences are not interested in said play. I believe the same occurs with theater institutions that want to reach out to audiences in a serious way in regards to diversity. The difference between theaters that want to engage as opposed to those that simply want to pander lies in the idea of singularities vs. multiplicities. Just as theaters are looking for plays with complexities and multiple themes, people of color are looking for institutions to have multiple examples and programs that promote diversity at the theater. If audiences only see singular examples of diversity or as I call it the “black friend” syndrome, audiences will become suspect of the theater’s intentions. This is the difference between colorblind casting and color conscious casting. If there appears to be a total disregard for how the play will be read by an audience and the theater adds a person of color into a production, that would be considered pandering in my eyes. However, color conscious casting considers the full scope of the play and production. The difference is where there is a single occurrence of diversity as opposed to multiple iterations of diversity. What theaters lack when it comes to diversity is finding ideas for multiple iterations and programs for it that do not constitute some sort of “white man’s burden” mentality. The institution cannot assume that it has some responsibility to civilize audiences to become proper theatergoers. Instead the institution must seek and implement best programs and practices for the community and are vital for the field as a response. This can be done in several ways. This most visible way is with an institution is their season. If there are only small singular occurrences of diversity such as doing Anna and the Tropics as the only option that minority actors, directors, and designers have a chance to work, this can be seen as pandering. However, if there are multiple shows with diverse casts and issues this can be seen as a sincere way to engage with a demographic of people through representation. Another instance is through staffing. There must be sincere attempts to recruit people of color for entry and senior staff level staff position. There are several fellowship programs that at least encourage and train people of color to enter arts administration. This at least serves as a platform for encouraging diversity in theater administrations and a way in which people of color may have a voice in the structure, operations, and vision of the theater. If this only occurs as a singularity, there are issues of tokenism that will occur and the staff member speaking for all people of color as their collective representative. The singularity paints a flat picture for the theater, just as a flat character and flat world of a play makes for an uninteresting and cliché play. Multiplicities are what make the difference between pandering and a sincere attempt to diversify theaters and build bridges with communities. Singular attempts are insulting to people of color and shows the guarded nature of American theater that is supposed to be a herald of liberalism. But singularities expose the curtain of true conservatism that theater can be. Like plays, multiplicities will make theaters much more interesting and complex as they move to diversity and seek younger audiences. "Our Nation derives strength from the diversity of its population and from its commitment to equal opportunity for all. We are at our best when we draw on the talents of all parts of our society, and our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our greatest challenges." President Barack Obama, Executive Order 13583 Last year, President Obama issued Executive Order 13583, Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion. This government-wide strategic plan aims to "provide a shared direction, encourage commitment, and create alignment so agencies can approach their workplace diversity and inclusion efforts in a coordinated, collaborative, and integrated manner." In it, diversity is defined as "a collection of individual attributes including, but not limited to, characteristics such as national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and family structures." Inclusion is defined as "a culture that connects each employee to the organization; encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness; and leverages diversity throughout the organization so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential." These are the stated goals: Goal #1: Workforce Diversity - Recruit from a diverse, qualified group of potential applicants to secure a high-performing workforce drawn from all segments of American society. Goal #2: Workplace Inclusion - Cultivate a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable individuals to contribute to their full potential and further retention. Goal #3: Sustainability - Develop structures and strategies to equip leaders with the ability to manage diversity, be accountable, measure results, refine approaches on the basis of such data, and institutionalize a culture of inclusion. Setting bipartisanship aside, these working definitions and goals are critical to individuals and institutions concerned with creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace. In the days following the Staging Strife and Solidarity: Black-Jewish Relations in American Drama panel, I began thinking about President Obama's executive order. In preparation for the discussion, Drew Barker asked panelists Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director, Centerstage), Gavin Witt (Associate Artistic Director, CenterStage), and Ari Roth (Artistic Director, Theater J) a series of questions related to programming and outreach. One question in particular stood out to me: "How do institutions and artists negotiate between sincere attempts at 'bridge-building' and creating productive 'multicultural' explorations without falling into the potential traps of audience pandering or cliché?" It's an important question and one that artists, audiences, and theatre administrators need to consider. However, before we can do that we need to acknowledge and hold ourselves accountable for the role we played in alienating, ignoring and disenfranchising others for their differences. First, we need to admit that it feels really great to have our thoughts reflected, feelings validated, and experiences staged in a way that looks familiar. Next, we need apologize to ourselves for choosing time and time again not to step outside of our comfort zones and thereby robbing ourselves of an opportunity to grow, learn and improve ourselves. Then, we need to forgive ourselves for thinking that people who look like us are the only people qualified to do the job, deserve the funding and accolades, share the stage or tell good stories. Finally, we need to promise ourselves never to go back to those close-mined business practices and that exclusive way of thinking ever again. At which point, we're ready to take the necessary steps toward opening our hearts, minds, lives, theatres, and institutions to the full, rewarding and enriching experience of what the world beyond arms-length has to offer us. We publicly dedicate our time, effort, money and energy to diversity in the broadest possible context and commit ourselves, our plays, our theatre seasons, and our institutions to include women, people of color, people with disabilities, etc. We build bridges by sharing our stages and engaging our audiences in difficult, but necessary conversation about race, culture, class, and gender. We become socially aware, racially conscious, and culturally sensitive by asking questions, educating ourselves, and daring to experience something new and different. Essentially, we shift from a multicultural society that merely acknowledges and tolerates difference to a inclusive society that cultivates and thrives on difference. If our efforts are well-researched, fully thought-out, and sincere, there will be no room for pandering or cliches. After sitting with my own thoughts for a while, I reached out to my fellow TCG 2012 Young Leaders of Color to hear their thoughts on the subject. As busy as they are making the theatre world a more diverse and inclusive space, they obliged me. I'll be sharing these smart, insightful, and thought-provoking responses from Malcolm Darrell, JJ El Far, Alfred Heartley, Maile Holck, Andre Lancaster, and Yolanda Williams with you in the coming days. This past Sunday, I presented on a panel entitled: Staging Strife and Solidarity: Black-Jewish Relations in American Drama. While I'm no stranger to panel discussion, this was my very first Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) panel. We had a small, but attentive audience, and by attentive, I mean wrapped! Personally, I'm a sucker for a panel of smart, talented, passionate theatre artists, scholars, students and historians. If you are too, then you would have loved it. The amazing Faedra Chatard Carpenter (Assistant Professor, University of Maryland) conceived and organized this panel. She enlisted the help of Drew Barker and LaRonika Thomas both Doctoral Candidates at the University of Maryland. In addition to myself, the panelists included James M. SoRelle (Professor of History, Baylor University), Heather S. Nathans (Professor of Theatre, University of Maryland), Ari Roth (Artistic Director, Theater J), Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director, Centerstage), and Gavin Witt (Associate Artistic Director, CenterStage). Unfortunately, Kwame wasn't able to join owing to bad weather in Chicago. However, he was with us in spirit and that was wonderful! The idea for the panel came together as Faedra and Drew were serving as dramaturgs on Washington D.C.'s Theater J and Baltimore, Maryland's Centerstage respective productions of THE WHIPPING MAN. If you haven't seen it, here's a brief synopsis from the lovely folks at Theater J: In Richmond, Virginia in the chaotic aftermath of the bloody Civil War, two newly-freed slaves and the son of their former master -- a Jewish Confederate soldier -- reunite to celebrate on Passover. As the three men gather in the burnt remains of the Confederate soldier's family home on the eve of a new chapter in the country's history, they uncover a web of dangerous secrets from the past that threaten to destroy their bond. This provocative play, called "haunting, striking and powerful" by The New York Times, examines what it really means to be free. Both theaters collaborated on dramaturgy and outreach efforts. Faedra was also dramaturging the new play development workshop and reading of my play, The Hampton Years. It struck her that a great deal of synergy was happening around the Black and Jewish relationship and that it should be harnessed and examined. The panel was organized in a roundtable that offered a “constellation” of three major topics or sections: Section #1: Historicizing public presentations of Black-Jewish Relations (“the way back past” as well as the recent past), which featured Heather Nathans and James SoRelle, and was moderated by Faedra Chatard Carpenter.Prior to the conference, Faedra posed a number of questions to our historians to help "set the stage" for our conversation. She wanted them to provide us with anecdotes, facts, references, and/or statistics about past "public presentations" of Black-Jewish relations that occurred before the 1990s. Faedra defined "public presentations" as anything that could be seen as "performed or presented" for a consuming public. For instance, advertisements that depict runaway slaves or Jewish people; editorials written describing character traits and qualities of Blacks and Jewish people; legislative acts regulating the civil rights of Blacks and Jewish people (Jim Crow statutes and Nuremberg laws, but also the Civil Rights Act of 1964), monologues or plays (Heather mentioned an instance where William Shakespeare's "I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands..." shifted to "I am a Negro. Hath not a Negro eyes? Hath not a Negro hands..." in a reference to the shared history of oppression), protests or demonstrations (most notably the civil rights movement), and happenings. Blacks and Jewish people have shared a long history. The common ground on which we stand is one of great strife. African-American Jewish scholar, Julius Lester, captures our experience: 1. We were enslaved. 2. We were demonized and denigrated by the white majority. 3. We were forced from our homelands and dispersed across the world, now living in a diaspora 4. We were forced to live in segregation and ghettoization. 5. We faced political injustice and discrimination against our civil rights. 6. We faced violent attacks and torture in the form of pogroms, race riots and lynchings. The Black and Jewish relationship, is deep and complex. We have danced, prayed, and wept together. We have marched arm-in-arm demanding equality, justice, and civil rights. We have fought against one another, standing at arm’s length in hatred, mistrust, and confusion. Our ability to dramatize both the strife and solidarity experiences on the stage offers audiences room to witness, interrogate, celebrate and heal from our many experiences. The act of dramatizing the Black and Jewish relationship was the topic for the next section. Section #2: Contemporary plays that animate Black-Jewish relations, which featured Jacqueline Lawton and Ari Roth, and was moderated by LaRonika Thomas.First, I spoke about the inspiration for and development of THE HAMPTON YEARS, which was originally conceived in November of 2010 after a conversation with Shirley Serotsky, Theater J's Director of Literary and Public Programs. Set at Hampton University from 1939 to 1946, THE HAMPTON YEARS examines the impact of World War II on Jewish immigrants living in the United States and their role in shaping the lives and careers of African American students in the segregated south. Viktor Lowenfeld joined the Hampton Institute in Virginia in 1939 as assistant professor of Industrial Arts and studio art teacher. Burgeoning artists, John Biggers and Samella Lewis. were his students and acclaimed artists, Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White, taught in residence. While certainly a difficult time for both Blacks and Jewish people as Jim Crow laws and Anti-Semitism plagued the country, somehow these passionate and brilliant artists rose above all that was standing in their way to create beautiful, poignant, and lasting works of art. THE HAMPTON YEARS celebrates the legacy of these outstanding artists and honors the stewardship of their great work. I shared the following scene, playing Samella to the amazing Gavin Witt's Viktor: Spring 1944. Art Studio Classroom. Viktor and Samella discuss her sculpture and sketches. VIKTOR Are these your only sketches? Where are your kinesthetic drawings? SAMELLA Doc, the scribbles aren’t my thing. I’m not a baby. I was at Dillard for two years. I have training. VIKTOR Yes, but you’re too visual, Samella. SAMELLA Doc, just because I’m a Negro doesn’t mean I’m haptic. I paint what I see. VIKTOR Put race aside for a moment, we cannot rely on the eyes alone. Look at this piece of crystal. What can you tell about the texture based on what you see? SAMELLA It’s brittle. Hard, but it can also be delicate. VIKTOR What about the surface? SAMELLA It’s clear. Transparent. VIKTOR Good. Of course, the color can change based on the light. Crystal ranges from dark to bright to warm to bleak. Light draws an inconsistent conclusion. What does that tell us? SAMELLA We must rely on the other senses. VIKTOR Yes, the creative experience is an integrated experience. SAMELLA But I live in a segregated world, Doc. That’s got nothing to do with me. (Beat.) Look, you said we could make whatever we wanted. Well, all I want to do is sculpt a mother and child. I think it will be beautiful. VIKTOR It’s not enough to create something just because it is beautiful. You must put yourself into each sketch, painting, mural, sculpture. What drew you to the subject? SAMELLA I saw a woman holding her baby and she seemed happy. I just wanted to capture that happiness. VIKTOR Is this a happiness that you’re missing in your own life? SAMELLA What? (Beat.) Doc, I’ve gone to the park every day for a week. I’ve drawn a hundred sketches of women with babies. I've talked to them. VIKTOR But when is the last time you held a baby in your arms? Or rocked a crying, feverish baby to sleep? SAMELLA I don’t know. VIKTOR Then how you are ever to create a mother and a child? (Beat.) Here, put on this blindfold. Samella covers her eyes with the blindfold. VIKTOR We have Johann Gottfried Herder to thank for this exercise. He believed that touch was the most important sense. I tested this theory in my work with blind students. From them, I learned that touch transcends the visual. By relying on touch, you create what you feel. Literally. Think about the mother and child that you saw. What made you stay with her? Perhaps you miss your own mother. Samella removes the blindfold from her eyes. SAMELLA This is nonsense. VIKTOR Put the blindfold back on. Why must you fight me at every turn? SAMELLA Because of your assumptions about me! Who are to tell me that I have no happiness in my life? Or that I miss my mother. Maybe I just want to create this sculpture, because it’ll be beautiful. Doc, you criticize artists who paint flowers and landscapes, but to someone who’s never seen a mountain before or the ocean that painting means something to them. Why isn’t beauty enough? VIKTOR But what you’re describing is more than just beauty. You want to define a viewer’s first experience. Why? What was it about the flower or mountain that moved you to paint it? SAMELLA Oh, this is so frustrating! VIKTOR What was it about that mother and child that made you want to spend hours recreating them? SAMELLA They both seemed loved. The mother seemed so completely filled with love. I’ve never felt that. VIKTOR Good. That’s it. That is why you must create this sculpture. SAMELLA But if you cover my eyes, I won’t know what it will look like. VIKTOR Trust yourself. First, sculpt how it feels first. Then worry about how it looks. Samella sighs deeply. She covers her eyes with the blindfold and starts to sculpt the clay. End of scene. Next, Ari Roth spoke about the inspiration, impact and production history of GOODNIGHT IRENE. Click here to read more about the play and his experience at the conference. He also read in the role of Ethan to the fearless and ever-talented Faedra Chatard Carpenter's Anna Deavere Smith. Here's part of the excerpt he shared: ANNA Integration, for me, is a nostalgic term. ETHAN 'Kay, here's the thing. For me? I miss nostalgia. I mean, compared with the reality – the very harsh – and I think we can make a case, in terms of climate, that we have actually gone backwards. Worse than backwards. Because we are annoyed now. Exasperated, in a way we never were in the '60s. I mean, I can remember my Dad going on all those marches; y’know, not in the South, but Woodlawn. Cicero. Got a brick thrown at him once. Didn't hit 'im. Hit a kid. But we went to the funeral. We went to a lot of funerals, actually. ANNA Really? ETHAN Also meetings. He'd talk. Me 'n my sister, we'd, y'know, wander out front, play Pinners. I'd play; she'd whatever, y'know, not important. Cry. Is it getting unbearably HOT, or is that just–? ANNA Y'know, maybe next time, Ethan, I can interview you, because you have what seems to me a virtually bottomless reservoir of guilt which I find absolutely— ETHAN (Overlapping "fascinating") Wait— ANNA For example, I'd like to ask you about Moving. Which you mention several times. ETHAN “Stayed.” I believe I said “stayed.” South Side. ANNA Which means what? A “bad” neighborhood? ETHAN (With pride) Thirty years, same house. ANNA And why? ...Would you stay? Or your father. Why would anyone choose to stay... in a bad neighborhood? (Memory voices) ...Ethan...? (He is transfixed) I have to go change now. ETHAN No, wait... One more — See, 'cause I recently commissioned this professor; this crazy black-Jewish -- you've heard of him — Julius Lester — on the subject of, what else — and he argues that this “Golden Age;” this “Alliance;” “Simpatico,” is “Largely myth and denial founded on wishful thinking and mutual piggy-backs” and, see, I'm gonna print it, but I have no idea if I even believe it! ANNA I see. Well, I find I'm much more drawn to people who don't have a thesis. Who are struggling to deal with a thesis; to overcome a very personal thesis— ETHAN (Hopeful) Yes? ANNA So, for instance, “Simpatico? Was it real?” I don't know the answer! I don't care about the answer! But the asking; your need to, is for me very... ETHAN Yes, but-- ANNA You see, Ethan, in the struggle to make a point, we often become the point, which is much more the point, than the point that we thought were making. ETHAN ...Huh? ANNA (As she exits) Bye now! It's exciting to know that THE HAMPTON YEARS will join the canon of plays dramatizing the Black and Jewish relationship. Here are a few others well worth the reading: Parade – Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry The Day the Bronx Died by Michael Henry Brown Sarah and The Sax by Lewis John Carlino Soul Sisters by Joanne B. Koch & Sarah Blacher Cohen Medal of Honor Rag by Tom Cole I'm Not Rappaport by Herb Gardner The Left Hand Singing by Barbara Lebow Caroline, Or Change – Tony Kushner I Am a Man by OyamO No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs by John Henry Redwood The South Side: Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood by Louis Rosen Fires in the Mirror byAnna Deavere Smith Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry And of course, The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, which brought us together and closed our afternoon together. Section #3: Issues of Audience and Advocacy, (Community outreach and audience response, particularly in reference to the Theater J and Center Stage productions of THE WHIPPING MAN), which featured Ari Roth and Gavin Witt, and was moderated by Drew Barker.This was a riveting conversation. We got to the heart of what compelled each artistic director to produce THE WHIPPING MAN by Mario Lopez, which in addition to being the most produced show across the nation of the 2011-2012 season and possibly of 2012-2013, also won the 2011 John Gassner Playwriting Award by the NY Outer Critics Circle. Outside of it being a one set, three person play, THE WHIPPING MAN appeals to our love affair with history; our obsession with ritual and religion; our fascination with the events leading up to, surrounding, and following Lincoln's assassination; and our shock/horror at the realization the Jewish people owned slaves. Of the two productions, I was only able to see Theater J's production, which was directed by Jennifer L. Nelson and featured Mark Hairston, Alexander Strain and David Emerson Toney, and was truly outstanding.
Prior to the panel, Drew asked Ari and Gavin the following question, but we didn't have a chance to answer it: How do institutions and artists negotiate between sincere attempts at “bridge-building” and creating productive “multicultural” explorations without falling into the potential traps of audience pandering or cliché? So, I would like to pose it to all of you now. Please send me your thoughts and I'll post them here! On Sunday, I'll be participating on a panel called Staging Strife and Solidarity: Black-Jewish Relations in American Drama at the Association for Theater in Higher Education (ATHE). This will be my first time presenting at ATHE's national conference and I'm so excited! Seriously, folks, this panel is going to be hot! For those interested in attending, here's a bit of info:
Ari Roth (Artistic Director of Theater J), Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director of Centerstage), and Gavin Witt (Associate Artistic Director of Centerstage) will then discuss the artistic and socio-political impetus behind producing plays that address Black-Jewish relations within the D.C. Metro area, bringing particular attention to the ways in which these works create--and demand--civic discourse regarding race, religion, and the potential of coalitional politics. As author of the play, GOODNIGHT IRENE, Ari Roth will also address the aforementioned issues from the position of a playwright and Artistic Director. Likewise, playwright/dramaturg Jacqueline E. Lawton will discuss her play, THE HAMPTON YEARS--a piece written for Theater J as part of the institution's on-going effort to cultivate work that speaks to Black-Jewish relations. In my next post, I'll share my Thoughts and Reflections from the event. The Moderators and Organizers Staging Strife and Solidarity: Black-Jewish Relations in American Drama will be organized and moderated by University of Maryland's graduate students LaRonika Thomas and Drew Barker, as well as Faedra Chatard Carpenter (Assistant Professor). FAEDRA CHATARD CARPENTER (B.A., Spelman College; M.A. Washington University; Ph.D. Stanford University) is an assistant professor of theater and performance studies at the University of Maryland, College Park and a freelance dramaturg. A former resident dramaturg for Arena Stage in D.C. and Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey, Dr. Carpenter has also worked as a professional dramaturg for Centerstage, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the African Continuum Theatre Company, Theater J, Black Women Playwrights, and TheatreWorks. Carpenter is an Advisory Editor in Drama for Callaloo, an Editorial Board Member for The Southern Quarterly, and is on the Board of Directors for Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA). Her scholarly interests include the study of race, sexuality, and gender in contemporary performance and her work is published in Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy; Theatre Topics; Women & Performance; Text and Performance Quarterly; and Callaloo. DREW BARKER is currently a Master’s Candidate at the University of Maryland in Theatre and Performance Studies. Formerly a high school Theatre and English teacher, he also held the position of Artistic Associate at Triad Stage in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was dramaturg for 14 productions. Additionally, he worked as an assistant dramaturg at Centerstage, Theatre J, and the Kennedy Center. His scholarly interests include the plays of Naomi Wallace and dramaturgy of the American Civil War. LARONIKA THOMAS is a Baltimore-based freelance dramaturg, producer and writer, a full-time PhD student in the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at the University of Maryland, as well as the Vice President for Regional Activity for Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), and sometimes adjunct faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Her credits include: Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Neo-Futurists, Silk Road Theatre Project, Lifeline Theatre, Greasy Joan and Co., Stage Left Theatre, and Chicago Dancemakers Forum. Recently, LaRonika has served as an Associate Producer for Source Festival in D.C., and the Festivals Director for Active Cultures in Prince George’s County, as well as working in various capacities with The Public Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Playwright’s Center, Syracuse Stage, TADA! Youth Theatre, Artists Bloc, the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, and the Playwrights Group of Baltimore. She has an MA in Theatre from Purdue University and a BA in Theatre and Anthropology from Indiana University. The Panelists KWAME KWEI-ARMAH, Artistic Director, is an award-winning British playwright, director, actor, and broadcaster. Kwei-Armah’s plays include Seize the Day, A Bitter Herb, Blues Brother Soul Sister, Big Nose, and his triptych of plays chronicling the struggles of the British African-Caribbean community in London--Elmina’s Kitchen, Fix up, and Statement of Regret—which each premiered at the National Theatre between 2003- 2007. With Elmina’s Kitchen he became the first Black Briton to have a play produced in London’s West End; Elmina’s Kitchen and Let There be Love each had their American debuts at CENTERSTAGE. He has been named a Writer-in-Residence at the Bristol Old Vic and for BBC Radio drama, an Associate Artist and board member at the National Theatre of Great Britain and London’s Tricycle Theatre, as well as being named an Associate Artist at CENTERSTAGE, where he made his directing debut with Naomi Wallace’s Things of Dry Hours. Since then he has directed the Pulitzer nominated playwright Esa Davis’s 10-minute play Dave Chappelle was Right for the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, and two successful productions of his play Let There Be Love at the Tricycle Theatre London. Kwei-Armah has been named the Goodwill ambassador for Trade for Christian Aid; Chancellor of University of the Arts London; and served as Artistic Director for the World Arts Festival in Senegal, a month-long World Festival of Black Arts and Culture. JACQUELINE E. LAWTON received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em Horns!), where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She participated in the Kennedy Center’s Playwrights’ Intensive (2002) and World Interplay (2003). She is the author of Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade, and Mad Breed. Lawton’s work has been developed and presented at the following venues: Active Cultures, Classical Theater of Harlem, Discovery Theater, Folger Shakespeare Library, theHegira, Howard University, Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of American History, Rorschach Theater Company, Round House Theatre, Savannah Black Heritage Festival (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Shakespeare Theatre Company, Source Theatre Festival, and Theater J. She is published in Experiments in a Jazz Aesthetic: Art, Activism, Academia, and the Austin Project (University of Texas Press). Lawton is a 2012 TCG Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color award recipient. She has been nominated for the Wendy Wasserstein Prize and a PONY Fellowship from the Lark New Play Development Center. She was named one of 30 of the nation's leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. HEATHER S. NATHANS is a Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland ’s School of Theatre , Dance, and Performance Studies. She is also the editor for the University of Iowa Press’s award-winning series, Studies in Theatre History and Culture and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of American Drama with Oxford University Press. Her publications include: Early American Theatre from the Revolution to Thomas Jefferson; Slavery and Sentiment on the American Stage, 1787-1861; Shakespearean Educations: Power, Citizenship, and Performance, co-editor and contributing author; and the forthcoming Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans: Performing Jewish Identity on the Antebellum American Stage (under contract to the University of Michigan Press). Nathans has held over twenty-five research fellowships including most recently ones from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Folger Shakespeare Library with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Jewish Archives, and the Mellon Foundation, and the American Society for Theatre Research. She is the President-elect of the American Society for Theatre Research. ARI ROTH is a playwright, educator and producer and, for the past 15 years, Artistic Director of Theater J, hailed in 2005 by The New York Times as “the premier theater for premieres," and where he has produced over 100 mainstage productions including 36 world premieres. The theater won the 2008 Mayor’s Arts Award and has been nominated for over 50 Helen Hayes Awards, unveiling world premieres by the late Wendy Wasserstein, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Greenberg, Ariel Dorfman, Robert Brustein, Thomas Keneally, as well as many emerging writers. Internationally acclaimed for its Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival, the theater has produced a dozen English language premieres by Israeli, Egyptian, and Pakistani born writers and last season presented the Cameri Theatre's production of RETURN TO HAIFA, performed in Arabic and Hebrew, adapted by Boaz Gaon from the Palestinian novella by Ghassan Kanafani. His plays include ANDY AND THE SHADOWS, BORN GUILTY, and THE WOLF IN PETER, which now comprise a trilogy, THE BORN GUILTY CYCLE. Other plays, including OH, THE INNOCENTS, GOODNIGHT IRENE, LOVE AND YEARNING IN THE NOT FOR PROFITS, and LIFE IN REFUSAL have been produced across the country. In 2009 he was named one of "The Forward 50," honoring fifty nationally prominent “men and women who are leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century.” He has taught for the University of Michigan for 15 years, currently for their “Michigan in DC” program, as well as for Brandeis, NYU and Carnegie Mellon Universities. JAMES SORELLE is a Professor of History at Baylor University. He received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Houston in 1972 and 1974, respectively, and a Ph.D. from Kent State University in 1980. As a historian specializing in the field of African American history, Dr. SoRelle has focused his research and publication on four areas of interest: (1) racial violence in Waco, Texas; (2) the development of the African American community in Houston, Texas, in the years between the two world wars; (3) the intersection between humor and protest in the African American community; and (4) the civil rights movement in Texas. His scholarly articles have appeared in Houston Review, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and Black Dixie: Essays in Afro-Texas History and Culture in Houston (Texas A & M University Press, 1992). In addition, for the past twenty years he has served as co-editor of the two-volume reader, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American History. His teaching fields are in African American history and late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century United States history. GAVIN WITT, Associate Artistic Director/Director of Dramaturgy, came to CENTERSTAGE in 2003 as Resident Dramaturg, having served in that role previously at several Chicago theaters. As a dramaturg, he has worked on well over 60 plays, from classics to new commissions—including play development workshops and freelance dramaturgy for TCG, The Playwrights Center, The New Harmony Project, The Old Globe, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center, and others. A graduate of Yale and the University of Chicago, he was active in Chicago theater for more than a decade as an actor, director, dramaturg, translator, and teacher, not to mention co-founder of greasy joan & co. theater, while serving as a regional Vice President of LMDA, the national association of dramaturgs. He has been on the faculty of the University of Chicago and DePaul University, and currently teaches at Towson University. From start to finish, Scenes from Historic Women Playwrights: Read by Luminaries of the Stage was an extraordinary, inspiring and beautiful night!!! After a lovely dinner, I walked into the theatre and was met with a nearly full house! And by nearly, I believe there were eight or night empty seats and those quickly filled as I made my way to the front row. Joan Wages, Director of the National Women's History Museum (NWHM), gave the Welcome Remarks. One story she shared particularly stood out. In 1921, the Suffragist Statue, which honors the contributions and efforts of suffragist pioneers Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony was dedicated in the Capitol Rotunda. The very next day the all male Congress moved it downstairs into a storage closet. As a founding board member of NWHM, she made it her mission to raise the money and pass legislation to move the Suffrage Statue into the Rotunda where it now stands. (Hearing this story was uncanny, because a few hours earlier I was at the Capitol on a tour with my campers. I'm happy to report that the Suffragists Statue is a featured highlight.) Next, Jill Dolan introduced the cast and set the tone for the evening by sharing the Notes from the Director Joan Vail Thorne: "The impetus for this event grew out of my enduring respect for the great women playwrights of the past and my increasing awareness of the possibility that the current disparity between the production of men’s and women’s plays might have something to do with the terrible neglect women’s plays of the past has suffered. The scenes selected for this program were chosen from plays that should occupy a significant place in the consciousness of all informed theatre persons, most of which have been largely forgotten. How many of us know that in the first two decades of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama four of the prizes were won by women? All of the scenes were, of course, written by women; all the characters in them are women; and all of them will be read by women. There is no hidden agenda in the selection or arrangement of the plays, only the desire to display them in their infinite variety of content and style. The casting will be color-blind and age-blind, and the actors – Kathleen Chalfant, Maryann Plunkett and Tamara Tunie - are, as you know, entirely capable of infinite variety of their own. The styles of the plays range from romantic comedy to searing realism, from high melodrama to pure farce, but what is common to them all is their excellence and humanity. The objective of the evening is meant to be, not a lament for the past or a complaint about the present, but a celebration of the excellence, humanity and appeal of plays of the past written by women." It was that and then some! The performances were captivating and illuminating. Selections included scenes from the powerful and dynamics works of celebrated playwrights Zoe Akins (THE OLD MAID), Jane Bowles (IN THE SUMMER HOUSE), Alice Childress (TROUBLE IN MIND), Rachel Crothers (THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A WOMAN), Fay Kanin (GOODBYE MY FANCY), Angelina W. Grimke (RACHEL), Lillian Hellman (THE LITTLE FOXES), Georgia Douglas Johnson (PLUMES), and (SO HELP ME GOD) Maurine Watkins. The stories were rich, poignant and relevant. We were even treated to encore scene from HARVEY by Mary Chase. It was perfection!
I dipped in and out of so many conversations that began with "How is it I've never heard of so many of these plays and playwrights?" Followed by "We have so many powerful actresses in this town, can you imagine them in some of these roles? And ended with "Well, now it's our turn. What's the next step?"
So, what do you say DC Theater community? What's next? Everyone deserves to have their story told. I truly believe this. I make no distinction of class, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. However large or small an impact we make in this world during our lifetime, we have served a role in history. The world was made better or worse because of each individual contribution. This is significant and should not be taken for granted. Growing up, I felt voiceless, invisible and even untouchable. This is sad, terrible and lonely feeling. It wasn't until I started studying theatre at the University of Texas at Austin that I was capable of changing some part of how I felt. Stepping into the classes of Amparo Garcia Crow, Jill Dolan, Fran Dorn, Joni Jones, and Ruth Margraff, I learned how to be seen and heard through playwriting and solo performance. I began working on what would be my thesis play, Blood-bound and Tongue-tied, an adaptation of the Oedipus Rex myth that examines self-hatred in African American community as a direct result of racism, prejudice an social injustice. What's more, I created a three-part solo performance piece called Venus Stands Sublimely Nude, which follows as African America woman's journey to embrace and celebrate her body, skin color and feminine identity. Then I graduated, made my way to DC and learned that a great many theatres in America aren't too terribly interested in producing plays by women or by people of color. The truth is this hurts. It's heartbreaking to know that regardless of talent, skill, ambition, and hard work my plays may never be produced because of the perceived notion that plays by women and people of color don't sell as well as plays by white men. My hope, quite simply, is that this will change. My mission is to be a part of that change. I will continue to write. I will continue to read, attend, and recommend plays by women and people of color. This is what the women behind History Matters/Back to the Future and Women and Theatre Program are striving to do beautifully, nobly, and with such courage. After speaking with Alli, I decided to check back in with the Steering Committee. I wanted them to share a few words that might help any of you, who are on the fence about attending tonight. Here's what a few of them had to say: Jen-Scott Mobley "I think there is unprecedented momentum around women’s work right now and D.C. is one of the hubs where it is happening. The Folger Theatre recently produced Susanna Centrelivre’s The Gaming Table; Meryl Streep has just made a huge donation to get the National Women’s Museum transformed from more than a cyberspace entity to a real building on D.C.’s National Mall. D.C. is on the cutting edge with a dynamic and close-knit theatre community that is positioned to make a difference and this reading will hopefully contribute to the momentum, which will in turn, continue to ripple throughout the country." Ludovica Villar-Hauser "It seemed to us, the founders of HISTORY MATTERS - BACK TO THE FUTURE, that the most effective way of changing the lack of parity in the theatre (it is estimated that less than 20% of paying work goes to women) would be to ensure that students learn about the contribution of women theatre artists (writers in particular); that we re-instate the great women of the past into the current curriculum thus making us all less invisible. It is only by knowing our past that we can claim our present and secure a prolific future for women making a living in the theatre. The ATHE conference is an opportunity to inspire educators about the importance of teaching the great women writers of the past. It is also a way for us to learn exactly what tools teachers need and how they wish the material to be presented so that they can introduce the works of such Pulitzer-winning playwrights Susan Glaspell, Zona Gale, Mary Coyle-Chase ... In terms of why now, all we have is now and every day we put off the inevitable we will continue projecting forward the same outcome for generations to come. Lack of parity. It is as simple as that really. " Heather Violanti "There is a concerted effort now to make everyone aware of the contributions of women playwrights to American theatre--the Legacy Project initiated by Susan Jonas, 50/50 in 2020, the ongoing work of the Guerilla Girls, the DG Women's Initiative, etc. This event builds on that effort. The DC theatre community is one of the most vibrant in the nation, and its artists can be inspired by the example of these groundbreaking women. Their history also shows the history of DC theatre--I was amazed how many of them had lived, worked, or had plays performed there--including Georgia Douglas Johnson and Angelina Weld Grimke, who were vital members of DC's African-American arts community." For those who can give tonight over to the magic of theatre, I look forward to seeing you! For those who can't, I look forward to hearing about how you created similar events in your own communities.
And I can hardly wait! Major kudos go to Alli Houseworth for spreading the word about Scenes for Historic Women Playwrights: Read by Luminaries of the Stage. If it were for her, I wouldn't have known about this amazing event. So, of course, I checked in with her about it. I'm always interested in what drives people to "yes" and put their name on certain projects. Also, I wanted to know how she got involved and what she thought about some of the key issues being addressed by this reading. Here's her great interview: Jacqueline Lawton: It’s been great getting to learn more about the women behind History Matters: Back to the Future. Please tell us how got involved with them. Alli Houseworth: I know Amanda Feldman, the Creative Line Producer, from my time in New York. She was really looking to connect the DC community to this project so she reached out to me for help. JL: Your efforts to make sure the D.C. theatre community knows about Scenes by Historic Women Playwrights: Read by Luminaries of the Stage have been wonderful. What do you think DC artists and institutions can learn from this event? AH: One thing that really piqued my interest about the project in the first place is that in this current theatrical landscape - where we all seem to be talking about a deep need for new plays, a dire lack of plays by women, plays by people of color that are currently being produced, etc - we're not really talking about past success. When Amanda approached me about this project, I thought right off the bat “how interesting is it that we seem to have forgotten what came before?” I hope this event provides the DC theatre community with a new perspective that could inspire new ideas. JL: Women’s voices are essential to the American Theatre. Yet time and time again, women’s plays are overlooked on our stages. Why do you think gender parity remains such a struggle in this country? AH: This is a loaded question. I suppose an oversimplified way of putting it is history and statistics. Women are up against a long history of men running things - or at least being perceived as the ones who have run things. We’re also a country that tends to value power, struggle, success, ladder climbing, etc. and we’re not really one that seems to value empathy, care-giving, compassion and how short-sighted thoughts and actions can effect an overall landscape in the long run. I think the former tend to be traits that are more often “male” and the latter tend to be more often “female.” So who knows, maybe it’s biology. Maybe it’s history. Maybe it’s economics. Maybe it’s PR. Who knows... time will tell. JL: Do you identify as a feminist? If so, for how long and why? AH: Actually no. It’s something I’ve wondered about lately. I’ve had the fortune of having been raised by, and around, very strong women. I always thought it was normal to have a great mom also ran her own company. Turns out this is not the norm and the older I’ve gotten the more and more I’ve seen the particular struggle that women face in all areas of life. I’m starting to think that just surviving as a woman might be the hardest job on the planet. JL: What advice do you have for young feminist artists? AH: You don’t have to play their game. Make your own. ABOUT ALLI HOUSEWORTH
Alli Houseworth is the Founder and President of Method 121, a company that curates audience engagement and social media strategies for theatrical organizations. Alli has ten years of PR and marketing experience that has straddled both the non-profit and commercial worlds. Having completed an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University, she has established herself as one of the industry’s experts in audience engagement and social media. For the last two years she has taught service mapping and social media to MFA Theatre Management and Producing candidates at Columbia in a course called Audience Engagement: In Line and Online. In 2009 she founded the TKTS Patron Service Representative program - a program which started with initial research at the TKTS location in Times Square - and now is a massive component of Theatre Development Fund’s programming. After founding the TKTS Patron Service Representative Program, Alli worked as the Marketing and Communications Director at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company where she was able to combine her love for audiences and social media with her love for new plays, and the new play development process. |
My BlogI'm a playwright, dramaturg, and teaching artist. It is here where you'll find my queries and musings on life, theater and the world. My posts advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity in the American Theatre and updates on my own work. Please enjoy!
Categories
All
Archives
June 2020
Reading List
|