Dear White Theater People, It is Not the Job of the Black Artist to Change the Industry. It’s Ours.
Photo: Craig Schwartz
Paige Levy
I am not writing this to try to speak over Black and other non-white industry members. I am writing this in an effort to help relieve some of the taxing emotional labor and effort that, frankly, we have been far too comfortable with letting them undertake for so long.
Artists of color, specifically Black artists, should not have to fight for this, educate us on this, or work to change our worldview. White members of the theater community, this is on OUR shoulders. Consider this your call to arms: you must use your privilege as a white person to amplify the voices of people that are not. You must look at the industry critically, see where the problems are, and fix them, whether that be through petitions, protests, not working a certain job, not supporting something monetarily, etc. We are late. We must do better.
We need to change, now.
For too long, the entire industry has prided itself on diversity and inclusivity that hasn’t existed. Look at the creative teams- the writers, directors, the producers,etc.— and you will see a SEA of white faces staring back at you. The stories you see play out on the Great White Way are exactly that: white. And when stories that center specifically on the experiences of Black or other individuals of color are told, they are told by white directors.
White writers. White producers. Including some that opened or were set to open THIS VERY SEASON. And not even one show: multiple. Caroline, or Change: a show specifically centered around a Black woman, her experiences, and her trauma, directed by a white man. Cast by white men. West Side Story: a show that focuses on the injustices faced by people of color directed by a white man, choreographed by a white woman, and on, and on, and on.
I can keep going, too. It is an all too familiar story on Broadway. Shows are created with an intent to capitalize on the experiences of people of color while only getting passed through white hands. The Artists’ Anti-Racist Coalition exposed a racist policy in theater: they found that white directors were hired to direct across ethnicity—meaning they were hired to direct shows written by people of color. However, directors of color were mainly hired to direct shows that aligned with their racial identity.
White performers, really think for a second. How many non-white producers, writers, composers, arrangers, directors, choreographers, casting agents, or designers have you worked with? How high of a priority is it for you to work on projects that have a TRULY diverse team? Is that even a thought that crosses your mind?
This is not an oversight. This is not just one mistake. Our industry is racist. It is prejudiced and discriminatory and we (myself and fellow white members of the community) have been okay with it for far too long.
But we’re not done here. We need to examine who ends up on stage, as well.
When shows open that don’t specifically center on stories of individuals of color, they are overwhelmingly white. Eight shows that either opened or were set to open on Broadway this season featured not one artist of color. Those shows were Sea Wall/A Life, The Height of the Storm, The Sound Inside, My Name Is Lucy Barton, Hangmen, The Lehman Trilogy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Flying Over Sunset. The Asian American Performers Action Coalition conducted a study every year analyzing representation on New York City stages. In the 2016-2017 season, Black performers only filled 18.6% of all available roles. 7.3% of roles went to Asian American performers, Latinx performers were represented at 5.1%, Middle Eastern/North African performers at 1.7%, and American Indian/Native/First Nation performers at 0.1%.
White actors occupied 66.8% of available roles. They continue to be the only over-represented ethnicity compared to their respective population size in New York City.
Another thing? These numbers represent an increase in non-Caucasian representation in theater. Somewhere along the line, we started telling ourselves that our industry was inclusive in an effort to ignore the serious, racist issues plaguing it.
I believe that the only way to properly address this problem is to also understand its roots: the BFA Musical Theater and BFA Acting degree programs. These, too, are racist institutions. Look at the faculty at some of the most reputable programs in the country. One, maybe two, Black members on the teaching staff. Some of the most highly regarded programs have no Black faculty members. And then the students that are admitted? Even less diverse. But this is not because white performers are somehow more talented or more capable than Black and brown performers-- far, far from it. It is because the BFA college audition process is designed in such a way that often boxes out non-white individuals. It is a privilege to be able to apply to college for a degree in performing. When I applied to schools this past year, I must have paid thousands in various applications, prescreen, and audition fees. Some schools even charge a fee for an accompanist.
Even if you receive fee waivers, that does not begin to account for the monstrous amount of money you have to spend on airfare, hotel accommodations, food you have to buy while you’re traveling across the country, and so on. It doesn’t end there. If you are able to afford it, you can pay to have fancy headshots taken, the best film equipment for your prescreens, for acting coaches and private voice lessons, for programs and classes, and mock auditions that are designed to help you secure a spot in a degree program. This very obviously provides an unfair advantage to those who are privileged enough to be able to spend that kind of cash. The college system, for every program and school but ESPECIALLY for BFA programs, is a racist and discriminatory institution. From the very beginning, white people are set up for success in the industry. We have NEVER had to work as hard as artists of color. We have had immense amounts of privilege every step of the way that we must contend with now.
Now is the time to change. And you cannot just listen to me-- you MUST listen to the experiences Black artists are sharing.
Last year, actor/dancer James Pierce III shared his experience dealing with racism and discrimination while working on Broadway at Anastasia. He was written up for “creating a hostile work environment” after very correctly calling out racism in another person. A heinous picture of an ejaculating penis was drawn over his name, and only his name, in the dressing rooms. He was not allowed to get his haircut at a barbershop in Philadelphia that knew how to cut a black man’s hair properly, instead of being required to have his hair cut by hair supervisors with the production (who did not know how to properly cut his hair), while other cast members were allowed to see whatever barber they wished. Even though Mr. Pierce wanted to move forward in filing formal complaints for the bullying and harassment he faced, his AEA reps told him to “lay low” and allegedly said “Discrimination is illegal, being a dick is not” to explain why not to file charges. It is vital that you read the full story, here.
Cooper Howell, who played Prince Hans in Frozen: Live at the Hyperion, detailed the racial discrimination he experienced while working there in a Facebook post. He describes being told that it was “too urban” when he performed in the show with Domonique Paton, a Black woman who played Princess Anna. He talks about how the both received 10 times the amount of notes as their coworkers playing the same parts, most about all kinds of things, like how they held hands or their inflections, that was never mentioned to the other actors. He then put his foot down when he started receiving notes about his penis. His white co-stars had been given dance belts and that had been the end of it, but he instead was subjected to unpleasant and unprofessional “penis sessions,” as he called them. Despite talking to every stage manager and going to HR, he was given absolutely no support or protection. You must read the full story, detailed here.
Stage Manager Cody Richards in a tweet described some instances he has faced. He wrote how when he started a new job, one company member decided to call him “Brown [name of person he replaced]” as a joke for a month. While working at Kinky Boots, he was asked if he would be attending the company barbeque because “you people love barbeques.” His full letter, another required reading, can be found here.
Broadway veteran Jenny Laroche wrote a piece recounting things she has had said to her during her career in theater. Included are “‘I want this moment to feel like you're a slave in the fields and your hot!’ (A demonstration was given with this comment)” and “‘You're the token!’, ‘Oh, you got the token spot!’, ‘The token spot is filled.’, ‘How many tokens are they casting?’” The full piece is found here.
Writer Griffin Matthews posted an IGTV video entitled “Dear Amy Cooper: Broadway is Racist.” In the video, he discusses many incidents of racism and discrimination he has faced, including being criticized for having 20-something-year-old Black actors play high school-aged kids while the show in the theater after them, Dear Evan Hansen, received no such complaints. He talks about how a person who already purchased the rights to his work attempted to strong-arm him by saying that he would not produce his work if he did not change the title or take himself out of the lead writer/ lead actor position. The full video in which he discusses a litany of other incidents if found here.
And these are just a few of the stories being shared by brilliant Black artists everywhere. The veritable tip of an iceberg that permeates through every aspect of our lives. These stories and experiences are easy to find-- there are even entire Instagram accounts dedicated to collecting and sharing these stories now. It is imperative that you do the work to seek them out, listen, or read them in full, share them, talk about them, and do not let them fade away.
White members of the theater community, whether a professional or a fan: we have work to do. We cannot be content with mere statements by various theaters and companies expressing their solidarity, we have to demand to see the plans. What steps are they going to take to fix our industry? How are they committing themselves to being actively anti-racist? Jenny Laroche proposes that each production is required to have a private company HR department in each production not affiliated with the producing team, mandatory education on skin color bias, appropriation and sexual harassment meeting held by an outside company for all creative teams members and casting members, and elimination to ‘token' casting in all media.
Kimberly Dodson says that we must DEMAND producing and theater companies to provide an anti-racist plan of action and long-lasting plans of action. We must listen to these plans, these guidelines, and fight hard for them. Fight with every ounce of breath and strength in our body. I would also add that BFA programs must do more than put out a statement of solidarity-- they must commit to hiring more Black educators. They must commit to changing their admissions process to make it more equitable for all and make their student body truly diverse. They must support their Black and brown applicants beyond merely providing fee waivers.
How do we do this? Firstly, we never, ever stop talking about it. We can’t make up for all of the time we were silent bystanders, but we can push ourselves to do better. We remove any support from companies, theaters, and people who do not commit themselves to being actively anti-racist, who do not provide plans outlining how they will do better (and actually follow through), and who do not support and amplify work by Black artists and other people of color in the industry. I don’t care how “cool” their projects are, how much money you would be paid, how much you want to see the shows they produce, you do not support these institutions unless they take meaningful action to change.
Do not give them your money, time, or promotion. We also must more actively follow and support artists of color. Throw your support behind their projects and work, both by spreading it far and wide and with your dollars. Encourage and push your local and national theaters to produce work written by Black and brown artists. Consume works written by Black playwrights. Also, continue (or start) to call out racism, discrimination, and prejudice we see in the industry, especially if it is uncomfortable to do so. Staying silent after you have recognized an injustice is the same as accepting it. We have an immense amount of privilege, so we must recognize it and use it for change.
The most important step of all: Listen. Listen. Listen.