Let’s see if I have this straight. Women write about bias–unconscious or not–in an industry, they set up a group to support fellow women in said industry, men immediately comment on social media about how this isn’t really a problem, maybe these women are biased, because it damn well isn’t...
The 2014-15 theatre season is underway, causing me, desperately, to try not to fret over photos of strangers in first table reads as they begin to train their instruments to say those words (repetitively) throughout the rehearsal process and within eight shows a week (plus student matinees). I see actors...
A production of the musical Monty Python’s Spamalot, slated for the South Williamsport Junior/Senior High School in Pennsylvania in 2015, was canceled by the school’s principal due to “homosexual themes.” In case you haven’t been following the story, you might check out Howard Sherman’s overview at Slate for background, Drew...
Every Little Bit by Jay McAdams (As Communications Director for 24th ST Theatre, I always search for how to relate impact and relevance through story. Along with my own inquiry, I want to start with a story our Executive Director felt after traveling to El Salvador. -Cindy Marie Jenkins) Every...
Some Essential Women Playwrights of the 20th & 21st Centuries In June, the Kilroys released their fantastic and important list of most recommended new plays by women. In July, partly in preparation to teach a course entitled Women in Theatre and partly because many of them have been on my...
I think I had Twitter open for all of ten seconds today when this story popped up: Chipotle cups will now feature stories by Jonathan Safran Foer, Toni Morrison, and other authors. I didn’t even have to click on the link, because I’ve been waiting for them to try this...
We’ve Named the Problem. Now what? Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last week (in which case, I hope it’s been warm!), if you’re in the theatermaking world, you are likely aware of the fallout from an event Twitter dubbed #thesummit. For the uninitiated, Brett Steven Abelman posted a...
Peter Marks (Washington Post) hosted a conversation with DC area artistic directors about representation of women and people of color on our stages. Participants: Paul Tetreault, Molly Smith, Eric Schaeffer, @ryanrilette, and Patta Tsikurishvili. (Details: http://goo.gl/d)
…Then ish got real.
This speech was presented at the opening session of the Audience Engagement track at this year’s TCG Conference in Dallas, June 6-8, 2013. The conference was designed on an academic theme, so each track was considered a “major.” Dear Majors in Audience Engagement, We all come to this conference with...