Diversity and the Arts

Last week's blow up with the American Theatre Company raised some very interesting. very complex questions about diversity in the arts, theatre in particular.

At the risk of getting myself into a world of trouble, I figured I would dive into those trouble waters and talk about it a bit.

I'll do it with four points.

Point 1:  The best way to diversify the arts is through the creation and support of strong, culturally specific arts organizations.

In Chicago that would mean supporting groups like Silk Road Theatre, Muntu Dance and Teatro Vista.  You can figure out the comparable groups where you are.

When these types of arts organizations partner with their mainstream (or if you need to blunt about it, white) counterparts that is when you get closer to the world of true diversity.

An example:

When I was the ED of Chicago's Congo Square Theatre (an African-American ensemble theatre)we partnered with the Goodman Theatre (one of the largest regional theatres in the country) to do a play called "Black Nativity" by Langston Hughes. 

I believe the partnership was successful in the early stages because each organization understood that the other party was bringing value to the relationship.

Now don't get me wrong, the Goodman was clearly the stronger party.  We were doing the show in their space.  But I think the Goodman respected the fact that we had our own resources and artistic style.  They also appreciated that we could bring a different audience to their space.

We did the show and all was well.  It was a quality event, we made some money, the Goodman got to enhance their credibility and build some new relationships.  It was as close to a win-win as you get in this world.

But again, the key was that it was two organizations working together that had a mutual respect and appreciation for each other.

Often in diversity efforts that mutual respect is missing.  One party thinks they are doing the other a favor by engaging in the effort . . . and that never works.

Point 2:  The answer to whether or not your arts organization is diverse enough lies in your mission.

My day job began producing theatre 53 years ago.  Their mission is to "discover the power of classic theatre."

Now the truth is that for a long time what the theatre was actually doing was "discovering the power of classic theatre that was written by white males."

There are a lot of reasons for this, you can figure out most of them.  But the point is that for a long time the theatre was not living up to it's full mission.

But as Tony Kushner said in Caroline or Change, "change comes fast, change comes slow, but change comes."

In this case, change came when the theatre produced a classic written by an African-American author . . . and people flocked to the theatre. 

It was a lesson to the theatre.  White people aren't the only ones that like theatre.  Or museums, or dance, or classical music.

Now you could argue that they should have figured that out years ago, but at least they got it eventually . . . some arts organizations are doomed to never learn this lesson.

So while doing this sort of work has some financial benefit, the real point of it is that now the organization is closer to living their mission.

Look at your mission.  Is a commitment to diversity included by the very nature of it?  If so you need to live up to it.

Point 3:  Any diversity effort that doesn't involve the investment of time, money and energy is a bunch of BS.

I have to go back to my favorite quote, "don't tell me what you value, show me your budget and I'll see what you value."  In that spirit I measure an authentic diversity effort by these metrics:

-  How long have you been at the effort?

-  How much money have you invested in the effort?

-  Are the key players within the organization involved?

Those are the things that matter.  Everything else is just lip service.

Point 4:  The larger your organization is, the stronger your commitment to diversity should be.

I hold the five largest theatres, museums, dance companies, etc. to a much higher standard then I do every one else.  That's because these organizations (which would include the place I work at) command a large amount of resources.  If you are fortunate enough to be relatively well resourced then you should make sure your organization reflects the town you are a part of.

Comments

[Ed]

Speaking of comments/posts that start trouble...

I think diversity can be a nice byproduct of artmaking but personally am dubious of the idea of diversity as an end in itself for an arts organization unless it's specifically laid out in their mission. If it happens, it happens. Standing in its way is certainly reprehensible, but striving for it for its own sake? Am I the only person who finds that a bit ungenuine, even a bit insulting to the artists and art involved? I consider the arts to be the last bastion of pure meritocracy. In other words, do an August Wilson play because it (and he) is good, not because it's an 'opportunity for diversity.'

For me it all comes back to mission, and whether an organization is truly serving that mission with its initiatives. Since you mentioned "Caroline" I can't help but ask- did that actually fit with Court's mission, and if so how? It was ridiculously awesome- I saw it twice- but it's hardly a classic, given that it was written in the new millennium and probably 90% of the show's audience had never heard of the piece before Court did it. But to be fair, 'classic' is subject to interpretation- my definition is a piece that is so seminal and important to our culture that it has truly stood a test of time...which in my opinion excludes anything written post 1960, really. I admit the problem that presents is that if you stick with the pre-1960s plays we still have with us, you do wind up with mostly work written by dead white people.

p.s....confidential to GG: "Private Lives"? Really? In their courtyard space? The show will be eaten alive by a space that big. Oh well. Good luck with that. Let me know when you're directing Sondheim again.

[Tony]

In relation to point one, what about the creation and support of organizations that are diverse--in addition to culturally specific orgs, what about culturally inclusive orgs?

(Granted, I'm a bit biased on this as that's what we do, and it's reflected and driven by our mission.)

Ed that's not necessarily true. I can't speak to the dates of Courts mission; however, there is an enormous body of work from around the world (and by women)that dates back centuries.

We only wind up mostly with work by dead white men because theatres as a whole make extraordinarily little effort to look.

[Adam]

Tony,

I'm absolutely with you, orgs that are culturally inclusive should be supported and mentored, in part because they are so relatively rare.

Ed,

I can't speak for everyone at Court but I think it is fair to say that we interpret the world classic fairly broadly partially to avoid the misconception that it only applies to dead white authors. Caroline had classic themes and I also think it is a play that could become a classic (in the way that word is traditionally understood) over time.

[Mare]

I helped to run two auditions in which minority actors were strongly encouraged to audition at my theater company. No one showed up. I personally asked the African-American actors I knew, we tried scouting them from other shows. We were turned down because our production wasn't a paying gig, and the actors had other opportunities. We held more auditions: one African-American actor was good but too old for the roles, and the other two who showed up had never been onstage in their lives, and unfortunately showed it in their auditions. We wound up rewriting the show (an original piece) as a result, because a lot of other white actors had shown up and auditioned very well. What are your suggestions for avoiding this situation when you're seeking to diversify your theater company?

[Tony]

Mare, I can only speak from my experience in Chicago; however, the only way to do so is to be aggressive about it. It needs to be part of everything you do.

If you sit back and wait for it to happen, it won't. Putting out an audition notice ad waiting for actors to come to you won't work.

Go out and find people; talk to other companies; ask for recommendations; go to shows of culturally specific orgs; see their work and scout their talent.

So many companies say they encourage minority actors and don't reflect that on their stages. So few actually show any diversity in their work, that most actors of color won't go to an audition and waste their time so they can be offered the "ethnic role".

Thirty seconds on a companies website will tell someone if it's worth their time or not. If the company is homogeneous, and all previous shows have been filled with artists who all look the same, you need to prove you're not just providing lip-service.

Once actors see that you are in fact following through with your words, not only casting inclusively, and casting actors of color in good roles, you will start to see a vast difference in who is coming to auditions.

[Adam]

Mare,

Tony said it better then I can. So all I'll say is, do what he said.