Posted: 4/14/19 at 10:54pm
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:06pm
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:32pm
troynow said: "All white directors, all white playwrights, and no one else of color other than Audra!"
Eddie Izzard gets no props for being transgender?
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:37pm
trans ≠ nonwhite (though it can) - the two are separate categories of people. Also Eddie Izzard isn't trans.
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:43pm
Synecdoche2 said: "trans ? nonwhite (though it can) - the two are separate categories of people. Also Eddie Izzard isn't trans."
https://youtu.be/ARKUJIoeZpw?t=25
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:44pm
Posted: 4/14/19 at 11:48pm
Posted: 4/15/19 at 12:12am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 12:23am
Make sure you super sensitive bros FREAK OUT ON TWITTER so merch from HIGHLY OFFENSIVE shows gets pulled immediately!!!!
Posted: 4/15/19 at 12:24am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 12:30am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 12:39am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 8:13am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 10:45am
Posted: 4/15/19 at 8:53pm
troynow said: "Lets get new folks, new blood, new work and new visions up there"
If there is one thing all revivals always seem to lack is new work... you're onto something there!
Posted: 4/15/19 at 9:07pm
The sad truth is that the majority of theatre goers are old and white and therefore producers tend to put money into projects that appeal to that demographic. That being said, there's been a huge push for diverse storytelling in the musical theatre world. That's where we're seeing a lot of artists of color.
Also, as a person of color, I'm looking forward to all three revivals that you mention. I'm happy to see great artists of all color. I mean, Laurie Metcalf in Virginia Wolfe?!?! What a blessing.
Also, I get the impression from you that "diverse" means "black," which it does not. Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin, etc. artists are even more underrepresented in the theatre community.
Updated On: 4/15/19 at 09:07 PM
Posted: 4/15/19 at 10:26pm
Look, it's a totally valid concern that there is a lack of diversity on Broadway, especially when it comes to play revivals. And it can be hard for newer artists to break in if producers want to utilize people with a proven track record (with hits, at the box office, or in Hollywood).
Only going by the 7 shows that have been announced with theatres, there is a decent (if not great) representation of women and artists of color so far:
– Tina (directed by Phyllida Lloyd, co-written by Katori Hall, and the London production had a 70% nonwhite cast)
– Moulin Rouge! (featuring a 53% nonwhite cast)
– Grand Horizons (written by Bess Wohl, directed by Leigh Silverman)
– Frankie & Johnny (directed by Arin Arbus, starring Audra McDonald)
In the pipeline, there's also Jagged Little Pill (featuring a mostly-female creative team), West Side (choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and featuring a half-Latinx cast), all-female Glengarry (if it happens), a rumored transfer of Slave Play, and other things that we don't know about yet.
Again, I'm not saying those are GREAT stats, or that Broadway should be patting itself on its back. But it's a step in the right direction for an industry controlled by older white men and driven by ticketbuyers that are largely white women ages 50+.
Updated On: 4/15/19 at 10:26 PM
Posted: 4/16/19 at 8:48am
I'd also like to point out that while a bunch of these are "in Development", there are a bunch of revivals in this mix? A lot of shows that are happening right now are limited runs, so the shows coming into those theaters next could be revivals. We'll see!
Posted: 4/16/19 at 8:49am
Shoot sorry I forgot the link....
http://www.playbill.com/article/schedule-of-upcoming-and-announced-broadway-shows-com-113677
Posted: 4/16/19 at 8:58am
Ive heard just incredible things about Slave Play. I really hope it makes its way to broadway.
Posted: 4/16/19 at 12:18pm
Posted: 4/16/19 at 12:51pm
If you want diversity you need to talk about it on a casting level. We keep getting the same musical theater schools churning out the same types, etc. And I feel like every Broadway show has the same 10 actors just getting used and reused. It gets boring.
Posted: 4/16/19 at 1:20pm
JVJ93 said: "Any chance that the Renee Fleming Light in the Piazza could make it’s way into Spring 2020? Beaumont"
Hope not! Her previous 2 Broadway shows have been financial disasters. (And I can't imagine LCT would produce a revival of their own show less than 15 years later.)
Posted: 4/16/19 at 1:31pm
RippedMan said: "If you want diversity you need to talk about it on a casting level. We keep getting the same musical theater schools churning out the same types, etc. And I feel like every Broadway show has the same 10 actors just getting used and reused. It gets boring."
Yes, there's a lot of truth in this. It's a vicious cycle. It all starts with proper theatre training for kids from childhood through highschool. Going to the theatre is expensive. Many schools don't have great drama programs. Colleges choose the most talented kids with the best training. After college, there are the costs of surviving in NYC as a young out-of-work actor. (All of this could also be applied to aspiring playwrights, writers, directors, producers, etc.)
Theatre is a lifechanging art form, but it caters to audiences and participants who are privileged. This is why shows like Hamilton and Lion King and Ain't Too Proud and Miss Saigon and In The Heights are crucial when it comes to representation.
Posted: 4/16/19 at 1:46pm
