Posted: 6/18/24 at 10:35am
EDSOSLO858 said: "Isn’t Danya also directinga new play this Broadway season?"
I hadn't heard anything, but I hope so! I'll go see anything she does.
Posted: 6/18/24 at 12:15pm
Well all I can say is thank goodness nepotism and inherited wealth and privilege are solely isolated to the entertainment industry. It would be a real problem with Democracy if it was endemic to everything in America.
Posted: 6/18/24 at 12:59pm
When someone is a great talent, I don't care a bit about their lineage. Be it Liza Minnelli or Rebecca Hall or Danya Taymor or Ben Platt or Sarna Lapine or Matthew Broderick or Bryan Cranston or John David Washington, or even someone who had non-blood-relative connections at a young age like Stephen Sondheim.
"Nepotism" (an overused phrase) might get you in the door but IT. DOES. NOT. SUSTAIN. A. CAREER.
Aunt Julie is not what got her hired on OUTSIDERS, nor is she what made her work good and Tony-worthy. Danya got her start working on micro-productions at The Flea and The Tank a dozen years ago, and gradually worked her way up through the nonprofits and, eventually, to Broadway. She also didn't go to a big fancy BFA/MFA program like some of her contemporaries: she has a BA from Duke.
Posted: 6/18/24 at 1:02pm
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "When someone is a great talent, I don't care a bit about their lineage. Be it Liza Minnelli or Rebecca Hall or Danya Taymor or Ben Platt or Sarna Lapine or Matthew Broderick or Bryan Cranston or John David Washington, or even someone who had non-blood-relative connections at a young age like StephenSondheim.
"Nepotism" (an overused phrase) might get you in the door but IT. DOES. NOT. SUSTAIN. A. CAREER.
Aunt Julie is not what got her hired on OUTSIDERS, nor is she what made her work good and Tony-worthy. Danya got her start working on micro-productions at The Flea and The Tank a dozen years ago, and gradually worked her way up through the nonprofits and, eventually, to Broadway. She also didn't go to a big fancy BFA/MFA program like some of her contemporaries: she has a BA from Duke."
Nepotism is not what gives someone the ability to sing. Sure, it could pay for lessons, but it's persistence by the artist that keeps it going. Their desire to keep going. Their desire to hone their craft. They can give up any time they want. But they keep going. Nepotism doesn't pay for that
Posted: 6/18/24 at 1:08pm
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Nepotism" (an overused phrase) might get you in the door but IT. DOES. NOT. SUSTAIN. A. CAREER.
Nepotism and entrenched networks of money and privilege do sustain careers. It does in every facet of US life. It is true if one is in the entertainment industry one does have to have talent, enough talent to continue.
Updated On: 6/18/24 at 01:08 PM
Posted: 6/18/24 at 2:09pm
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Aunt Julie is not what got her hired on OUTSIDERS, nor is she what made her work good and Tony-worthy. Danya got her start working on micro-productions at The Flea and The Tank a dozen years ago, and gradually worked her way up through the nonprofits and, eventually, to Broadway. She also didn't go to a big fancy BFA/MFA program like some of her contemporaries: she has a BA from Duke."
I'm not saying she's only succeeding because of nepotism, but your last sentence actually emphasizes this. How many people without a BFA or MFA from one of the major schools go straight to getting directing jobs in New York? Obviously her connections from her aunt had a lot to do with that. That doesn't mean she's not talented or not worthy or didn't have to work her tail off once she got here--but nepotism most definitely played a huge role in her getting her foot in the door in the first place.
Posted: 6/18/24 at 2:36pm
Talent and track record is what gets a person a job, not education. The over-reliance of MFAs in particular is weakening our theatre scene and sanding down the edges of people's work, but that is not a topic of discussion for today.
Posted: 6/18/24 at 3:43pm
I think the point is that there are other nobody’s who have more talent who could be just as successful if they had the connections. Yes some of the nepo babies have talent. The issue is, it’s not an even playing field. But people don’t talk about that. They just look at the work and judge that. We can’t see the people who don’t get a chance
Posted: 6/18/24 at 4:24pm
To Danya's credit, I didn't realize her connection until after I saw Pass Over and The Outsiders. Even looking at her last name in the Playbill didn't ring any bells. All that I saw were two splendidly calibrated and well-crafted productions.
