Representation for Women in Theatre

Garza, Abigail
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Representation for Women in Theatre

A Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

Drexel University

by

Abigail L. Garza

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree

of

Master of Science in Arts Administration

December 2022
 © Copyright 2022.

Abigail L. Garza. All Rights Reserved.

 i

DEDICATIONS

For the women in my life especially my mother, aunts, and grandmothers. And for the women

who fight to be heard every day. I see you; I hear you.

 ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................ 9

A BRIEF HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THEATRE ................................................. 9

BODY POSITIVITY ............................................................................................... 11

FEMINIST VIEWS AND ACTIVISM ................................................................... 17

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS .............................................................. 21

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 26

LIMITATIONS ....................................................................................................... 26

ANTICIPATED FINDINGS ................................................................................... 27

CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS .......................................................................... 28

3GIRLS THEATRE COMPANY ............................................................................ 28

PARITY PRODUCTIONS ...................................................................................... 34

NEW PERSPECTIVES THEATRE COMPANY ................................................... 38

SHENYC ARTS ...................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................. 46

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 51

APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS................................................................... 55

LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 56

 iii

ABSTRACT

Representation for Women in Theatre

Abigail L. Garza

Women’s rights have been challenged, including the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. The

fight for increased or betterment of women’s rights throughout the years has been present in

multiple areas of life including but not limited to healthcare, voting, and treatment in the

workplace. This extended into the theatre and entertainment industry in the way that women

have been represented both onstage and in leadership roles within the sector. In this thesis, the

representation of women in theatre will be examined within the context of body positivity,

feminist views in the arts, and women in leadership positions. Case studies of theatre

organizations - 3Girls Theatre Company, Parity Productions, New Perspectives Theatre

Company, and SheNYC Arts are studied and analyzed in order to gain an understanding of how

representation for women in theatre is ever changing. Improvements are made by providing more

opportunities for women, trans, and gender-expansive artists both on stage and in leadership

positions, providing more inclusivity, creating educational programs, and connecting with the

community. But there is still much more work to be done to fully create a more inclusive theatre

industry especially for women, trans, and gender-expansive artists.

iv
 1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Women's rights have been challenged throughout history. In the United States when the

Women’s Rights Movement first began, women were granted very limited rights. A group of

women who began the movement back in 1848 created the “Declaration of Sentiments”

officially written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Eisenberg and Ruthsdotter 1998). In the

“Declaration of Sentiments,” “Stanton carefully enumerated areas of life where women were

treated unjustly” (Eisenberg and Ruthsdotter 1998). Just a few examples of these items listed are

“Women were not allowed to vote; Women had to submit to laws when they had no voice in

their formation; Married women had no property rights; Husbands had legal power over and

responsibility for their wives to the extent that they could imprison or beat them with impunity”

(Eisenberg and Ruthsdotter 1998). But women fought back, gaining rights and freedoms for

generations to come. On June 4, 1919, the 19th amendment was passed which finally allowed

American women to vote. The amendment reads, “The right of citizens of the United States to

vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”

(U.S. Constitution, amend. 19, sec. 1). The journey to the success of this amendment was not an

easy one as it took many years of struggling and protesting until women were granted the right to

vote.

Additionally, Title IX created further protection against discrimination for women. “In just 37

words, the statute guaranteed a means to ensure equal access for women in education. ‘No

person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or

be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal

 2

financial assistance’” (Tumin 2022). As of June 23, 2022, Title IX celebrated its 50th

Anniversary.

However, on June 24, 2022, women’s rights in America were once again threatened as Roe v.

Wade was officially reversed due to a decision by the Supreme Court. Roe v. Wade is a

“landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United

States. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual

states to curtail or outright ban abortion rights” (Housman 2022). This decision has already

begun to affect people within the United States. “Already, because of trigger laws put into place

before the ruling, abortion is now outlawed in many states automatically or through state action

following the decision” (Housman 2022). Sadly, this will likely not be last time women’s rights

and many other rights are challenged. “Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that certain other

landmark rulings should be reconsidered, including established rights to contraception access,

same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage” (Housman 2022). If this is true, Roe v. Wade

was not the only ruling that could be overturned; it was only the first.

Women still continue to fight for rights in many aspects of life including representation in the

workplace. The fight for representation in the workplace is prevalent in the entertainment and

arts industry. In this sector, women are working toward better representation both in roles they

have been cast in and behind the scenes in leadership positions within the entertainment industry

in sectors such as theatre, dance, and television and film.

 3

The fight for gender equality and better representation has been recognized by the arts and

entertainment industry as we have already begun to see some change in television and film’s

representation for women. For example, WarnerMedia has made a commitment to diversity and

inclusion in which they state, “It is essential that our workforce, content and creative partners

reflect the diversity of our society and the world around us. Together, with other production

companies, networks, guilds, unions, talent agencies and others in the industry, we all must

ensure there is greater inclusion of women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, those with

disabilities and other underrepresented groups in greater numbers both in front of and behind the

camera” (WarnerMedia n.d). One of WarnerMedia’s brands, HBO recently aired the first season

of House of the Dragon, HBO’s 2022 prequel series to Game Thrones, which improves their

representation for women compared to the original series. “The series is drawing attention for its

representation of women. Gender, power, and sexism are among the central themes and women

are key both on screen and behind the camera” (PBS NewsHour 2022). In an interview with Kim

Renfro, an “entertainment reporter for Insider and author of The Unofficial Guide to Game of

Thrones,” she firstly discusses that the source material for the show was an “entire book...

written by Martin as a sort of fictional history. And that fictional history itself was penned by

fictional male characters. So it had a very male biased point of view to start with, and what Ryan

Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, the showrunners for House of the Dragon have done is made the

choice from the outset to sort of rework the perspective that the audience is getting here and

make a sort of correction to the history that was put forth in Fire and Blood. And they did it all

from a very female centric perspective” (PBS NewsHour 2022). By taking a look at the original

book Fire and Blood as the source material from a woman’s view, we are able to have a story

that better represents women. They also changed the way that sexual violence is portrayed on
 4

screen by not showing any “sexual violence on screen in this series. [The showrunners] felt it

was important to address the way that women are stripped of agency or controlled through

patriarchal societies... So instead of seeing simply sexual violence or assault or mistreatment

against women unfold on screen, we are seeing scenes of childbirth, we are seeing scenes of

speaking with other women about a sexual assault that happened to them without having to

actually witness the assault ourselves as the audience” (PBS NewsHour 2022). Additionally,

according to the showrunners, any time there is mention of “assault, violence, control over

women in the story [had to] have a point behind it, to have a very compelling story reason and

not to be there to simply titillate in, in their words” (PBS NewsHour 2022). Small changes like

this on screen about the way topics like this are discussed or shown help to show more respect

for the women going through these situations. This is a major change from their original show

Game of Thrones, showing a positive change from HBO. Thankfully, “the series has had women

directors, cinematographers, female writers. [It] should [be] mention[ed], though, that the top

line job titles, creator and showrunner, belong entirely to men. Still though, women are

overrepresented behind the scenes compared to Game of Thrones,” once again improving

representation within the series even behind the camera as well as on camera (PBS NewsHour

2022). With a major television show and streaming service making strides like this to improve

their representation for women, it puts gender parity in the spotlight.

Additionally, advocacy and work for gender parity has been praised by the television industry.

Actress Geena Davis created the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media which was

recognized by the Television Academy as “the leading organization on gender equality, as the

2022 Governors Award recipient in recognition of their efforts to promote gender balance and
 5

foster inclusion throughout the entertainment industry” (Goodell 2022). Recognition of work to

better diversity in representation in the media is a win for the entertainment industry, allowing it

to be in the spotlight as it is recognized not only by the members of the Academy, but the entire

population watching the Emmys from the comfort of their home. It generates discussion amongst

the general population as well as people working within the industry about why it is so

important. “Founded in 2004..., the Institute is the only research-based organization working

collaboratively within the entertainment industry to create gender balance, advocate for inclusion

and reduce negative stereotyping in family entertainment media. The organization believes

representation of characters in media should, in aggregate, reflect the population of the work,

which is half female and very diverse. They advise the industry that global culture change is

especially important for children who need diverse, intersectional representation in the

programming they watch so they are not unwittingly taught to absorb unconscious bias”

(Goodell 2022). Their work has not gone unnoticed and will continue to be important as they

analyze collected data so they can learn from it, take that new-found knowledge, and hopefully

help the industry improve. “They are the only public data institute to consistently analyze

representations of the six major marginalized identities on screen: women; people of color;

LGBTQIA+ individuals; people with disabilities; older persons (50+); and large-bodied

individuals in global Film, Television, Advertising and Gaming” (Goodell 2022). These groups

must be noted when discussing gender parity within the theatre industry as well as all six of these

“major marginalized identities on screen” are also “major marginalized identities on stage”

(Goodell 2022). Luckily, their data has been used by “content partners, which has powered

significant change in content development at major networks, studios, production companies,

guilds, agencies and corporations. Changes included an increase in female and diverse
 6

characters, the aspirations/occupations of female characters and their dialogue, and story

development” (Goodell 2022). Clearly, these organizations are willing to learn and change.

Perhaps the theatre industry will follow suit more so than before with organizations like the

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and major streaming services like HBO making

changes.

If leaders in television and film are making great strides to improve the representation for women

in that sector of the industry, how is representation for women being improved upon in the

theatre industry? The betterment of representation can be defined in many different ways. When

deciding on if representation is truly getting better, consider asking the following questions but

know that “better representation” is not restricted to the ideas listed here: Are there more

opportunities opening for women in theatre than there were in the past? Are the roles that women

are cast in onstage more inclusive to all women especially women of marginalized identities?

Are women of all marginalized identities being represented in the leadership teams at theaters?

These are questions worth exploring in order to more fully consider how women are or are not

seeing improvement in representation in the entertainment industry, not just considering that of

the ever popular television and film but also considering live theatre. If these ideas are

considered for including women in all aspects of theatre, it would create a more inclusive and

more diverse theatre industry.

The good news is over the past few years, more actors, theatergoers, and organizations have

begun to speak out for change for representation in theatre. For example, one way to improve

representation in theatre is through body positivity and diversity in casting. Regent’s Park Open
 7

Air Theatre’s production of Legally Blonde in London, England included an inclusive and

diverse cast. They posted a statement on Twitter after the show’s reviews began to come out that

read, “We are extremely proud of our visionary Legally Blonde and celebrate each and every

member of the company. We're thrilled with the response of the production from audiences and

reviewers alike, however are disappointed by the insensitive language of one review. We expect

everyone comments with respect and sensitivity, and those who decide not to will no longer be

invited back to our theatre” (Open Air Theatre 2022). “Social media users have noted that the

tweet appears to be directed towards critic Quentin Letts and his review for The Times which has

been accused of making body-shaming and transphobic remarks.” (Brunner 2022). Regent’s Park

Open Air Theatre took the initiative to speak out for their actors, promoting inclusivity, diversity,

and zero tolerance for hate.

During undergrad, I studied theatre. Many of my colleagues and I have had discussions about

how casting based solely on an actor’s appearance can be harmful. This is, of course, not to say

that it is not important in some roles to cast with a certain appearance or ethnicity in mind if the

character’s story specifically is about aspects of this. Roles such as this that come to mind are

Celie from The Color Purple whose story specifically is about being a black woman or Tracy

Turnblad from Hairspray who shows the world that you do not have to have the standard body

shape to be beautiful. But who is to say that roles like Cinderella from Into The Woods or Glinda

from Wicked cannot be played by someone of any ethnicity or body type. If we continue to cast

roles with only the “ideal body type” in mind, actors will always be put into a box, struggling to

open it. There is a stigma within the theatre community about having the “perfect body,” when in

fact, there is no perfect body. Women have faced stigmas such as this for years, especially in
 8

terms of body shape, race, disability, and age. There have been plenty of opportunities presented

where the theatre industry could dismantle this idea of the “perfect body.” We can only hope that

those within the industry will begin to further take the steps needed to create positive change to

better represent women on stage whether that be through casting or the roles written for them to

play. The theatre industry is far from perfect and certainly has opportunities to continue to grow

and help provide more diverse opportunities for everyone, not just women.

Through this research, I focused on exploring diversity in representation of women onstage in

theater. Through the case study, I discovered how theater organizations are or are not working to

create a more equitable and diverse representation for women in theatre. Specifically in this

thesis research, I posed the question “how are theatre organizations approaching representation

for women in theater?” Some other questions I sought to answer are “is there a connection

between women being in leadership positions at an organization and the representation of

women as seen on stage in the organization’s productions?,” “how has the representation of

women in theatre changed (or not changed) over the past years?,” and “how can providing

representation for women in theatre lead to political change?” Interviews were conducted and

then studied and analyzed in case studies of theatre organizations - 3Girls Theatre Company,

Parity Productions, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and SheNYC Arts in order to gain an

understanding of how representation for women is ever changing within the theatre industry.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

A Brief History of Women in Theatre

It is well known that even in early theater, women were not allowed to participate as actors

onstage. In Shakespeare’s well known productions, the cast included no women. Roles such as

Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Ophelia in Hamlet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth would have all

originally been played by young men. Over the years, women finally began to play some of the

roles onstage. One of the most famous women who began to take the stage by storm was Ellen

Tree, “the first English woman to play tragic male roles repeatedly, and influenced a number of

later performers, initiating a nineteenth-century Anglo-American convention in which many

women performers played a limited number of tragic male roles” (Russell 2013). Similarly,

Sarah Bernhardt was a famous actress and often played incredible roles, including some that

were originally done by men such as Hamlet (Dunn-Ruiz 2018).

Representation for women is not important only in the roles that the public see onstage when

they attend a theatre production. It is also important to include women in the narrative when

creating the show in a creative and technical aspect such as the work of playwrights, directors,

and designers. Without them, there would be no show for the actors to perform. Aphra Behn was

“one of the most influential dramatists of the late 17th century” (Poetry Foundation n.d). “Her

contemporary reputation was founded primarily on her "scandalous" plays, which she claimed

would not have been criticized for impropriety had a man written them” (Poetry Foundation n.d).

Hrotsvitha, a German nun from the 900s, was “the earliest-known woman poet in Germany, and

some scholars even consider her the first dramatist, or playwright, since ancient times”
 10

(Brooklyn Museum n.d). Early female playwrights like Aphra Behn and Hrotsvitha helped to

further increase visibility for women in theatre.

In modern day theatre, there have been many women who have changed theatre and have been

honored for their achievements. The Tony Awards have honored women’s work in theatre since

the awards began in 1947 (Tony Awards n.d). In this first year Ingrid Bergman and Helen Hayes

won for Best Actress (Play); Patricia Neal won for Featured Role (Play); Agnes de Mille won for

choreographer; and Lucinda Ballard won for costume designer (Tony Awards n.d). Their work

was the first to be honored in the awards but certainly not the last. Since then, women have

continued to win and set records. “In 1998, Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor were the first women

in theatre history to receive Tony Awards as Best Director and Best Director of a Musical”

(Jonas and Bennett 2002). “[Audra McDonald] has won six Tony Awards, more than any other

actor, and is the only person to win all four acting categories” (American Theatre Wing n.d). It is

women from Ellen Tree to Aphra Behn to Julie Taymor to Audra McDonald who change the

course of history, opening doors for other women to set new records and achievements. If it was

not for women paving the way in the past, we might not have had as many advancements of

women defying gender norms until much later in history.

We have come a long way from not allowing women onstage to seeing women win a Tony

Award. But there is still much room for improvement within the industry regarding gender

parity. To put it in perspective regarding representation for women as playwrights, “In 1908-09,

only 12.8% of the productions on Broadway were by women playwrights. Some 100 years later,

the percentage of major New York productions written by women was 12.6%” (Los Angeles
 11

Female Playwrights Initiative n.d). Additionally, “Numbers show that in 2010, women

playwrights, directors and designers received fewer than 20% of the professional production

opportunities nationwide” (Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative n.d). Regarding female

roles within theatre, studies have shown that “It’s harder to get plays produced if they have

female protagonists” (Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative n.d). And yet it is important to

note that “Demographics released in 2013 revealed that women bought most of the theater tickets

and make up 68% of Broadway audiences” (Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative n.d). If

this is the case that women make up a large portion of the audience for theatre, why is there so

little improvement for representation for women on stage and in creative and leadership roles

within the theatre industry to help them feel seen and heard?

Body Positivity

Body positivity is an important aspect of how the theatre industry can take steps forward to

create more positive and inclusive casting for theatre productions. To fully understand the term

body positivity, it is best to start with an understanding of the term body image. Body image is

the way that one sees oneself including what one person believes about themself “including your

memories, assumptions, and generalizations; how you feel about your body including your

height, shape, and weight; how you sense and control your body as you move; and how you

physically experience or feel in your body.” (National Eating Disorders Association n.d). There

can be other factors that influence the way people see themselves. Because some of these factors

can change over time, it is possible that our body image can change. And like any image we

might have, it can be either positive or negative. “[R]ecent studies have indicated that ethnic

minority groups, transcultural migrants, and urbanized populations may all have more negative
 12

body image than comparison groups. It has also been suggested that at-risk groups include

populations whose typical behavioral patterns include specific antecedents of negative body

image, such as the need to maintain extremely slender physiques as a result of task requirements

(e.g., performance advantages or weight standards) or social pressure” (Swami and Szmigielska

2013). Unfortunately, negative body image can impact mental health. This is an issue within the

arts industry as it is important to advocate for the wellbeing of all artists. “It is widely recognized

that negative body image is an important public health concern for societies globally because of

its reliable association with symptoms of disordered eating and poorer psychological well-being"

(Swami and Szmigielska 2013). This applies for all artists, not just actors. Fashion models and

dancers have long been affected by unrealistic expectations for the body. In the fashion industry,

“some scholars have commented that... through its promulgation of an extremely slender bodily

ideal, creates a ‘toxic’ environment conducive to the growth of body image and eating disorders.

That is, the need to maintain an extremely slender figure as a result of professional pressure and

industry standards, on one hand, and unrealistic expectations among women who believe that

extreme thinness will help them achieve success and attention as a fashion model on the other, is

suggested to result in more negative body image among this group” (Swami and Szmigielska

2013). For dancers, a study was conducted in 2001 about body image of dancers and how it is

connected to eating disorders. It was found within the study that “about 35% of female dancers

suffer from eating disorders” (Heiland et. al 2008). Actors might feel the same pressures that

dancers and models face from unrealistic body standards thanks to the pressure of the

entertainment industry as a whole which can affect both the mental and physical health of artists.
 13

Society has almost always had a version of the ideal body type that people were held to the

standard of. “In the Stone Age, fat was beautiful because it meant vitality and fertility” (Paglia

2004). We can see this in the art created during the Stone Age such as The Venus of Willendorf,

created in 24,000 BC which shows a fat body but does lack “identity as an individual” (Paglia

2004). Thankfully, there began to be depictions of women in art that showed them as more than

just a body that represented vitality and fertility such as statues of women in Egypt like a bust of

Nefertiti, focusing on her head rather than the body (Paglia 2004). Eventually, we saw statues of

women in Greece where women were depicted with strength such as The Winged Nike of

Samothrace, “a woman in action, her great wings beating as the sea spray plasters her filmy

robes against her curvaceous torso (with) female energy as she enters and dominates male space

- a naval battle where she is the arbiter of victory and defeat” (Paglia 2004). We see even in these

ancient art forms how body image could change over time, reinforcing the notion that there is no

ideal body type. It is all based on the opinions of society.

Still, the idea of the “perfect body” that we so often see emphasized in media we see every day

can have a negative impact on one’s body image. People have seen these images of the “ideal

body,” ingraining them into their minds from a young age. This is especially true for women as

they have grown up watching cartoon characters such as princesses who all are drawn with this

“ideal body type” in mind. “Henry A Giroux argued that animated films, especially those

produced by the Walt Disney Company, ‘inspire at least as much cultural authority and

legitimacy for teaching specific roles, values, and ideals than more traditional sites of learning

such as public schools, religious institutions, and the family’” (Rowe 2019). This can have a

major impact on the way that young women perceive what the ideal body type is. They might
 14

associate the fact that the heroines of all the stories have the same slim body type, creating an

unrealistic ideal body image which could negatively affect women in the future. However, it is

important to note that more body types have begun to be included in a positive light in animation

such as the pear and rectangle shape, creating more body diversity and realistic body

expectations in animation than before (Rowe 2019).

In the theater and entertainment industry, body image is often considered when people are cast in

roles which can be harmful. It plays into stereotypes which ignore the actor as a human being

and only focused on their appearance. Opera star Deborah Voight dealt with a difficult situation

in which she was asked about her weight and was told in an audition by the conductor, “If you

lose weight by the time I see you for Beethoven’s Ninth, you can have the job” (Pilkington

2015). To make the situation even worse, “the audition was for a CD recording of the opera.

There was never any intention that Voight would be present herself on stage” (Pilkington 2015).

This horrible scenario is just one instance in which the entertainment and arts industries have a

harmful focus on body type. Dismantling the ideas that women must have a specific body image

to play certain roles would help to rid the industry of these harmful stereotypes.

Now that we understand body image, body positivity can be defined as “the movement to accept

our bodies, regardless of their size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Body

positivity is often implicitly understood as the movement to celebrate diversity in bodily

aesthetics to expand our narrow beauty norms” (Leboeuf 2019). If the theater industry casts in a

more body positive way, taking away casting based on appearance as a major factor, it can help

to improve diversity within the theater industry. Body positivity does not just relate to body
 15

shape, but rather encompasses gender, skin tone, and physical abilities as well. It is important to

keep this in mind to truly cast in a body positive manner. For example, the 2015 Broadway

revival of Spring Awakening cast included “deaf actors and, for the first time in Broadway

history, an actor who uses a wheelchair” (Cox 2015). This particular member of the Spring

Awakening company Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair using actor to win the Tony Award

for her work in the revival of Oklahoma! when she played Ado Annie. By providing more

inclusive, equal opportunities in casting, the industry would be showing an accurate depiction of

humanity. If we do this, everyone will begin to see positive representation of someone that looks

like themselves on screen which is always something to cheer for. It creates a more respectful

and safer industry.

In England, they have recently begun an outdoor production of Legally Blonde featuring a

diverse cast in terms of body shape, race, and gender. This production has been a game changer

in the way we normally see productions of Legally Blonde cast. In standard productions, the role

of Elle Woods has typically been performed by an actress who looks similar to Reese

Witherspoon who originally played the role on film. Courtney Bowman who plays Elle is a

curvy, black woman. Her hair is styled in blonde box braids. It is an exciting casting choice that

proves that roles like Elle Woods do not have to be played by blonde hair, blue eyed, white

actresses when her story does not relate to that but relates to a woman finding her own voice and

self-worth. It is a universal message that all women can relate to.

In a similar way, The Olney Theatre Center’s Beauty and the Beast showed that anyone can be a

princess. In this production located in Maryland, “Jade Jones – who identifies as a queer and
 16

plus-sized Black woman” - plays Belle (Franklin 2021). Typical depictions of Belle come back

to the original drawing from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in which she is a thin, white woman.

It is exciting and refreshing to see productions like this that remind us that everyone is beautiful,

not just the typical idea of the perfect princess that we are so used to seeing in the media. During

the run of their production of Beauty and the Beast, the theater will be launching the

“#IAmBeauty campaign, encouraging audiences to share what makes them feel beautiful”

(Franklin 2021).

Recently, there has been discussion of body type and Broadway surrounding the costumes of the

2022 Broadway Revival of Funny Girl. The role of Fanny Brice was originally played by Beanie

Feldstein and is now played by Lea Michele. When she left the production, it did not take long to

change to costume in time for Lea Michelle to wear a brand new dress. Audience members took

note of this change, noting that Lea is of a smaller dress size than Beanie, leading many audience

members to believe it to be the reason for the change. Notably, discourse on this subject has

taken place on social media. For example, “A viral TikTok, originally posted by a user named

Alaina Noelle, has surfaced showing how Feldstein’s finale dress had enormous sleeves while

Michele’s was sleeveless, alleging the costume change is evidence of fatphobia” (Ibrahim 2022).

Discussion from the public shows that this is an especially important topic for the way people are

hoping the theater and entertainment industry treat actors in productions. It is with great hope

that audience members continue to see more productions cast based on talent rather than just the

actor’s appearance. Likewise, they hope to see people of all body types treated the same, not put

in costumes that hide one person’s body and show off another for the same role.
 17

Feminist Views and Activism

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feminism can be defined as the “belief in and

advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially

through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests” (Merriam-Webster.com

Dictionary). Quite basically, women would be able to have the same rights as men. It is

important to note that not everyone defines feminism in the same way which adds to the deep

complexity of feminism. Feminism is ever changing, learning and growing from new ideas and

different perspectives. “Increasingly, feminists are recognizing the intersectionality of gender

inequality with other oppressive systems that impact ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender

identity. Black women, critiquing the early woman's movement for focusing on the needs/goals

of white women, were among the first to bring awareness to how different systems of oppression

produce different lived experiences” (Ogletree et. al 2019). “Latina feminists have also

responded to patriarchal oppression tied to racial/ethnic inequalities. Latina feminist icons, like

celebrated artist Frida Kahlo, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and author Sandra

Cisneros, represent a particular intersectional blending of these experiences” (Ogletree et. al

2019). It is certainly important to keep these points in mind when discussing feminism. Keeping

in mind the basic definition above and the ideas presented by Black and Latina feminists,

feminist ideals have long been present in the arts, emphasizing the need for increased

representation for women in the industry.

Women have often had to create opportunities for themselves within the theatre industry. For

example, Trey Anthony is “an accomplished Black, female, queer, playwright based in Toronto

and Atlanta” (Keleta-Mae 2019). Though she is an incredibly accomplished playwright, “when
 18

mainstage theatres in Canada have declined Anthony’s proposals to produce her work, she has

self-produced at times to sold out houses” (Keleta-Mae 2019). Just having the opportunities that

are often non-existent or scarce for women in the theatre industry is a major obstacle for all

women working within the industry. Artistic director of Aluna Theatre in Canada, Beatriz Pizano

explained that “(she) work(s) with a lot of women, and (she) also sees an incredible emergence

of women artists who have understood that they will not work if they don’t create their own

work” (Chevrier, et al. 2016). It’s an incredibly disappointing statement that opportunities are so

scarce for women that if they do not create their own work, they will not be able to work. It

becomes a problem of lack of opportunity and resources presented to women within the industry.

Often, there is a severe lack of roles for middle aged women. How, then, do middle aged

actresses find work when there is such a lack of opportunity? Another major lack of opportunity

related to mothers working in theatre. There is very little opportunity for mothers within the

industry as they often must choose between being a mother and their careers. Australian actress

Lucy Durack suggests that perhaps to make theatre more accessible and provide more

opportunities for mothers in the industry, “a solution... could be to cast different performers for

different legs of the tour” (Jones 2019). Innovative ideas such as these could be the answer to

bettering representation for women.

Feminism and gender themes can be found, or sometimes not found, in many theater

productions. Musicologist Carolyn Abbate explains that “a female role may contradict superficial

weakness or passivity as the singing voice of the performer playing the role may reveal strength

independent of librettist and composer” (Anderson 2012). In this sense, it gives the female

performer power over the work to interpret and perform the role as she chooses, often giving
 19

more strength to the role she is playing. In some musical theatre shows, duets sung by the

women in the show such as “Guys and Dolls, On the Town, and West Side Story,... demonstrate

that women may work better together than with the male characters around them,” creating an

empowering dynamic between the two women to strengthen the support system of women that is

vital to lift one another up especially within the arts industry (Anderson 2012).

One of the most fascinating and wonderful things about theater is the way that it can generate

discussion of important topics. In this way, theater can help start the discussion on politics and

women’s rights. In the musical The Prom, it shows a positive way to discuss LGBTQ+ rights. It

is also a show that provides positive representation of a queer relationship. Writer for American

Theatre, Lauren Emily Whalen states in her article about the show, “We want to be seen, in a

culture where lesbian, bi, and pan women are still presented as jokes, cautionary tales, or worst,

erased entirely from the pop-culture narrative. The Prom shows that our lives aren’t just defined

by tragedy; there’s joy and laughter too” (Whalen 2019). Theater performances anywhere can

spark discussion. They do not have to be the most popular show on Broadway to inspire such

discussion. Some are “political because they are not mainstream. Student and amateur

performances as well as staged readings are usually disregarded in conventional performance

history but, by operating on the margins of theatre practice, these productions can ignore

commercial pressures and, like the women theatre makers themselves, take more risks, be less

conventional” (Schafer 2015). This can really inspire change within the community and extend

to larger cities and regions through discussion about the production.

 20

The Mawa Theatre Company is “the UK’s first (theatre company) to be comprised of Black and

Black mixed race women” (Seth 2021). Through their work in theater, they are using their voices

to "examine how women of the African diaspora are represented in classical texts, and reframe

them for audiences that find them alienating by drawing out themes that continue to resonate”

(Seth 2021). The Mawa Theatre company creates impactful performances to ignite discussion

and real change within the industry as they focus on “their larger goal... to change the industry

from within, creating more space for marginalized voices in a field that is all too often dominated

by privileged white men” (Seth 2021). By creating theatre with this in mind, it stirs conversation

and ignites thinking about how theatre has alienated groups such as Black women throughout

history. With this discussion, more people will become aware of the inequities and those within

the industry will be able to hear from voices that have been previously silenced.

Artistic director of PACT Theatre for Young Audiences, Mieko Ouchi stated, "We need people

to speak out publicly about programming, and to value and support work that embraces cultural

voices and women’s perspectives. But theatres also need to be held to account by funding bodies.

Only when we link diversity and gender equity to operational funding do I believe we’ll see

substantive change” (Chevrier, et al. 2016). She highlights the importance of speaking out to

ignite the change we hope to see.

A new Broadway bound production of 1776 featuring a cast of all female, non-binary, and trans

performers also brings up a discussion about how we can view and discuss history in new ways.

The production is directed by two award winning, highly experienced theatre artists - Jeffrey L.

Page and Diane Paulus. Co-director Jeffrey L. Page stated, “As I’ve worked with Diane, we’ve
 21

explored the unsaid, unspoken, and unwritten history, and as a result I have found myself inside

of the important piece of art, inside of American history, and I have learned something new about

both” (Harms 2022). Co-director Diane Paulus further adds, “Jeffrey and I are fascinated by the

idea that history isn’t the clear or linear story we read in our textbooks, but instead, a predicament

that we must grapple with in order to understand our past so that we can move forward together”

(Harms 2022).

Theatre can spark discussion of important topics including political and social justice issues. On

June 24, 2022, the same day as the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the

Broadway show POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep

Him Alive’s Instagram account shared two clips from the play. Both video clips shared a scene

from the show in which actress Julianne Hough proudly states, “I volunteered in a clinic back in

Iowa. Affordable, safe reproductive healthcare is a basic human right” (POTUS Bway 2022). In

both video clips, audience members cheer after this line for quite some time, giving it a standing

ovation. Even through one line, the play made a statement at a time where it was even more vital

to speak out which clearly affected members of the audience to respond. It may be the case that

audience members or even people who saw the post online spoke about this moment and its

importance; I did. Moments like these in theatre can help to start a conversation about important

topics and perhaps inspire others to raise awareness or take action.

Women in Leadership Positions

The roles onstage for women may be linked to the women in leadership positions within the

theatre industry. It is a theory worth pursing that if women are working in leadership roles in
 22

theaters, there will be better representation for women on stage in theater. In an interview with

six female artistic directors from Canada, many of them spoke about advocating for other women

within the theatre community (Chevrier, et al. 2016). This relates to the idea that women have a

support system within the theatre industry to help and support one another. These women in

leadership roles would have more say in the choice of productions and or casting to be able to

better opportunities for women on stage. “In 2016, the Wellesley Centers for Women, in

partnership with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, released the findings of its

Women’s Leadership in Resident Theaters study. It found that women and people of color were

severely underrepresented in leadership positions in League of Resident Theatres companies”

(Pañares, et al. 2017). By the standards of the theory, we would not begin to see change to its

fullest quality until this changes so women and people of color are better represented in

leadership positions. Though it has not yet been proven, it is a theory that I will pursue to answer

throughout this thesis.

There are very few well known female writers and composers especially in musical theater. If

people were asked to name a famous musical theater composer, I believe it would be most likely

that someone might name Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, or Lin Manuel Miranda.

And while they are incredible composers, I must ask: “where are the women?” Specifically in the

arts, “music of female musicians is relegated to a place of subliminal secondary importance

because of social pressures that historically prevented women from composing large-scale works

that might compete with the ‘masters.’” (Patinka 2021). These masters are male musicians,

typically the musical theatre composers people tend to think of right away such as Sondheim or

Schwartz. Their work is so well known within the realm of musical theatre that one may simply
 23

refer to them by their last name and people would know right away who they are and what their

body of work is. I must ask the question: how many female composers would be considered

“masters” in musical theatre by the general public? There have been multiple great female

composers such as Mary Rodgers who wrote Once Upon A Mattress; Carol Hall who wrote The

Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Tommy Tune; Lucy Simon who wrote Doctor Zhivago and

The Secret Garden; and Jeanine Tesori who wrote Shrek, Thoroughly Modern Millie and

Caroline, or Change (Snyder and Mantel 2013). Other major modern musicals such as The Color

Purple, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Legally Blonde have been written by women and yet it is

not as common to hear people name them as some of the great composers (Snyder and Mantel

2013). “Consider the aspect of equal opportunities... If the work of a revolutionary male

playwright deserves loving dramaturgy, then plays of revolutionary female playwrights deserve

equally loving dramaturgical remixing and repackaging” (Schafer 2015). As of 2020, the Tony

Awards have seen more diversity in their nominees and winners. However, there is still a long

way to go in terms of improvement. "Only seven women have won the Tony Award for 'Best

Original Score', with five being 21st-century winners. Furthermore, four of the five 21st-century

female winners won the award without a male writing partner. Similarly, only four women have

won the Tony Award for 'Best Direction of a Musical', with three being 21st-century winners.

When looking at those same award categories through a lens of race, only one person of color

has won the 'Best Director of a Musical' Tony Award (in 1992), and only one person of color has

won the 'Best Original Score' Tony Award (in 1975)” (Hodge 2020). When Fun Home won the

Tony Award for Best Score, it “marked the first time an all-female writing team has won the

award for best score” (Cox 2015). This only emphasizes that while there have been some
 24

improvements, there is still so much work to be done to increase diversity and provide better

representation for women.

However, women are changing the narrative in musical theatre especially with this year’s winner

of the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear won

the award this year for their creation of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, a musical that has

never been on stage yet but is only a concept album originally created through the social media

platform TikTok. The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical is based on the hit Netflix show Bridgerton.

The success of this new musical is a game changer in the world of musical theatre as “an award-

winning musical circulating exclusively online was a significant change in how theatre is

created” (Bay-Cheng 2022). Not only did they create the entire musical themselves – singing,

producing, and orchestrating the entire concept album – but they also live streamed their creative

process of writing the musical on the social media platform, TikTok which helped audience

members become a part of the process. However, it should be noted that the case of this musical

became even more complicated with a lawsuit by Netflix over intellectual property rights after a

performance was held at the Kennedy Center of the Barlow and Bear Bridgerton Musical; the

case has since been settled (Maddaus 2022). Despite the lawsuit, it is difficult to deny that these

women changed the world of musical theatre, creating a more accessible form of musical theatre

by showing the process of creating the musical directly on social media which earned them a

following of the musical from its very creation.

Representation for women as designers in theatre has also been limited. As reported by the

League of Professional Theater Women, it was “found (that there were) far fewer women
 25

working in set design, lighting, and sound than there were in stage management and costume

design” (Cox 2015). Even so, “stage manager jobs continue to go most often to white workers,

and stark pay gaps persist along both racial and gender lines; While men and women tend to find

employment in roughly equal numbers nationwide, men tended to earn more than women for the

same amount of work, and more still than to non-binary members; Members who are disabled,

transgender or over 65 tend to earn less than the industry average“ (Evans 2022). It’s incredibly

disappointing to see that racial and gender lines still exist, creating a pay gap between artists. It’s

time for these pay gaps to change. To fully create a more inclusive theatre industry with what we

see on stage in the roles that women are cast in and the amount of opportunities that women are

given to perform onstage, it is incredibly important to give women opportunities for

representation behind the scenes. Together as women, we can work to advocate for one another

in the workplace. Playwright Lynn Nottage stated, "We need to diversify the people who are

backstage and producing and marketing these shows. It’s the limitations of these people that are

holding Broadway back” (Cox 2015). It is not just Broadway; it is the entire theatre industry,

spanning from Broadway to regional theater to international theater in places like London’s West

End.
 26

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Within the research, semi structured interviews were conducted with organizational leaders

which were used as case studies of theatre organizations that are actively working to create better

opportunity and representation for women onstage in theater. This helped to give a firsthand

account of the work currently being done and how they are doing the work, which I further

analyzed in individual case studies. I also examined organizations and their content to further

study their work; this content includes but is not limited to information posted on their websites,

social media, and press releases.

Research subjects were chosen after careful research to identify organizations that are working to

further better representation for women in the theater industry. All subjects were read a statement

before the interview began. This statement detailed the process of the interview before the

subjects were given the option to consent to the interview before the interview began. Should

they have wished not to be a subject in the research, they were able to opt out of being a research

subject in the study. Once each subject consented to the interview, the interview officially began.

For those who opted to be subjects of the research, they met for an interview in which they were

asked questions relating to the organization and their work. All data was safely stored after the

interviews. They were still able to opt out of the study even after the interview if they chose to do

so.

Limitations

Unfortunately, it was always a possibility that representatives from organizations may have been

unwilling to speak to me. This could be due to lack of interest, lack of time, or other related
 27

reasons for not wanting to be included in the study. This could have limited the study if I was

unable to find as many organizations as I was hoping to be able to use as case studies. Case

studies cannot be generalized. Therefore, I analyzed very specific circumstances about

representation of women.

I only spoke to a limited amount of organizations and people working in these organizations, so I

was not able to hear every side of the story about the representation of women in theatre. I was

only able to speak to leaders of particular organizations, not every woman working in the theatre

industry in roles such as actors, designers, or other leadership positions. I also was not able to

interview women of every background such as differing races and gender identities. In other

words, I only had select perspectives to analyze.

Anticipated Findings

I hypothesize that theatre organizations will be taking steps forward to become more inclusive

and equitable in their casting, hiring of staff members, and in the shows that are being done in

order to create more positive representation for women onstage. However, I thought that there

will continue to be room to further improve within the industry. There were multiple

organizations found within my research who are actively working to improve representation for

women in theatre. I believe that these examples are ones that other organizations within the

industry can learn from to improve their representation as well. Examples of productions like the

previously mentioned Legally Blonde, Beauty and the Beast, and 1776 are great examples of

current productions that are changing the way the industry typically perceives how roles should

be cast. It challenges societal norms, something I believe we will continue to see in the future.
 28

CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS

3Girls Theatre Company

3Girls Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater organization in San Francisco,

California. As stated in their mission, “3Girls Theatre Company develops, promotes, and

presents new plays by women playwrights” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d). As a fairly new

organization having been founded in 2011, the theater directly works to provide greater

representation for women in the theatre industry through their programs such as their Salon

Reading Series, Girlwrights, Innovators, Investigates, and other programs. The organization

"primarily focuses on developing new works and workshopping the plays directly” (Telson

2022). Managing Director, Operations of 3Girls Theatre Company Tanya Telson explains, “only

30% of women playwrights are produced and that number has risen since the company has

started, which is good, but... we can always use more of a parity in our society” (Telson 2022).

The Staff and Leadership Team

The original artistic director brought many people on to help build the organization. At the

founding of the organization, it began with “a woman who was an attorney who decided that she

wanted to be a writer as well and started producing her own works and found that she was

creating community with other women who wanted to do the same thing that she did” (Telson

2022). Eventually as the organization developed, it expanded to be “more community based”

(Telson 2022). Telson describes when she first started at the organization as the resident stage

manager to be “warm and welcoming” (Telson 2022). 3Girls Theatre Company has had real luck

when forming their leadership team as Telson explained further that, “if you’re trying too hard
 29

for something, it’s not going to work. But if you’re doing the right thing, some things naturally

fall into place” (Telson 2022). This is the case with 3Girls Theatre Company as many of the

leaders in the team understood when they joined the organization that feeling as in “trying to

reflect the community, engaging in the community, and just people coming and feeling safe and

valued in [the] community” (Telson 2022).

Programs

Work on plays at 3Girls Theatre Company focuses mainly on the workshop stage of the

playwright’s process. Playwrights get to work with a dramaturg during this process to further

develop the play. It is through their specific programs that playwrights are provided resources

and opportunity to do this work.

The Salon Reading Series is meant to feature “original works-in-progress by [their] award-

winning cohort of emerging women playwrights in their prime” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d).

3Girls Theatre Company dismantles the stereotype of the definition of an “emerging playwright”

as they focus on this series by giving a voice to “emerging playwrights over 40” (3Girls Theatre

Company n.d). “Each year, the Company invites emerging Bay Area women playwrights 40+ to

apply for a slot in [their] Salon Series cohort by becoming a Brady Fellow” (3Girls Theatre

Company n.d). By becoming a Brady Fellow, doors open to the playwright. “[3Girls Theatre

Company] provide[s] each Brady Fellow with a professional team and resources, including a

dramaturg, director and cast. [They] support their new play through drafts to a staged reading for

a live audience, a springboard for further development” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d).
 30

It is clear that in addition to their work to amplify women’s voices, amplifying the voices of

other marginalized groups (many of whom intersect with women’s voices) is imperative to the

mission of 3Girls Theatre Company. LezWritesBTQ, another of their programs, “is a unique

development and performance program for emerging lesbian, bi, transgender, and gender non-

conforming women-identified queer theatre-makers. [Their] LBTQ+ playwrights and solo

performers create work that speaks directly to lesbian and queer artists and audiences, with an

emphasis on women of color, people with disabilities, and other communities traditionally

underrepresented in theatre” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d).

Their program Innovators “presents work-in-progress or "scratch" performances of experimental

work by women and gender non-conforming theatre-makers" (3Girls Theatre Company n.d).

This series gives artists the chance to work and experiment with non-traditional theatre. It was

through some of this work that they found “people that really looked for nontraditional theatre.

And in finding that [they] found where intersections of white supremacy and theater where

because formalized theaters are rooted in white supremacy” (Telson 2022). Their program

Investigates which “commissions teams of BIPOC women playwrights to deeply interrogate

social justice issues critical to BIPOC women using investigative/documentary theatre

techniques” helped them to really tackle this idea and create positive change as well (3Girls

Theatre Company n.d). Investigates really helped to bring more diversity to Innovators. It helps

to allow for “the freedom people feel for not having to follow the presentational format that is

common in Eurocentric theater” (Telson 2022).

 31

Casting for shows done as part of their programs usually is “done... by the playwrights

themselves” (Telson 2022). They do utilize social media in order to spread the word about

casting calls. It is important to note that “the language of how we casted has changed due to the

conversations that have happened while theater was shut down during Covid, so just having very

real conversations about... how many hours people can work and sticking to that, making sure all

the information is upfront like times, dates, the amount you’re going to get paid, if the person

needs to be vaccinated,... how much travel” (Telson 2022). These important details are critical in

order to be honest with the actors about commitments both they and the organization makes.

Education

Theatre education is a topic of importance to their organization as well. GirlWrights is a “free

playwrighting program” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d). This unique program for “girl-identified

youth in middle and high school” increases opportunity in the arts for students (3Girls Theatre

Company n.d). This programs shows how important it is to ensure education in the arts by

providing access to resources for theatre for students “who don’t otherwise have access to theatre

arts programs in their school” (3Girls Theatre Company n.d). In a quote from 3Girls Theatre

Company’s website, they state: “Unfortunately, our school system lacks the resources to offer

theatre arts education to many of our young people. We fervently believe young girls and teens

have voices that deserve to be heard on stage, just like their older sisters. In addition to

strengthening teamwork and writing skills, our young writers learn how to be confident in

sharing their opinions, stories, and personal brand of entertaining theatre with the City!” (3Girls

Theatre Company n.d). By creating a free education program like GirlWrights, 3Girls Theatre
 32

Company gives back to their community and continues to create a place to help younger

generations embrace the arts.

Connecting with the Community

Their important work at 3Girls Theatre Company continues to help their community. Their work

comes right from their community as they “have an application process for submissions and in

the past, [they] put the word out with email groups with community organizations” (Telson

2022). She further explained that “because [they] have a couple of branch of focuses in [their]

programs, [they] focus on those community organizations that serve those populations. So, for

example, [they] have LezWrites which is queer focused, so we go to the queer community

centers and advertise to them” (Telson 2022). They work to get the word out about their

programs to the community to help them become aware of their work and hopefully get them

involved. By developing relationships with places where they can advertise their work such as

“community centers and places where gatherings happen like even the YMCA or gym” can help

them to grow their organization’s community and hopefully bring in new members (Telson

2022).

Marketing on social media is also a major way they connect with their audience. In the age

where technology and social media is ever present in our lives, it’s even more important to

include this as a means to spreading the word about the organization’s work. They have been

utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn as “it... seems like

there’s more of an audience building in that realm” (Telson 2022). This is certainly a change for

3Girls Theatre Company as in “the first five years... it was very much word of mouth or people
 33

who knew someone who knew someone and then just building relationships with the community,

and it’s grown from there” (Telson 2022). This shows how much their organization has grown.

When planning and choosing each of the shows presented at 3Girls Theatre Company, there has

been a special focus on “what [the] mixture of [their] community is because [they’ve] had

different programs that are specific to different communities” (Telson 2022). Tanya Telson

explains, “As we’re rewriting our new strategic plan we’re trying to figure out better ways to not

only serve those communities, but integrate those communities more within our programs

themselves” (Telson 2022). They’re even working to integrate programs together, connecting

communities even further. In this past year, a BIPOC artist was involved in LezWrites and the

Salon Series which provides an example of how they are actively working on developing ideas

on how “to integrate those programs together more and [they’re] trying to create more of an

atmosphere in which they’re looking at less siloing of our programs and have more of a bringing

it full circle” (Telson 2022). Building relationships with community members and artists is a

major way that 3Girls Theatre Company has found success.

“[3Girls Theatre Company] doesn’t charge for tickets” (Telson 2022). By instituting a donation

admission to their work, it allows for a larger audience, making theatre more inclusive and more

accessible. They will not make anyone pay for a ticket as they will never “turn anybody away for

lack of funds” (Telson 2022). It makes being able to experience theatre more affordable for

members of the community who might otherwise not have been able to experience and share in

arts. This uplifts the community and helps to break down barriers in order to make theatre more

inclusive. This is, of course, possible thanks to grants and donations (Telson 2022). Recording
 34

shows and posting them online is another way that they work to increase accessibility and

increase their community (Telson 2022).

Parity Productions

Parity Productions is a 501(c)(3) production company in New York City, New York. Their work

focuses on “develop[ing] original plays, promot[ing] gender parity in theatre for women, trans,

and gender-expansive artists” (Parity Productions n.d). Having been founded in 2016, Parity

Productions has multiple programs that aid in improving gender parity in the theatre industry

such as the Parity Commission and the Parity Database.

Staff and Leadership Team

Parity Productions was founded by the current Executive Director, Ludovica Villar-Hauser. For

this season at Parity Productions, they “are hiring a trans casting director. [They] have a casting

director [they] use most of the time. But this time it didn’t make sense. The last trans piece that

[they] just had a workshop for, it was a group effort in terms of casting. But [they] do try to cast

depending on what the play requires” (Villar-Hauser 2022.) By having a more diverse group of

casting directors, they can connect with artists of other backgrounds and identities that perhaps

other casting directors might not be able to connect with as fully.

Though Parity Productions does have quite a diverse team, Ludovica Villar-Hauser honestly

explained, “I do think we have fallen down a little bit in our trans representation in terms of our

team,” though they do have some representation for gender-expansive team members; it’s

something they are actively working to improve especially by “learn[ing] about the trans and

gender-expansive community and definitely do try to hire a diverse pool” (Villar-Hauser 2022).
 35

Actively working on improving the diversity of a team and learning more is a great way to truly

advocate for the community and improve.

There are other ways that Parity Productions is working to improve especially in terms of

diversity. “Since the Black Lives Matter Movement,... there’s been a real hard look at how

everyone does everything, and we have made a commitment to hire a cultural competency

adviser or consultant for every single production, and also potentially for [their] workshops”

(Villar-Hauser 2022). This is not the only improvement they have already made to their staff;

Parity Productions has hired an intimacy coordinator.

Programs

As a part of their Annual Parity Commission “[e]ach year Parity awards two Commissions, one

to a woman (cis or trans) and one to a trans or gender-expansive playwright who have both

demonstrated a dedication to the craft of playwriting and a singular talent for storytelling and

whose work is in harmony with our artistic mission” (Parity Productions 2022). At the beginning

of the process which eventually leads to the selection of two recipients for the awards, the

organization opens up a submission period when playwrights can submit their work. To get the

word out about this opportunity, “[they] reach out to partner organizations,” that is organizations

who share similar missions who might be able to help further spread the word about the Parity

Commission (Villar-Hauser 2022).

Following the conclusion of this year’s submission of scripts, “everybody on the team is reading

with full knowledge of who they’re reading... In the past, we’ve done it anonymized” (Villar-
 36

Hauser 2022). However, there are some general challenges to read a play anonymously. Villar-

Hauser explains, “I understand through our EDA work that that is actually no longer considered

the right way of doing things, mainly because you can be much clearer in your choices if you

know who you’re choosing” (Villar-Hauser 2022). All scripts are read more than once by the

readers and eventually the group of playwrights in narrowed down to a small number who are

asked to provide additional material. Scripts are read throughout the process with a rubric in

mind which assists members of the reading team in making their decisions. The rubric outlines

some of the following details that should be considered:

• “Is it well written?

• Is it compelling? (Did you want to keep reading? Did it give you that ‘couldn’t put it

down’ feeling?)

• Is it ready (or almost ready) to be produced?

• Has the playwright demonstrated a dedication to the craft of playwriting and a singular

talent for storytelling?

• Is the playwright’s voice unique?

• Does it align with Parity’s mission? (To champion women, trans, and gender-expansive

artists at the intersection of race, economic status, age, ability, and other identities within

our constituency.)” (Villar-Hauser 2022).

This additional material is read and in the end, the selection of two winners is announced. If

selected to receive the award, the “playwrights receive $2,500 each and extensive developmental

support for their play, including one ‘closed door’ reading with the Parity team, and at least one
 37

public reading, with an option for Parity to produce the Commissioned work” (Parity

Productions n.d).

“Creating new work is vital to [Parity’s] mission, and [they] bring new work to life through

several developmental stages” (Parity Productions n.d). Productions at Parity tell important

stories. For example, Turning Krasniqi by 2020 Annual Parity Commission Winner Jonathan

Alexandratos tells the story of “the story of Hannah Krasniqi, a high school senior in a small,

conservative Kentucky town who transitions to become a burrnesha, a gender in his ancestral

homeland of Albania” (Parity Productions n.d). “Turning Krasniqi is a very important story for

our time especially as so many trans and gender-expansive rights are being stripped away”

(Villar-Hauser 2022). Another production, This Stretch of Montpelier by 2021 Annual Parity

Commission Winner Kelley Nicole Girod discusses the story of “a community of isolated

neighbors -- divided by property lines, race, class and tradition, but bonded by overlapping

personal and cultural histories” (Parity Productions n.d). Hopefully, through productions at

Parity, other doors will open for the playwrights such as the possibility of catching the attention

of another organization that wants to produce their play.

Connecting with the Community

Their unique feature, The Parity Database truly sets Parity Productions apart from other

organizations. This “free online tool for artistic leaders who seek to create more equitable hiring

practices for creative teams” creates a database of “women, trans, and gender-expansive

playwrights, directors, and designers working in professional theatre in New York City” (Parity

Productions n.d). Using the database to help provide information on working artists and creatives
 38

can help the artists and creatives find new career opportunities. “The purpose of the database is to

be able to ease the hiring process of writers, directors, and designers” (Villar-Hauser 2022).

Organizations can use the database to improve their hiring practices, creating a more diverse group

of staff and artists employed at their organization. Before the database was created, “the resources

were not out there. It really made [Ludovica Villar-Hauser] understand why women are not getting

the work, so you can only get the work if you’re visible. You can only get the work if people know

who you are” (Villar-Hauser 2022). This created a resource, helping artists in the community find

work. Parity Productions is working on launching a second version of the Parity Database in which

the database will “have a much easier search function” as well as feature that “artists will be able

to update their profile if they wish” (Villar-Hauser 2022). By creating an even more user friendly

database, this will only help to ease artists in finding and creating new opportunities through the

promotion of their work.

New Perspectives Theatre Company

New Perspectives Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater organization in New York

City, New York. It was “founded in 1991 as a multi-racial ensemble dedicated to using theatre as

an agent for positive social change” (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d). Specifically, the

organization works to “develop and present new plays and playwrights, particularly women and

people of color; present classic plays through a new lens that restores women & BIPOC artists'

existence & contributions to the Canon; and present theatre to under-served audiences -

especially young people and communities in need—to build life skills and promote participation

in our society” (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d).

 39

Staff and Leadership Team

Current Artistic Director Melody Brooks explained that their team originally was composed of

“people who were theatre artists and educators” (Brooks 2022). As time has passed and the

organization has further developed, new staff members have come on board. Unfortunately, they

do have a “turnover every three to five years because” they are not able to pay, making this

organization primarily a volunteer based organization (Brooks 2022). New Perspectives Theatre

Company has had plenty of interns work for the organization as well. The primary reason that it

seems most interns want to work for New Perspectives is because of their mission statement.

Programs

New Perspectives Theatre Company presents a season of theatre productions. “[Their] 31st

Season began on July 1, 2022 immediately after [their] 30th Birthday Celebration. [New

Perspectives Theatre Company is] now one of the longest operating Off-Off Broadway Theatre

Companies with [their] own space in New York City” (New Perspectives Theatre Company

2022). As a part of their season, they feature quite a few “professional programs” that highlight

the voices of women such as Women’s Work Project, On Her Shoulders, and Theatre From The

Streets (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d).

The Women’s Work Project originally “was specifically for full length plays, because there was

a plethora of short play, ten minute play opportunities everywhere. But there wasn’t a lot of

opportunity to develop a full length play and actually produce it. So [they] were able to do that

then” (Brooks 2022). It was created with “the goal of not only helping to develop specific plays,

but to support residents' growth as accomplished and skilled playwrights – to give writers added
 40

tools in the practice of their craft and to strengthen their individual voices. [Their] focus has

always been on bringing scripts to production quality” (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d).

Eventually, the Women’s Work project became “two dramaturgically driven labs” (Brooks

2022). These labs include a short play lab and a full length lab.

On Her Shoulders Database is a database on New Perspectives’ website which provides “lists of

plays by women from multiple countries, along with brief biographies” (New Perspectives

Theatre Company n.d). In total, there are about three hundred playwrights already featured on an

ever growing database. All of the playwrights’ work is from pre-1970. The database also offers

information on the historical context of their writing as to provide better understanding into their

work (Brooks 2022). It provides an excellent resource for artists and the general public alike to

learn more about women’s work in theatre.

Education

Theatre education is a focus for New Perspectives as well. “New Perspectives Theatre Company

has been offering award-winning multicultural theatre and arts in education programs to NYC

audiences and school students for the past 20 years” (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d).

They offer three different programs for their education programs: Shakespeare Made Simple,

World Voices, and Dramatiques Workshop Programs (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d).

Shakespeare Made Simple focuses on “teaching and performing Shakespeare [that] is grounded

in the text and delivered in a highly active and interactive style. Our focus on the text—and clues

embedded in the structure and sounds—rather than the plots, give teachers and students the tools

to understand and USE the power of the spoken word, in all aspects of their lives” (New
 41

Perspectives Theatre Company n.d). Another one of their programs, “World Voices presents

engaging, authentic fables and stories from around the world” as performed by actors utilizing

puppetry and music (New Perspectives Theatre Company n.d). Finally, they offer Dramatiques

Workshop Programs, “an intensive workshop program that would bring young people directly

into the theatre space to create their own performance projects” (New Perspectives Theatre

Company n.d). These exciting programs have been creating much needed accessibility to

students to pursue the arts.

Theatre from the Streets is a “virtual program connecting artists from around the world” (New

Perspectives Theatre Company n.d). In this program, artists from around the world share short

plays which helps to provide more information to the rest of the world about what is happening

in their own country. Once filmed, these are posted to New Perspectives’ YouTube. It provides

much needed education about the reality of what is going on in the world which we might not

always see due to lack of media coverage or various other reasons. “The larger goal is that if

[New Perspectives] can educate people about what's really going on and speak to a shared

humanity that we might be able to bypass corporate media and state narratives and get people to

decide they want to be involved and try to make a difference” (Brooks 2022).

Connecting with the Community

New Perspectives Theatre Company creates “a really supportive environment” for artists

(Brooks 2022). The organization is “aware of all of the obstacles that a lot of women have”

(Brooks 2022). By being acutely of these challenges, their organization creates “a safe space. But

it is still a rigorous space. [They] call it a brave space” (Brooks 2022). In this brave space, artists
 42

are able to develop their work and take risks in a setting that is understanding and encouraging to

their work while continuing to challenge them. Melody Brooks explains that through their

programs “it is really creating a community. It’s a network of support, and it is demanding that

playwrights are rigorous in their approach to the work” (Brooks 2022). By creating a community

of artists, they’re creating a networking systems within the organization itself.

SheNYC Arts

SheNYC Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater organization that hosts festivals in New York City,

New York; Atlanta, Georgia; and Los Angeles, California. Their “mission is to prove that there

is no reason for male artists to have the overwhelming majority of professionally produced work

on Broadway, off-Broadway, and around the country. [They] provide artists with the resources

they need on their path to leadership roles in the industry” (SheNYC Arts n.d). More specifically,

since their founding in 2015 their work through programs such as their festivals, CreateHer, and

special networking programs has helped women in the theatre industry.

The Staff and Leadership Team

Founder and Artistic Director Danielle DeMatteo created her team when the organization was

first established by recruiting other young women working in theatre in “assistant level [roles] on

Broadway” (DeMatteo 2022). The team has not really changed since then other than expanding

the team by adding members who have “come to [SheNYC] through people [they] meet [and]

people they work really well with” including some playwrights who have been a part of the

organization’s festivals in the past.

 43

Programs

Since its founding, the organization actively works to produce new work by marginalized gender

groups. Their summer festivals are their main programs that feature “all full length plays and

musicals by women, trans, and non-binary playwrights and composers” (DeMatteo 2022). There

is “a long intensive process [in which they] have a fully open and blind submission process”

(DeMatteo 2022). During this process, “anybody who wants to with no prerequisites can submit

their script. [They] ask people to self-identify as being part of a marginalized gender group”

(DeMatteo 2022). Script readers are brought in to go over the submitted scripts for a series of

rounds to determine what scripts are “best fit for the festival” (DeMatteo 2022). Eventually once

the plays are narrowed down through a series of rounds, the SheNYC team and board members

also read the plays and work together to make final selections. All together it takes about six

months to complete the entire process of selecting plays (DeMatteo 2022).

SheNYC’s festivals are held in New York City, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; and Los Angeles,

California. All of their shows “align with the themes that [they] stand for” (DeMatteo 2022).

Luckily, this seems to “happen naturally” as many of the plays submitted to SheNYC have

themes relating to their mission and beliefs at the organization (DeMatteo 2022). These shows

were previously cast at “one big casting session” (DeMatteo 2022). However, like many

organizations, they have had to change and adapt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore,

SheNYC has cast for the last 2 years by way of digital submission (DeMatteo 2022). Danielle

further explained that “ultimately, [they] leave the casting decisions up to the writer and their

director to make” (DeMatteo 2022).

 44

Education

In addition to the Summer Theater Festivals, SheNYC also hosts CreateHER, “a free course for

NYC-based high school students who are girls or non-binary, and who are interested in writing

and producing for theatre. Through the program, students are given the technical and creative

tools to take their creativity from an idea to reality” (SheNYC Arts n.d). The program allows

playwrighting students to write “a new ten minute play that they write from scratch and then they

get paired with one of the producing students, who throughout the semester learns how to

produce a staged reading of the play that they're paired with, with the playwright” (DeMatteo

2022). The end goal is “a staged reading of their new play” as read by professional actors

(DeMatteo 2022). Additionally, students involved with CreateHer also get “guest speakers and

mentorship opportunities, and [trips]... to see a few Broadway shows” (DeMatteo 2022). This

program is ideal to support the next generation of artists and creatives to help the arts continue to

thrive and progress as they learn more about the industry and gain connections.

Connecting with the Community

Creating and working with other artists at festivals at three locations across the country helps

creatives connect with one another. “When our writers make friends with each other and meet

the other directors and actors doing all the other shows, it can really become like a community

event, and people can have those connections and friendships going forward” (DeMatteo 2022).

It really builds community within the organization and even within the arts and theatre

communities as well. They hope to expand from just the theatre community as well to include

more members of the arts and entertainment industry. Danielle DeMatteo explained, “We’re

trying to broaden our spectrum just out of theatre and to include film artists as well. There is so
 45

much overlap especially with writers and directors between the two fields” (DeMatteo 2022).

This will further provide new opportunities for artists and professionals in the industry to work

and connect with one another.

SheNYC also works with The Broadway Women’s Alliance, “which is a networking group for

the women who work on the business side of Broadway” (DeMatteo 2022). Partner organizations

like this help for networking opportunities, providing new connections for artists that they might

not have had before. DeMatteo explained, “The running theme between all of these programs is

that in order to have one of these leadership roles in the entertainment industry, either as a

playwright or a director, or a producer or a general manager, you need a lot of resources that you

don't get from the public school system” (DeMatteo 2022). This can include but it not limited to

money, connections, and skills not learned in school on the high school or collegiate level

(DeMatteo 2022). She further explained that “that’s the reason why we have an equity and

diversity problem on Broadway. Because you have to have connections, and you have to have an

in to learn all of these necessary skills that are required for the job” (DeMatteo 2022). Luckily,

with their work to provide resources to artists and creatives in the industry, including students

who can begin learning skills at an early age, they’re hopefully creating change within the

community and the industry to help it in the future.

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CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

In my hypothesis, I noted that I would hopefully find that theatre organizations will be taking

steps forward to become more inclusive and equitable in their casting, hiring of staff members,

and in the shows that are being done in order to create more positive representation for women

with room for improvement within the industry. Based on the four case studies, I believe this

hypothesis to be true. All four organizations’ missions relate to providing further representation

and resources to helping women, trans, and gender-expansive theatre professionals. These

organizations in particular are setting an example of how other theatre organizations must strive

to create opportunities for women, trans, and gender-expansive artists. In other words, these

organizations have created opportunities for women, trans, and gender-expansive artists such as

producing or workshopping plays written by women, trans, and gender-expansive artists;

providing additional resources to the artists such as funding or space to present their work;

theatre education; and providing new ways like the Parity Database or through networking for

these artists to find new jobs. Some organizations that do not explicitly state in their mission

statements goals relating to improving representation for women, trans, and gender-expansive

artists may still be working to improve representation in similar or different ways such as

improving diversity in their casting or hiring practices among the organization’s staff. Even with

this in mind, gender parity is still a topical issue that must be addressed by all organizations

involved in the theatre industry to truly reflect upon the work that has or has not been done by

each organization regarding gender parity. Organizations then can learn how to improve from

what has been discovered from this reflection.

 47

There were some overarching themes between the four groups. It is important to note the

similarities of the organizations’ work in order to better understand the importance of why each

of these topics and ideas is essential to gaining a better understanding of the trajectory of

providing further representation within the theatre industry.

Women are creating opportunities for women. Each of these organizations have been created by

women, promising to help improve gender parity within the theatre industry. Organizations like

these are incredibly important as they help to create more opportunity for marginalized

communities in theatre. This ties into the previously mentioned article by Chevrier in which

women from Canada working as artistic directors spoke about being advocates for other women

(Chevrier, et. al 2016). As shown here, women advocating for other women in the industry has

been happening for a number of years and continues to be an important factor for improving

gender parity. It is also important to note that trans and gender-expansive artists are included in

gender parity. They are a major force of change within the industry. There is room for

improvement for including them in the industry as well as it improves representation and makes

the entertainment industry more inclusive so that all gender groups are represented.

Organizations like the case study organizations are creating further opportunities for women to

work within the industry even outside of their own organizations. For example, Parity

Productions’ Parity Database helps women, trans, and gender-expansive theatre professionals get

jobs within the theatre industry thanks to their online database resource. Overall, one can infer

from these four case studies that there is a connection between women being in leadership

positions at an organization and the representation of women in the organization’s productions

 48

whether that is through providing opportunities for actors, playwrights or other designers to

showcase their work onstage in the organization’s productions. Once again, the connection

would be that women are creating opportunities for women.

Based on the previously discussed definition of body positivity, there has been some

improvement. Once again, body positivity can be defined as “the movement to accept our bodies,

regardless of their size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Body positivity is often

implicitly understood as the movement to celebrate diversity in bodily aesthetics to expand our

narrow beauty norms” (Leboeuf 2019). While the organizations did not have specific programs

dedicated to providing opportunity for body positivity in the definition of the size and shape of a

body, there were initiatives taken to improve body positivity especially in the cases of gender

and skin tone. For example, there has been an increase of BIPOC representation which certainly

falls into the category of body positivity by this definition’s standards. Including artists of all

races and ethnicities is key which we have seen some improvement of both onstage and behind

the scenes. For example, 3Girls Theatre Company’s program Investigates specifically provides

space for BIPOC creatives to have a voice. However, more improvements can be made by

continuing to increase BIPOC representation within the industry. There is also room for

improvement with body positivity in terms of increasing opportunities for other marginalized

groups such as employing disabled artists and staff members and casting actors of all body types.

It is important to remember to discuss inclusivity for marginalized groups to give them access to

theatre as shown by the programs from the four case study organizations. By helping the

community gain access to theatre, theatre organizations are opening up theatre to more people
 49

whether it be by providing a place for artists of marginalized groups to do work or even to allow

members of the community who might not otherwise have access to theatre and the arts to be

involved. This may be by creating education programs which will help shape the future of the

theatre industry. It can also be done by making theatre more accessible like 3Girls Theatre

Company has done by instituting a policy that no one will ever be turned away from seeing

theatre due to lack of money for a ticket or like New Perspectives Theatre Company has done

with Theatre from the Streets which features online theatre content. 3Girls Theatre Company

also works to take a step away from Eurocentric theatre dominated by white supremacy with

programs like Investigates and Innovators which provides increased opportunity for BIPOC

artists and presenting non-traditional theatre which opens up more opportunity for members of

marginalized groups.

Educational programs also increase access for young theatre artists looking to work for the

theatre industry in the future. By providing increased resources to help them have space to create

theatre and make connections within the industry, they are providing room for change and

growth within the industry. This is shown in programs like CreateHer at SheNYC Arts. If theatre

is more accessible to students now, they may have more opportunity in the future.

Education can be for everyone, not just students. By educating and advocating for communities

that do not have a voice, education is a part of all of the case study organizations’ work.

Specifically, educating about injustices in other countries such as New Perspectives’ program

Theatre from the Streets can help people become more aware of what is happening in the world

so they can hopefully become advocates and allies to people who need help.
 50

Organizations such as the case study organizations that provide opportunities for women, trans,

and non-binary artists often help by providing resources to the people involved to help further

their careers. As shown through the example of the four case study organizations, this can be

through networking opportunities, providing resources to workshop and or produce their work,

or even just providing visibility which can help open new opportunities to the artists. Overall,

while all four organizations provided examples of positive growth and change in terms of gender

parity in theatre, there will always be room for improvement within the theatre industry as a

whole.
 51

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there has been some improvement for gender parity, but there is still much more

work to be done. Women, trans, and gender-expansive theatre professionals have often had to

open doors for one another to create new opportunities within the industry. Other members of the

community must also work to open more doors for improving gender parity whether it be by

producing more works by women, trans, and gender-expansive writers; hiring more women,

trans, and gender-expansive artists and administrators; and creating more accurate depictions of

women, trans, and gender-expansive people within works. This is a battle that they should not

have to fight alone. One can only hope that they might gain further aid to improve representation

within the industry now – a time when now more than ever it is important for the world to hear

their voices when voices are so often silenced.

I previously posed the question: “how are theatre organizations approaching representation for

women in theatre?” Quite simply, some organizations within the industry are directly dealing

with helping representation for women. Organizations such as the ones discussed in the case

studies work directly to improve representation, but from other organizations that do not have a

focus directly aiding women, trans, and gender-expansive artists, there seems to be much work to

be done in making this a priority in the theatre industry as a whole. However, based on

previously mentioned productions such as Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Legally Blonde and

the Olney Theatre Center’s Beauty and the Beast, some theatres are proving there is hope for real

change based on their inclusivity in productions such as these.

 52

I also asked, “how can providing representation for women in theatre lead to political change?”

Political change and social justice can also affect the organizations. For example, as previously

mentioned in the Parity Productions case study, the Black Lives Matter Movement has helped to

highlight how important it is for theatre organizations to step back and take a look at their

organizational practices. Many organizations have experienced this and have begun to reflect and

make changes to better their diversity, equity, and inclusion. We see in the statement made by

We See You White American Theater that BIPOC people working within the theatre industry

call for change within the industry as they “address the scope and pervasiveness of anti-

Blackness and racism in the American theater” (We See You White American Theater 2020).

More specifically, a group of “300+... BIPOC theatremakers... added their signatures to [We See

You White American Theater’s] testimonial letter, demanding a more equitable and safe space

for BIPOC communities in our nation and inside of the American Theater” (We See You White

American Theater 2020). It is vital to develop real change within the industry to include BIPOC

theatre professionals in the conversation. It is also vital to ensure that there is an increase in

opportunities for BIPOC people to experience and be involved within the theatre industry,

especially in ensuring that BIPOC theatre professionals experience better diversity, equity, and

inclusion. To best answer my question, theatre can help draw attention to political or social

justice topics that are important to discuss such as the previously mentioned dialogue about

reproductive rights posted on social media by POTUS Bway after the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

New Perspectives Theatre Company utilizes theatre to highlight political and social justice topics

on a global level, amplifying voices through their Theatre from the Streets program. But it can

also be affected by political or social justice topics such as the Black Lives Matter Movement
 53

that can help organizations and the theatre industry as a whole reflect on their practices and move

forward by creating positive changes to better protect the people within the industry.

Finally, I questioned "is there a connection between women being in leadership positions at an

organization and the representation of women as seen on stage in the organization’s

productions?” There does seem to be a connection between women being in leadership positions

at an organization and the representation of women as seen on stage in the organization’s

productions. The case study organizations are mainly staffed by female identifying, trans, and/or

non-binary theatre professionals with all four theatre professionals interviewed for the case

studies being female identifying. Thus, it does appear to be true from the previously discussed

Chevrier article that women in the theatre industry often create opportunities and advocate for

other women, helping them in opening doors for one another within the industry (Chevrier, et. al

2016). It is also true then that trans and non-binary theatre professionals also help with

improving gender parity within the theatre industry. Women are helping other women have

opportunities in all aspects of theatre, not just providing further opportunities to be seen onstage.

This is important to further grow and expand the amount of women in leadership positions in

theatre to continue to make change in the future for the better.

For further research upon the topic of representation for women in theatre, I would recommend

further research on diversity for body positivity and representation for trans and gender-

expansive artists. It would be especially helpful to get a sense of the industry’s representation as

a whole by surveying on the topic of representation for women, trans, and gender-expansive

artists. Surveys might be most useful if completed by various regional theatres across the United
 54

States of America. If possible to expand even further, surveys might be completed by theatre

organizations throughout the world especially in regions where theatre is thriving and prominent

in culture of the region such as London’s West End Theatre District or Australia’s East End

Theatre District.
 55

APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is the organization’s process like for choosing their season of theater?

2. Are there any details that the organization keeps in mind regarding increased/positive

representation for women while planning their season?

3. What is the organization’s casting process like?

4. Does the organization currently have any women in leadership positions (example:

artistic director)?

5. (Specific production by theater organization) featured exemplary representation for

women. Was creating a production that featured such wonderful positive representation

for women something that was always a part of the plan for the production?

6. What was the creative and rehearsal process of (specific production by theater

organization) like? Was there anything that set it apart from other productions?

7. What was the audience reception to the production like?

8. Does the organization have any current plans to feature any other productions that feature

increased positive representation for women in theater?

 56

LIST OF REFERENCES

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https://www.3girlstheatre.org/.

American Theatre Wing Inc. n.d. “Audra McDonald.” Accessed Oct. 23, 2022.

https://americantheatrewing.org/legends/audra-mcdonald/.

Anderson, Virginia. 2012. “Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical.”

The Theatre Annual 65 (January): 105–8.

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journals_1268827163.

Bay-Cheng, Sarah. 2022. “‘The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical’ as TikTok Grammy-Winning

Sensation: Is the Future of Musical Theatre Online?,” The Conversation, April 28, 2022.

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winning-sensation-is-the-future-of-musical-theatre-online-181776.

Brooklyn Museum. n.d. “Hrosvitha.” Accessed November 25, 2022.

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/hrosvitha.

Brooks, Melody. 2022. Interviewed by Abigail Garza. Zoom. August 31, 2022.

Brunner, Raven. 2022. “London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Tweets Disappointment

Towards ‘Insensitive’ Legally Blonde Review.” Playbill, May 31, 2022.

https://playbill.com/article/londons-regents-park-open-air-theatre-tweets-disappointment-

towards-insensitive-legally-blonde-review.
 57

Chevrier, Micheline, ahdri zhina mandiela, Yvette Nolan, Mieko Ouchi, Beatriz Pizano, and

Sarah Garton Stanley. 2016. “In Conversation with Women Artistic Directors.” Canadian

Theatre Review 165 (January): 60–64. https://doi.org/10.3138/ctr.165.012.

Cox, Cordon. 2015. “Behind the Curtain: The Great White (Male) Way: For Broadway,

Diversity Is Strictly an Onstage Star.” Penske Business Media, LLC 330 (1): 48.

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DeMatteo, Danielle. 2022. Interviewed by Abigail Garza. Zoom. September 2, 2022.

Dunn-Ruiz, Elizabeth. 2018. “The Life, Legends, and Legacy of Sarah Bernhardt.” Roundabout

Theatre Company, September 4, 2018. https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/about/our-

blog/the-life-legends-and-legacy-of-sarah-bernhardt/.

Eisenberg, Bonnie and Mary Ruthsdotter. 1998. “History of the Women’s Rights Movement.”

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movement/#:~:text=Women%20were%20not%20allowed%20to,or%20beat%20them%2

0with%20impunity.

Evans, Greg. 2022. “Theater Industry Falls ‘Far Short’ On Diversity & Inclusion Promises, New

Equity Report Says.” Deadline, October 3, 2022. https://deadline.com/2022/03/actors-

equity-theater-diversity-inclusion-report-1234975201/.

Franklin, Marc J. 2021. “Take an Exclusive First Look at Beauty and the Beast at the Olney

Theatre Center.” Playbill, November 8, 2021. https://playbill.com/article/take-an-

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