Diversity in Theatre
Dunkirk NY – Over the weekend bloggers Scott Walters, Isaac Butler and Adam Thurman attended a conference entitled Defining Diversity held at Arena Stage. None of them have given any full write-up yet, although Isaac has posted some quotes from the conference. Since I did not attend, I’ve nothing really to say about the conference itself. But I do have this observation on the subject of diversity: until we create a theatre curriculum that offers to theatre students other options for engaging in and creating theatre that are not centered around the pre-professional pseudo-Broadway model, diversity in the theatre will be a dream never to come true. Sooner or later, someone (Rocco maybe?) will have to realize that theatre educators at all levels are the front line of this art form’s future, and sooner or later some concern and perhaps even some respect must be paid to the work we currently do, and the work we need to do. I would love to see the “guest list” for this conference, because I’m willing to bet that no educators were invited to the conference (Scott, I am thinking, was invited because he blogs, not primarily because he teaches. It’s a good thing he was there; he’ll give us the educator’s slant). If my hunch is correct, it’s further evidence that the theatre world in general thinks it can do what it needs to do without the help of its educators.
This was the best (unattributed) quote I found from Isaac’s post:
We have to take the idea of diversity and turn it into the idea of democracy. Democracy in the arts. The humane social action and process and practice that elevates and promotes the best in individuals. The book has been written on multiculturalism and diversity. We need to change the frame. (ed:bold mine)
Isaac also writes about changing the landscape. I have written before about the disconnect between working theatre artists, theatre institutions and organizations, and theatre education in this country. If you want true democracy in the theatre, if you really want to change the landscape, then it has to start as students begin their education in the theatre. It has to start with the theatre curriculum. It has to start with being able to offer viable and supported options to “making it” in the profession that go beyond the NYC-centric attitude so prevalent in young people (and in theatre in general). We need to start cutting off the students from the theatrical kool-aid, stop Wal-Marting the educational process of training our students, and give them the most important element of diversity possible: the element of viable options. Until they can truly see that there are other viable and exciting options beyond Broadway, you will never have true diversity – or democracy – in American theatre.
Every significant change in American society has happened because people became better educated about a subject or an issue. Why theatre institutions do not take theatre education seriously, and theatre educators are unwilling to reform their curricula, continues to puzzle me. American theatre will neither be a strong cultural institution nor a diverse or democratic one until we get truly serious about supporting theatre and arts education at all levels. -twl
