fbpx Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | HowlRound Theatre Commons
Creating Inclusivity in the American Theatre
Video

Creating Inclusivity in the American Theatre

Friday 12 September 2014
Ashland, OR, United States

Oregon Shakespeare Festival's CultureFest presented Creating Inclusivity in the American Theatre: A Conversation with Carmen Morgan, Sarah Bellamy (Penumbra Theatre), David Henry Hwang (playwright, M.Butterfly) and Bill Rauch livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 12 September at 10 a.m. PDT/ 12 p.m. CDT/ 1 p.m. EDT/ 17:00 GMT.

Photo from The Gospel of Lovingkindness.
Interview with Marcus Gardley
Essay

Interview with Marcus Gardley

24 August 2014

Rebecca Stevens interviews playwright-poet Marcus Gardley on his impacts on the national performing arts community. 

event banner ad
#SeattleAFAR Forum: Artistic Freedom & Artistic Responsibility
Video

#SeattleAFAR Forum: Artistic Freedom & Artistic Responsibility

Monday 18 August 2014
Seattle, WA, United States

Seattle Repertory Theatre and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, with support from the Seattle Office for Civil Rights and 4Culture, presented their public forum, Artistic Freedom & Artistic Responsibility livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 18 August at 6:30 p.m. PDT/ 8:30 p.m. CDT/ 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Photo from Faust.
Dialogue, Diversity, and Quality—A Report From the Sibiu International Theatre Festival
Essay

Dialogue, Diversity, and Quality—A Report From the Sibiu International Theatre Festival

1 July 2014

Mark Jackson reports on the "format and the values" he witnessed in Romania at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, which is the third largest theater festival in the world.

A Colored Conundrum
Essay

A Colored Conundrum

30 June 2014

Director Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez discusses his thoughts about the identity affinity groups at the 2014 TCG Conference, questioning how safe is a segregated space?

Queer Narratives in Theater for Young Audiences
Essay

Queer Narratives in Theater for Young Audiences

A Call to Action

25 June 2014

Playwright Gabriel Jason Dean and Director Lindsay Amer discuss "risky plays", queer characters and narratives, and young audiences.

A person waving out of a window.
Community Building with the Chicago Home Theater Festival
Essay

Community Building with the Chicago Home Theater Festival

24 June 2014

Dani Snyder-Young writes about the 2014 Chicago Home Theater Festival, which places participatory performances inside private homes.

The Kilroys Were Here
Essay

The Kilroys Were Here

Moving Female Playwrights into Production

22 June 2014

P. Carl interviews Joy Meads, Carla Ching, Annah Feinberg, and Kelly Miller on how THE LIST was produced and responses since its release.

24th TCG National Conference
Video

24th TCG National Conference

Thurday 19 June - Saturday 21 June 2014
San Diego, CA, United States

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) presented 24th TCG National Conference: Crossing Borders, in San Diego, California livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thurday 19 June - Saturday 21 June.

Facing Facts on Tracking Parity and Diversity
Essay

Facing Facts on Tracking Parity and Diversity

16 June 2014

My hope is that for an issue as important as this one, we’ll all extend our collaborative impulses beyond the rehearsal room. (We’re not always so good at that.) Instead of working at cross purposes and duplicating each other’s efforts, let’s pool our resources and face facts together. We’ll be stronger for having worked side-by-side, don’t you think?

Is Diversity A Codeword for Exclusion?
Essay

Is Diversity A Codeword for Exclusion?

11 June 2014

Jonathan Mandell offers his opinions on dviersity in theatre. 

Performance Colectiva at CAL
Essay

Performance Colectiva at CAL

Breaking The Berkeley Bubble, One Performance At A Time

9 June 2014

Theater for students of color is needed in the University: to speak about these issues and at the same time to break the “Berkeley Bubble” by showing that issues students study about in their classes—including, race, class and gender—have a real impact on campus life.

The Importance of Story
Essay

The Importance of Story

31 May 2014

Before college, I found myself in the stories of Shanley and Shepard—but now I was only getting cast in parts such as Mexican pregnant girl, homeless person, or getting included in all non-white casts. I am half Mexican and a quarter Lebanese, but that never mattered before. Growing up, white stories were reflected all around me so much that I thought I was white.

Friday Phone Call # 62
Podcast

Friday Phone Call # 62

janera solomon of Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh

30 May 2014

Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week: janera solomon, the Executive Director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh.

In Praise of Being a Blind Reader
Essay

In Praise of Being a Blind Reader

21 May 2014

Karla Jennings provides insight into the benefits of blind submissions in playwriting.

portrait of laura shamas
Women Playwrights
Essay

Women Playwrights

Who is Keeping Count?

21 May 2014

Is there really no institution in 2014 that will sponsor an ongoing annual study of American women playwrights working in theater seasons around the country (and directors, producers, designers, for that matter)? What if there were a way to fund some sort of new national study, to formalize a precise methodology of what shows/seasons to count and when, and get an accurate assessment of what the gender equity percentages for women playwrights in the United States really are in 2014? If we can’t find an institution or university that will fund this (which seems a shame), is there a DIY way to organize an all-inclusive study that includes every region of the country? Can we pool our resources and do this?

American Morrow
Essay

American Morrow

Jonathan Moscone and Lily Janiak in Conversation

18 May 2014

Lily Janiak and Artistic Director of Cal Shakes Jon Moscone talk about the impact of Janiak’s criticism of the play American Night at California Shakespeare Theater and the controversy it stirred.

Friday Phone Call #60
Podcast

Friday Phone Call #60

Gender Identity in Theater—Jess Barbagallo and P. Carl

16 May 2014

Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week's guests: Jess Barbagallo and P. Carl.

Laying the Foundations of Asian American Theater in Philadelphia
Essay

Laying the Foundations of Asian American Theater in Philadelphia

12 May 2014

The term “collaborative” for me conjures up the idea of a loose group of artists with a shared Asian American identity and purpose, working together to produce a wide range of projects, from workshops, readings and short performances to full productions. If this process is successful, I believe it would be possible that within a three to five year period, there could be a significant Asian American presence in the Philadelphia theater community and a real demand for their work.

Friday Phone Call # 60
Podcast

Friday Phone Call # 60

Eric Ting, Associate Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre

9 May 2014

Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week: Eric Ting, Associate Artistic Director at the Long Wharf in New Haven, CT.

No Latinos Allowed
Essay

No Latinos Allowed

Dallas Mayor Re-imagines Art for Only 58 Percent of the City

8 May 2014

When I read the list of speakers on the mayor’s panel, it was made of six women, including five artists and one critic. In terms of racial diversity, only one was African-American and another was from Iran. The rest were white speakers. Where was the Latina? Dallas is an astounding 42 percent Latino and the mayor is going to “Re-Imagine Art in Dallas” without including anyone to speak on our behalf?

A Man at Diva Fest
Essay

A Man at Diva Fest

Stuart Bousel Adapts Kristin Hersh’s Rat Girl

8 May 2014

Lily Janiak discusses the world premiere of Stuart Eugene Bousel's adaptation of Rat Girl, a memior by Kristin Hersh, lead singer of Throwing Muses.

Where Are The Women?
Essay

Where Are The Women?

6 May 2014

The New York Times posed this question on April 29 when the Tony nominations were announced. It’s a problem that’s getting long in the tooth: for years we’ve known that over 60 percent of the ticket buyers and “butts in seats” are women, and yet less than 20 percent of the stories staged are written, directed or designed by them. Hmm.

two actors onstage
What Happened When Critics Failed to Review My Latino Play?
Essay

What Happened When Critics Failed to Review My Latino Play?

30 April 2014

And although I’m proud of the production and of the nearly-all Latina/o creative team that gave Mariela en el Desierto an authentic voice, an issue arose as the last weekend of performances approached: No critics from the periodicals in the Atlanta area had attended or reviewed the show.

What Are Your Prejudices About Theater?
Essay

What Are Your Prejudices About Theater?

18 April 2014

We cannot be preoccupied before or during a show with differences of race, class, sexuality, etc., and assume because of these differences the lives of those we see before us are foreign territory. When we do that, we rob ourselves of what might be a beautiful and transformative experience if only we give it a chance. Instead we should keep an open mind and find the human connecting points. When we do that, we’ll find that deep down, we are more alike than we are different.