Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Director and producer Stephen M. Miranda writes about a forum on diversity he recently attended in Oklahoma, and the need for more decision-makers from diverse backgrounds in theatres around the country. 

Playwright Alvaro Saar Rios writes about the value of casting non-Latina/o actors in Latina/o roles in a university setting.

Martha Steketee writes about ongoing data collection efforts to track gender disparities in theatre, and emphasizes the need for cooperation between people doing the work in different regions. 

Sophia Romma writes about the ideas for working toward gender parity that came out of the April 2015 Equity in Theatre Symposium in Toronto, Ontario.

Executive Director of WomenArts, Martha Richards, calls for women and allies to collaborate on building a $10 million a year network of 100 women working full-time to achieve gender parity in the arts.

Researchers Sumru Erkut and Ineke Ceder discuss their study and offer suggestions for including more women and people of color in leadership positions in US regional theatres.

Shellen Lubin launches a series on gender parity on HowlRound this week. She addresses how this is a critical moment in time for women in theatre to make a huge irreversible leap forward.

Using the production of Ken Urban’s play A Sense of an Ending to launch the conversation, theatre  artists Adrienne Campbell-Holt, Gregg Mozgala, A. Rey Pamatmat,  Mfoniso Udofia, and Ken Urban talk about representation on stage. 

Chicago director Lavina Jadhwani follows up on her previous HowlRound article about color-conscious casting, discussing how to create a safe space while color-conscious directing.

Piper Anderson discusses the dual roles of diversity officers and advocates the need for leadership training.

Actor Gardiner Comfort discusses his experiences as a performer and audience member with Tourette Syndrome, and how it has inspired aspects of his solo show The Elephant in Every Room I Enter.

Emerson College student Andrew Siañez-De La O writes about RareWork’s Theatre Company’s production of Caridad Svich’s Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man’s Blues.

Playwright Catherine Castellani responds to some of the outcry about the Jubilee proposal.

Stephanie Barton-Fracas, artistic director of Nicu’s Spoon, New York’s first and oldest inclusive theatre, talks about inclusivity as a necessary reflection of our current society.

The Committee of the Jubilee makes a call to action to support a vision of every theatre in the United States of America producing work by women, people of color, artists of varied physical and cognitive abilities, and/or LGBTQIA artists in the 2020–2021 season.

Nelson T. Eusebio III addresses the argument that the “best” actor must always be cast in a role, regardless of race.

Director Desdemona Chiang provides an overview of Asian American discrimination and cultural appropriation in the US and argues that there is no way to divorce The Mikado from this problematic history. 

Victor Maog interviews Leah Nanako Winkler on her response to the controversy around NYGASP's The Mikado.

Playwright Rehana Lew Mirza argues that those who defend producing The Mikado using yellowface on the basis of its “historical significance” are supporting centuries of imperialism and oppression.

Michael R. Jackson proposes a way to challenge whiteness as the standard lens through which to see story and song artistically and politically.