More Applause for a New Deal
Last week’s post was about a new initiative by The John Gore Organization and The Black Theatre Coalition to increase the participation in theater by people of color. Finally, focus was put on a side of theater seldom thought about: the business side. These are excellent first steps and we’re all looking forward to the changes that they will to accomplish.
A few days later I read about another exciting development. More than a first step, the agreement reached by Black Theatre United and various Broadway stakeholders is a potential game changer.
The Broadway stakeholders include; The Broadway League (organization of Broadway producers), Actor’s Equity (the actor’s union) and the three major theater owners (the Shubert, Jujamcyn, and Nederlander Organizations.)
Focus on Black Theater Professionals
The agreement stresses that these parties have a commitment to advance issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging, with a focus on black theater professionals.
One change already in the works will include the Shubert and the Nederlander Organizations joining the Jujamcyns in naming one of their theaters after an important black theater individual. Since there is already a playwright (the August Wilson Theater), Rhymes Over Beats suggests one theater be named after a director (Phylicia Rashad), and the other after an actor (Ira Aldridge).
This is only a potential game changer because there are still important pieces missing:
- First, of all the major theatrical unions, only one has announced participation. All of them need to agree.
- Second, it is an agreement only with Broadway producers. Off-Broadway producers and the LORT theaters (League of Regional Theaters), which encompass the rest of American theater, also need to come on board.
Rhymes Over Beats has since its founding endorsed every goal of this agreement and fully supports them.
Join with us to make these goals a reality in our industry.