Diversity’s Not Only Onstage
Last week’s blog discussed diversity, and the main focus was on what is visible to the audience. The actors, the directing, the sets and the costumes.
But I don’t rap, or act, or sew. Or design. How can I participate in the effort to increase diversity?
So now in this blog post, let’s take a look at some of the jobs in theater that most people don’t even know exist.
But first, I want to hit you with the Truth.
Theater is an Insular Community
Theater is very insular. Friends work with friends, because friends hire friends. It’s only human.
BUT if we are committed to diversity, we need to reach outside our regular circles to hire people who are not YET friends.
Even more, we must make an effort to mentor a diverse workforce.
The world of theater is divided into two pieces: one half is the show itself, the artistic creators (the artists and crew who create the show), and the other half is the production team (the people who make the production possible). It is as important to increase diversity in these jobs as in the ones that show from stage.
Some of the jobs I’m talking about, with a brief description of what they do, are:
- Box Office Manager: Someone needs to make sure that tickets are sold and the right ticket goes to the right person.
- House Manager: Someone needs to make sure that the person and the ticket are sitting in the matching seat.
- The Company Manager: Somebody needs to supervise the front of house staff, and deal with the theater owners.
- Publicity: Who better to create interest in a diverse show than a diverse publicist
- Producer: Somebody needs to be the boss. At this time, there is only one company of black producers that are lead producers on Broadway. There needs to be more.
Rhymes Over Beats is committed to diversity in all aspects of theater. Please join us.