Tayari's Blog: Women Playwrights Demand Change

Posted by TayariJones on October 26, 2008 07:42 AM
Filed under Current Events


Playwrights Bill of Rights
Originally uploaded by playwright_bo
Did you know that of the new plays produced in this year's theater season 42 are written by white men and only 13 by everybody else put together? I didn't either, but this staggering statistic has lead women playwrights to organize and demand a meeting with the artistic directors of the major NY theaters.

The article in the NYT is both interesting and disturbing. (Although the article focuses on women, I think the points raised are relevant for everybody that comes under the heading "everybody else.") When confronted with their dismal records, the artistic directors interviewed in the article range from sheepish to indifferent to downright hostile. Andre Bishop attributes the gender imbalance at his theaters to the fact that he is a "pathetic mortal." (Would you like a side of snark with that sarcasm, sir?)

When I was looking for the link to post here, I searched the NYT database for the term "women playwrights." It seems that every ten years there is an article about the fact the plays by women are not being produced.

I have a great respect for all of the women who are involved, including Sarah Schulman who has written for this blog. To demand change is risky. Who would want to alienate the most powerful theaters in New York? As one of the women interviewed said "I have to keep my mouth shut; don’t be part of the problem, don’t be a whiner." Well, one person's whiner is another person's change-maker.

The town hall meeting is tomorrow night. I would advise people to try and attend, but the room only holds 90, and there are almost 150 people RSVPed. If you want to show support, you can write a letter to the NYT commenting on the article or you can make a point to go see a play written by someone who can be categorized as "everybody else." These voices deserve to be heard.
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