The Visibility Report
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2018 2019 The Visibility Report Racial Representation on NYC Stages Deadline Our Mission Deadline The mission of the Asian American on diversity with artistic institutions and the Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) Broadway community including partnering with allies on national initiatives. While our is to expand the perception of Asian American work remains specific to New York City, we performers in order to increase their access endeavor to have a meaningful impact on to and representation on New York City’s representation for Asian Americans in the stages. AAPAC publishes the only publicly greater American theatre. available annual statistics report on racial representation in the NYC area of its kind and has been a leader in discussions and forums www.aapacnyc.org AAPAC is an Obie Award-winning, volunteer- driven organization with limited resources. If you find these statistics useful, we ask that you make a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. Go to www.fracturedatlas.org and search for AAPAC or go to our direct page: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/aapac We thank you in advance for your donation and support! Deadline This report was made possible through the generous support of the American Theatre Wing. 70 Table of Non-Profit Directors 72 Contents 22 54 Non-Profit Designers Who Gets to Shape the Stories? Broadway Musicals 74 26 56 Non-Profit Theatre Comparison, Who Gets to Design the Stories? Broadway Plays 2018–2019 Season 8 76 Letter from AAPAC 28 58 Are Gatekeepers Biased? Broadway Writers Most + Least Diverse Theatres, 2018–2019 Season 32 60 Which Sector is More Likely to Hire Broadway Directors 78 BIPOC Artists? Individual Non-Profit Theatres + Questions + Answers: Grades What the Numbers 62 36 Broadway Designers Are Telling Us What is the Economic Impact of 114 Racism? Non-Profit Productions by Theatre, 64 2018–2019 Season Broadway Plays & Musicals, 48 2018–2019 Season 10 DeadlineAppendix Introduction IRS Form 990, Expenses and 121 Revenue from Grants and Endnotes 12 Contributions Who is Visible? Who is Invisible? Non-Profits 122 Photo Credits 14 Inclusive Casting: Do They Really See Broadway 67 123 Us? Non-Profit Actors Methodology 18 53 68 126 Whose Stories are Being Told? Broadway Actors Non-Profit Writers Acknowledgments 2018–2019 weight to the theatres of color who have Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and been uplifting underrepresented voices from the commercial sector on Broadway. Letter from AAPAC for decades. With the added challenges of We have been fighting for a seat at the table, recovering from an industry-wide shutdown but now realize this is minority-thinking: we during a pandemic that disproportionately must be part of building a new table. There affected communities of color, these theatres is no reason these institutions should be are particularly vulnerable right now. Theatres predominantly White. They belong to all of us of color need to thrive and grow so that they in equal measure. Just as funding agencies June 2021 can support BIPOC theatre artists with living need to stop thinking of theatres of color as wages for generations to come, and continue “charity cases,” theatre companies need to to add value to our art form and expand our stop thinking of BIPOC actors as “diversity audiences, both on and Off-Broadway. hires” or BIPOC written productions as the rare “diversity slot.” We are the global majority. BIPOC artists don’t just legitimize White Even as the industry has made small gains institutions, they give them cultural relevance in diversity in recent years, particularly at and vibrancy. At the same time, theatres of the non-profits, our work at AAPAC has color should be afforded the opportunity shown that Asian-focused narratives remain to grow and become large institutions in consistently minimized and overlooked. In the their own right. It’s time to reframe the 2018-19 season, the last full season before the conversation. pandemic, Asian American actors were cast in just 6.3% of all available roles; Asian American As the gears of the great theatre machine private arts funding favors Predominantly playwrights, composers, librettists and lyricists We stand united with our Black, Indigenous begin to rumble back to life, and the theatre White Institutions far above theatres of color, made up just 4.4% of all writers produced; and Brown brothers and sisters to say loudly, industry plans its much anticipated reopening, keeping those theatres living hand-to-mouth. and Asian American directors helmed only “We will not go back.” If AAPAC can be a it remains to be seen whether or not the 100% of artistic directors at NYC’s largest non- 4.5% of all productions. After the horrific resource for your organization, please reach multitude of anti-racist solidarity statements profit theatre companies are White, while 46% shootings in Atlanta, we released a statement out. We want nothing more than to emerge and pledges to diversity will result in real of artistic directors at theatres of color don’t making a direct correlation between the from this pandemic with gratitude and joy, action and systemic change. Have our voices even pay themselves a salary. The current hypersexualization and dehumanization of to embrace our beloved art form, and to truly been heard? What has or hasn’t been system devalues BIPOC theatre-makers. Asian women, and the invisibility of Asian welcome audiences again. Let’s all work understood from the Stop Asian Hate, Black voices and the propagation of hideous Asian to create the conditions whereby that can Lives Matter and We See You White American stereotypes that continue to represent us happen for all of us. This report outlines where In order for the theatre industry to be more Theatre movements? We haven’t had the as the “perpetual foreigner.” We asked the the work needs to begin. equitable, a fundamental paradigm shift is opportunity to process these seismic shifts following of all NYC theatre companies: How necessary. As we outline in our report, the together in the same room, and the “real” does your theatre erase Asian stories? How Deadlinenon-profits have begun to make this shift by work, the hard work, has yet to begin. does your theatre contribute to problematic focusing on more BIPOC-centered stories narratives that add to a culture of violence In solidarity, than in years past. On Broadway, the gains against the Asian community? How will you Our expanded leadership stats confirm that in employment of actors of color in chorus Pun Bandhu and Julienne Hanzelka Kim, commit to the Asian American community, almost every gatekeeper, employer, and and featured roles has not fundamentally Co-Authors not as a reflex in a state of emergency, but decision-maker in the NYC theatre industry shifted the centering of White narratives. in a way that is foundational to the work of is White. These are the industry leaders we White actors played 80% of all lead roles in dismantling White supremacy? Asian hate on behalf of the AAPAC Steering Committee: are relying on to de-center Whiteness, to musicals and 89.7% of all lead roles in plays. crimes are up a shocking 833% since 2019 hire and promote more BIPOC artists and BIPOC writers plummeted in the 2018-19 Pun Bandhu, Cindy Cheung, Vichet Chum, in NYC alone—how will you make your AAPI administrators, to decolonize the workplace, season, even amidst calls for change. Part Angel Desai, Christine Toy Johnson, Peter Kim, employees feel safe? and to institute anti-racist practices? Our of this industry-wide shift also has to come Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Kenneth Lee, Eileen expanded Economic Impact section exposes from funding agencies. We ask governmental Rivera, Lipica Shah and Nandita Shenoy. the racism at the very root of the theatre agencies and foundations to commit to For a decade, our reports have focused on the funding system, proving that public and a reallocation of funding that gives more exclusion of BIPOC voices from mainstream 8 9 Introduction The story of the 2018-19 theatre season is Dismantling White supremacy is not possible and White leading characters. There is a White Institutions (PWIs) at the expense one of an industry under pressure to diversify without solidarity and the industry needs to rising tension within the industry between of theatre companies of color. There has without a clear idea of how best to do it be aware of the areas where it is woefully just being represented and being truly been little research analyzing racial equity without fundamentally upsetting existing coming up short: In the non-profits, there was “seen.” Being seen means telling our stories. in public and private funding of the NYC power structures. We tackle the power only one Latinx writer produced this entire In order to track whether BIPOC actors arts economy. The theatre industry needs structures head on in this year’s report by season. There was only one Indigenous writer are truly at the center, we have expanded to be looking closely at funding disparity, expanding our tracking of artistic directors produced—the first one in 13 years—and our Broadway analysis to include Lead vs. as it lies at the root of cultural inequity and to include other gatekeepers such as board yet the entire cast was White. The theatre Featured roles (see pages 54-57). Relatedly, keeps theatres of color from growing and members at the non-profits and producers company that was ranked the Most Diverse being seen must extend to being recognized flourishing. For over a decade, we have and general managers on Broadway. also ranked one of the lowest when it came for all the complexities and dynamism that been holding PWIs accountable, fighting for to casting Asian American actors (The Public exists within global majority communities.