In This Issue
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MAY 2019 IN THIS ISSUE YEKWON SUNWOO May 4 LILA DOWNS May 21 ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET with JOYCE YANG May 22 April/May 2019 Volume 15, No. 6 APRIL/MAY 2019 Paul Heppner President Mike Hathaway Contents Senior Vice President Feature Kajsa Puckett 3 Equity, Diversity and Vice President, Sales & Marketing Inclusion in Seattle Genay Genereux Theatre Accounting & Office Manager Dialogue Production Susan Peterson 9 Reel Grrls Vice President, Production Intermission Brain Transmission Jennifer Sugden Assistant Production Manager 14 Test yourself with our trivia quiz! Ana Alvira, Stevie VanBronkhorst Production Artists and Graphic Designers Sales Marilyn Kallins, Terri Reed Encore Stages is an Encore Arts San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives Program that features stories about Devin Bannon, Brieanna Hansen, our local arts community alongside Amelia Heppner, Ann Manning information about performances. Seattle Area Account Executives Encore Arts Programs are publications Carol Yip of Encore Media Group. We also publish Sales Coordinator specialty publications, including the Marketing Official Seattle Pride Guide and the Shaun Swick SIFF Guide and Catalog. Learn more Senior Designer & Digital Lead at encoremediagroup.com Ciara Caya Marketing Coordinator Encore Media Group Encore Stages features the 425 North 85th Street following organizations: Seattle, WA 98103 p 800.308.2898 | 206.443.0445 f 206.443.1246 [email protected] www.encoremediagroup.com Encore Arts Programs and Encore Stages are published monthly by Encore Media Group to serve musical and theatrical events in the Puget Sound and San Francisco Bay Areas. All rights reserved. ©2019 Encore Media Group. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited. 2 ENCORE STAGES Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Seattle Theatre Pride and Prejudice directed by Desdemona Chiang. Pittsburgh Public Theater (2018). Photo by Michael Henninger. Danielle Mohlman Over the last few years, equity, diversity writers—the content creators of the and inclusion have become goals of theatre—and released information that continues her theatre companies across the United doesn’t feel all that surprising: of all exploration of equity, States. But what does that look like the major cities surveyed, Seattle has in practice? We spoke with four the most room to grow. Between 2011 diversity and inclusion theatres in Seattle who put these goals and 2017, only 8% of produced plays in in Seattle’s theatre at the center of their practice and Seattle were written by artists of color asked them to share their successes, and only 24% by women. community by speaking aspirations and the areas they feel need with local artists and improvement. The Count certainly has its own room to grow. It’s impossible to count every organizations about single theatre in Seattle, let alone every recent achievements In October 2018, the Dramatists theatre in the country, so they created Guild and The Lilly Awards released a set of guidelines to generate the most and trials they have The Count 2.0, a national census representative survey. To start, the faced. that analyzed data from six seasons theatre must be a non-profit with at of theatre, 2011 to 2017, looking at least a decade of experience profes- the production history of theatres sionally producing plays or musicals. of all sizes. The Count was focused Each theatre surveyed produced at on playwrights, lyricists and book least three plays or musicals each encoremediagroup.com/programs 3 “It means upending the apple cart,” Zeyl said. “Change to power structures must happen from the bottom up and the top down. It means remaining open to having every aspect of your organization challenged and changed. It means empowering youth voice and centering the vision and talents of the future.” Chavira added that wrestling with these inequities isn’t easy. “It means talking about white Sara Porkalob and her grandmother Maria Dedra D Woods in Wild Horses by Allison supremacy,” Chavira said. “There in Dragon Lady. Intiman Theatre (2017). Gregory. Intiman Theatre (2018). Photo by will be tough conversations to have Photo by Robert Wade. Naomi Ishisaka. with your team and facing years of oppression can be challenging.” Chavira pointed out that he’s the first executive director of color in Intiman’s 45-year history—and that equity, diversity and inclusion should extend far beyond the stage to include administration and executives as well. Chavira, who identifies as Latinx, Mexican-American and queer, moved to Seattle two years ago to take over the executive director role. In 2018, Intiman retired their $2.7 million debt and are now operating debt-free. Cast of Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías. Intiman Theatre (2018). Photo by Naomi Ishisaka. “But we’re super lean,” Chavira said. “It’s time to grow our company. Our mission is flourishing and audiences season, with each production running to artists of color; Native American, want more diverse narratives on stage.” longer than 21 performances. And the Indigenous and First Nations artists; theatre had to be routinely reviewed, women; non-binary and gender And as they flourish, Intiman is either nationally or regionally. non-conforming artists; LGBTQIA2+ examining how they can become more artists; Deaf artists; and artists with inclusive. And while The Count didn’t release disabilities—and regional endeavors, data on generative artists who identify like The Women’s Voices Theatre “We are learning constantly,” Zeyl as queer, non-binary or disabled, the Festival in Washington, D.C. But what said. “Guarding the intersection statistics still feel like a challenge to are Seattle theatres doing to meet this of professional theatre-making theatres. A challenge to create theatre challenge? and community storytelling that looks more like our world. takes humbleness, dexterity and a At Intiman Theatre, Artistic Director willingness to throw the rule book out There are national efforts to meet this Jennifer Zeyl and Executive Director the window.” challenge, like The Jubilee, a nationwide Phillip Chavira are using a compact theatre festival featuring works by and impactful mission to guide their artists who have traditionally been way. Simply put, Intiman “wrestles with Pratidhwani’s mission centers on excluded—including but not limited American inequities.” creating performance opportunities 4 ENCORE STAGES SCC-004 SCCA_FY19 Brand-Level Campaign_Encore Arts Ad_FINAL_Press Ready.pdf 1 2/15/19 5:05 PM “I knew in my soul that this was the place.” — Michelle Watson 12 years in remission C M Y CM “When I learned I had breast cancer I was scared. MY CY But when I met my care team at Seattle Cancer Care CMY Alliance, I felt — for the first time — a sense of calm K come over me. I knew this was the place to be. SCCA is not only the very best cancer center in our region, they are also some of the most amazing people I have ever known. Even today, 12 years later, I consider my doctors and nurses to be family.” You. Us. Better together. (206) 606-7222 | SeattleCCA.org Untitled-2 1 2/19/19 4:20 PM “Our entire organization is fluent in ASL,” Liang said. “The majority are Deaf, and represent a range of professionals and community members who believe in supporting the Deaf arts community. There is not enough visibility for Deaf artists and their contributions to the art world, and there aren’t enough professional opportunities for Deaf artists to hone their skills. We want to change that.” In Liang’s experience, most arts organizations don’t plan for Deaf and disabled access. I and You by Lauren Gunderson, a co-production with Theater Schmeater. Photo by Dave Hastings. “As an artist and an arts administrator, I want the ability to go to any event, any time I want, without having to struggle for artists of South Asian descent. about diversity and inclusion when to request interpreters beforehand,” Agastya Kohli, artistic director of the programming their season. Liang said. “My professional and organization’s Drama Wing, explained artistic growth has been stunted by that this often materializes in produc- “We are creating a space where we the lack of options available to me. ing plays with an India-centric view. naturally tell stories that look ‘diverse’ The same is true for many Deaf and But that’s not a hard and fast rule. to the dominant culture of Seattle,” disabled artists.” Kohli said. “To us, these are not stories “We’ve produced plays written of ‘others’—these stories are not Liang understands from experience specifically with Indian characters, as ‘different’. These are our stories. They that making performances accessible well as plays that were not written for ground us in a foreign land. They allow takes time and resources. She Indian actors at all,” Kohli said. “We are us to exist in two different worlds at challenges theatres and other developing, fostering and maintaining the same time.” arts organizations to budget for a thriving pipeline of artists that all interpreting, captioning, audio theatres in Seattle benefit from and can descriptions and other neurodiverse enrich their works with.” Identity is at the center of Deaf and physical accommodations. Spotlight’s work as well. Patty Liang, This season, Pratidhwani partnered the organization’s executive director, Deaf Spotlight started a short play with both Forward Flux Productions identifies as Deaf, feminist, Chinese- festival to see Deaf performances, and Theater Schmeater to co-produce American and someone who believes stories and experiences on stage. A Small History of Amal, Age 7 and I and strongly in giving back to her Kellie Martin, who identifies as You, respectively. community. both queer and Deaf and uses the pronouns “ze” and “zir,” runs the “Pratidhwani is an engine that is “You cannot ignore the intersecting festival each year. enabling equity, diversity and inclusion identities that make you who you not just within our footprint in perfor- are,” Liang said.