Company B 2010 – the season that has sent shock waves across the industry
- September 23rd, 2009
- Posted in Commentary
- Write comment
![p_belvoirsttheatre[1]](../../../wp-content/uploads/2009/09/p_belvoirsttheatre1.jpg "p_belvoirsttheatre[1]")
Since 10pm on Monday I night I have received text messages, facebook messages, emails- I’ve read the installments from 7-On: (http://sevenon.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-is-going-on-here.html) and Joanna Erskine (http://www.joannaerskine.com/cluster/), and talked and listened to the frustrations and the disappointment of many of those in the industry. This is a post about the reactions, my thoughts, my feelings and my perspective about the theatre industry as it is right here and now. And what it means to be a practitioner working in that industry. A practitioner who happens to be a woman.
Firstly the issue that has surprised and even shocked and infuriated some is that in the 2010 Belvoir Season that was launched on Monday night, there was a clear lack of female key creatives at the helm of the shows. Belvoir st will be celebrating their 25th year- no mean feat! And within the next 6 weeks there will be the naming of the new artistic director…. its a big turning point.
Belvoir has always had a special place in the hearts of many- practitioners regard it with pride having worked their- they talk of community and family and equality. (Perhaps this has to do with the egalitarian pay structure?) They regard it as the place whcih was started by a syndicate of like minded practitioners who all fronted cash- put money where their hearts were – to start a theatre. This mythology has captured the imaginations of already a highly imaginative group of people. And rightly so.
Belvoir has hosted a range of Australia’s top practitioners- launched the career of many a celebrity… names Australia and the Australian creative industries are proud of- Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchette, Wayne Blair, Lee Lewis, – You know the ones I am talking about.
Belvoir has also championed new Indigenous writing and indigenous practitioners- giving space and time to the oldest living culture of storytellers the world has known. Though sometimes seen to be treated as a token pattern of programming- this is still an essential part of theatre practice in this country- it is essential for Indigenous stories to be told by artists who are Indigenous… as this exchange is artistically and culturally vital as a step towards any sort of healing and understanding.
However- there is another side of this- if you look at Belvoir as a place of equality- lets look a little further. Lets look at the Contact Us section of the website…
http://www.belvoir.com.au/800_contact_us.php
The top and most influencial names of the company- the taste makers- the folks chosing and priviledging the practitioners, the plays, the stories that are told- are all men.
The women of the company are in positions of education. Of promotion. Of support.
It seems the age old saying is true- behind every great men are great women. And Belvoir certainly has impressive women working there- Brenna Hobson- a remarkably intelligent and skilled producer and manager whom I first met in 2000 and have ever since held in very high regard for her clarity and strength and her calm and sensible ability to overcome all challenges.
Tahli Corin- one of the most supportive and passionate and brave and change making individuals in the independant sector- she is largely an unsung hero for the opportunities she has provided and projects she has spearheaded.
But the question begs- are women fairly and equally treated in our industry in general? I am not going to discuss the wider world politics of women- that is for another time. Is the Belvoir season indicative of Australian/local theatre talent?
As someone who sees between 1-4 productions a week, I would say, no. And then the question is- does this matter that Belvoir’s Season has not equally represented women, or new australians, or first Australians, or transgender identifying?
My thoughts are-
The gender issue only matters if there is not equal opportunities available for female artists as there are for male artists.
The gender issue only matters if there are not avenues for people to be selected, based on talent and merit.
The gender balance only matters when there isn’t one.
My programming practice-
I program on talent. I program based on potential, not genitals. I program for Brand Spanking New and Off The Shelf, based on the heart of the work- that speaks to me. That reflects stories that confront , puzzle and reassure me- who I am living as a person right now in society. I can not avoid nor deny I am a woman. I am not sure how, but I am sure somehow all the things that make up who I am affects how I see the world- those things ranging from my small country town background, my university education, my partner, my experiences of travel, all theatrical experiences I have experiences (as audience and practitioner) up until this point. I can not escape who I am, how I feel and what I want from theatre. I program accordingly. And the results of gender split if scrutinized are as follows:
Brand Spanking New 2009 has 7 writers out of 15/ and 9 directors out of 14 who are women.
Brand Spanking New 2008 had 9 writers out of 14 /and 9 directors out of 14 who are women.
Off the Shelf # 2 has 10 creatives involved half of which are women.
Off the Shelf #1 had 10 creatives involved, four of which are women.
And the truth is- Belvoir is the same- they are a collection of people programming from their perspective- now if that means that female key creatives don’t figure in that- that is their choice. And I can’t and won’t expect them to be anything but true to what they believe in. I don’t want women programmed due to their genitals but their talent- their story. And if Belvoir is not a place for key female creatives in 2010- well thats fine… because women will continue to create and develop work and be in this industry forever- like it or not.
The main issue for me is, has and always will be- are there opportunities offered to people from all backgrounds, regardless of sexual preference, race, gender? Is there enough of a mix- is what we are seeing on Australian stages a diverse and spectacular array of works- or is it the same old story by the same people? Are we chalenging each other and ourselves and our audiences by opening up the industry?
If not why not and how are we going to fix it?
So we’ve had a wake up call from Belvoir- through the absence of female creatives in their mainstage season they have shown us what we DO want to see. So great now we know what we want- let’s make it happen. Can and should one theatre answer all the problems and questions? No. But 100 theatres might.
Hi Gus,
I’ve outlined some of my thoughts on this topic on Jo’s site, but do want to pick up one thing you wrote:
> “The women of the company are in positions of education. Of promotion. Of support.”
I really think this is selling the people in these roles short and giving a false impression about the mix of females to males in these roles.
Brenna Hobson isn’t just a “producer and manager”. She’s the person running the company! And before Brenna it was Vicki Middleton, before that Sue Donnelly, before that Rachel Healy and before that Louise O’Halloran.
And while the position, by convention, is known as General Manager, in the Company B constitution it’s called Managing Director with the Managing Director and Artistic Director reporting jointly and equally to the board. (This was formalised via a constitutional amendment in 2003 but, I’m sure, informally true for years before that.)
Females have dominated, or at the very least been proportionately represented in, just about all management roles at Company B. I can’t think of a marketing manager there in the last ten years who hasn’t been female, ditto for box office manager. I’d say at least half of the finance managers have been female, probably half the resident stage managers (when the company’s had one) and more than half of the development/sponsorship managers. Brenna herself was production manager for years (and I doubt she’s been the only woman in that role). So it’s certainly been more than just education, promotion and support which has connotations of women being relegated to the “traditional” female roles of teaching, nurturing and secretariat.
And while Neil has been main stage AD at Company B since 1994 (and a driving force since well before then), B-Sharp has (IIRC) been managed solely by females since its inception. First Lyn Walls (with Sam Hawker as her offsider for many years), currently Annette Madden (with Tahli Corin). And I think there’s an argument that could be made that development bodies like B-Sharp (or Griffin, or whatever STC’s Wharf 2 programme is called this year) are actually more critical to the continued cultivation and survival of the art than the main stage arms.
Personally though, I don’t care if the person in an artistic role or an administrative role is male or female, black or white, gay or straight, east or west, top or bottom, raised in the city or raised in the country, graduated from NIDA or the school of hard knocks. Mostly I care about is how much they like musical theatre. Because that’s what matters to me.
Thanks for your post Jean- Always wonderful to hear more voices.
Just to clarify a few things- my description of Brenná was not referring to the role she is in currently but the different skills and positions she has held for the last 10 years- yes she certainly is he one running the company- and rightfully so- she is, as I have said before , remarkable.
I must also clarify that also I highlight the women in this company as examples of great women in current theatre- so we don’t forget that they are there and doing an amazing job.
You have also listed some of my favourite all time people I have had the honour to work with… including Sam Hawker- who I may say is much more than Lyn’s previous offsider!
In addtion to this my point is really about the creative or artistic programming vision of that theatre- which is held largely by men. The education, the development and b-sharp positions are held by women. I am certainly not wanting to give any false impressions that these are in any way diminuitive roles. But they are different roles- equally important but different to the roles that are artistic associates, literary manager and the hot topic right now- the position of AD.
I am not meaning to say in anyway that I think Belvoir should and could run any differently- I think it does perfectly well! Women, men whatever… its doing well. What I am saying is, if you want there to be more women in theatre (or more musical theatre) or whatever you want- make it happen.
> What I am saying is, if you want there to be more women in theatre (or more musical theatre) or whatever you want- make it happen.
I agree entirely. My suggestion, as noted at Cluster, is to take the argument to the board who will be choosing the next AD. I suspect Company B’s selection process (led by Louise Herron) is already well underway, but Malthouse’s will just be getting started.
The other approach is to just do the stuff you’re interested in, with the people who you want to work with, yourself. And you, of course, are a living and breathing example of that approach. As is Jo and just about everyone else who makes it in this business.
And I knew that referring to Sam as Lyn’s “offsider” would backfire on me! She is indeed so much more than that.
augusta – I may agree with your sentiment but can you really company Brand Spanking New and Off the Shelf in the same realm as Company B?
Even in theory?
Hi, thanks for your comment- I must clarify that my blog is not about “look at how I get it right”because I don’t believe that for an instance as I am still developing (and I am a freelance artist and programmer and still scrutinizing my own methodology and thoughts.) I use the example of my own programming choices to show how I program for myself and my own tastes from my own perspective… just as I believe company B program for theirs.
As far as being in the same realm- not sure what you mean- my work is in the same field- the same industry-Yes. At the same level? No… i agree with you there- I’d be an idiot not to! I was 4 years old 25 years ago- and I do not have the staff, funding, support, stakeholders or the same audience- so that further proves I’m not comparing myself to Company B, but scruitinising my own practice by what I see the programming issues are.
But again- the spirit in which i am writing this is really trying to say- “if you are dissatisfied with something- how things are programmed- DO something about it- make it yourself.”
It is one thing to criticize and another to acknowledge a point of difference. I am acknowledging a point of difference.
FYI, Nicholas Pickard is picking up the issue as well:
http://artsjournalist.blogspot.com/2009/09/where-are-women.html
Cherry Ripe’s comment is interesting… and the key to it all is; how do we keep the women profiled in from Brand Spanking New to continue on the path to reach Company B.
The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Whatever else any of us thought about the line-up on stage last Monday night, and I have read a lot of responses now onlne – let me say two things.
1. I agree with you all. I don’t see anyone fundamentally disagreeing with anyone else – just looking at the issue from many different angles.
2. Let me add this: whatever else can be said about the line up, what happened that night was a Public Relations Disaster. That so many in the audience felt something was terribly wrong tells you that something WAS wrong. That no one working at/for Belvoir – man, woman or child – saw the disaster hurtling towards the company to my mind is ‘Exhibit One’ in the case FOR the proposition that there is a problem.
In the very least, Neil should have acknowledged this was the year Company B was “supporting nice boys with dark hair who all looked much the same”. In my view he only highlighted the vast line up of blokes on stage by paying tribute to the long line of women managers. Not that it would have helped because the damage was already done – but better to have not gone there at all.
The fact that Neil, as usual, could not be bothered to prepare a meaningful speech (and have it checked by a range of staffers) pushed the much loved ‘family environment’ away from a cosy affair on this occasion and into inexcusable amateurism. He fell into a trap he set for himself – and that no one at Belvoir saw the abyss opening up in front of him means ALL who work there must now share in the responsibility for the resultant debacle. It has been months in the making. They ALL need to get together now and talk about what happened openly.
Let’s look to the positive. This is an industry-wide issue/problem. That Belvoir has been able to pro-actively encourage Aboriginal artists suggests that model cannot be dismissed as unproductive.
And ladies, to sit back and expect men to solve this problem for you means you do not have what it takes (collectively) to rightfully stake your claim.
I am glad to report that there was at least one gay guy one stage and at least one left-hander!
Just to put this in a historical prospective, there have been many women who have been doing it for themselves for a long time, a big movement started on these very issues back in the late 70’s early 80’s and we were hoping that the artistic changes we were fighting for would create a better world for the next generation where women could automatically be role models in all key creative positions in theatre. Some of us have with great joy mentored the next generation of women. The disappointment is that our interpretations of the world in writing and directing particularly are not of sufficient interest to those who make the decisions who are males. What stories do they want to tell in theatre and how they want to tell them is dominant in our culture as in so many other areas of our lives. There are many wonderful talented women out there who are totally under utilised and under resourced and therefore not being able to achieve all their potential at full capacity in the best possible circumstances. There has to be continuing pressure put on the decision makers to force them to change their practice and of course the making of new work on your own terms and in your own way will go on. The gender issue is important and has to be raised until it really changes. In the arts it is apparent and in every aspect of life here and elsewhere, I’m proud to use the word feminist and will continue to push for change in as many ways as possible, changes will occur, the debate now may be similar that of the past but it also reflects the way we speak and are now.