Where are the women? They’re AWOL and Online!
- December 5th, 2010
- Posted in Commentary
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This time last year – a conversation started about the lack of women included in Australia’s mainstage seasons. Triggered by a shocking image at the launch of Company B’s 2010 season – a line up of men in black with one woman in a white shirt… the question was asked “Where are the Women?”
Blog posts, a Philip Parson’s lecture (presented as a panel) and some national and international press later – the conversation got bigger and louder and more complex resulting in an Action planning day for Women directors which was held in May 2010 at Belvoir. Members of the Australia Council’s Major Performing Arts Organisations came to hear the recommendations of women from all aspects of the industry – mediated by Anne Dunne. In August this year, the recommendations were finalised and submitted to the Australia Council. (I have included an excerpt compiled by Susanna Dowling below)
But what was missing in this discussion was the role of women playwrights in this discussion. Many playwrights voiced the dissatisfaction that surely this discussion of “women in key creative positions in theatre included playwrights?” In October a thought provoking observation was made on the 7-On blog
http://sevenon.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-couldnt-help-noticing.html
Which surprisingly yielded no comments. Women directors seemed a hot topic – but what about the playwrights?
In response to this – Suzie Miller set up a private online group Called Australian Women Online described as: “A private invitation only group of Australia women playwrights to discuss, share, speak out and support each other regarding the issues that pertain to them in theatre both within Australia and around the globe.”
I am lucky enough to have been invited to be a part of this group and have been watching as the ideas and the rapid fire discussion fills my inbox. Even self-professed ludites are joining and discussing as this online “Playworks” evolves. So far articulate and passionate discussion on advocacy and the subject of quotas have been raised – women all over the world are joining. It appears also the lack of women playwrights included in theatre is not an issue specific to Australia. There is a symposium being held in New York – which AWOL will be able to hear about through one of its members.
Recently, I had a look at Doollee at Playwrights – and in the top 10 playwrights searched on the site (ie clicked on), two of the ten are women (Caryl Churchill and Jane Martin). Interesting to note that if you google “world’s best playwrights” – searches also returns lists on blogs and journal articles that don’t mention women writers… and interestingly this article from 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=an.EDXm2gS_0
has also triggered a strong reaction.
On a personal note – this year for Brand Spanking New 2010 I broke my personal quota of 50/50 male to female playwright representation (which kicks in when I am looking to represent a broad cross section of work) I have to admit in some self consciousness when I realised I had programmed 70% women. I was worried – how would this be perceived- would it be seen as a political statement? I found it strange that I should feel so sensitive to the idea of equity. The same happens when I am reading scripts for Off the Shelf – and this last off the Shelf had a 50/50 representation of writers. The truth of the matter is – I programmed the pieces I liked and approached the playwrights I was interested in… and this year they happened to be women. I programme people based on their tone, voice and “the mix” of the project – but I can’t change the fact I am a woman and my sensibility and that is bound to inform my choices when programming a season… but no differently, no more than other parts of my background.
In the online discussions what has been most interesting is how and who has been sharing their opinions – on playwrights writing anonymously, how people feel about quotas being set for companies, and who is willing to speak publicly on the record about these issues. It seems there is still a huge amount of sensitivity about speaking out about cultural issues. Like that with the discussion on directors – there was a sense that anyone voicing an opinion (or an observation) would be condemned and would then shut down all possible opportunities working in the companies they criticize.
I think it is a sign of a robust and dynamic industry when artists can discuss work without fear. It is essential that companies listen to the conversations – cultural, artistic conversations that are happening and that they not only listen but engage and respond. I think it is also important to lead a conversation with personal openness which always puts the work first. What I truly admire and value about the playwrights I have had the great fortune to work with is their capacity to see every side of a story, and to bring to the table an intelligence and compassion which is authentic, rigorous and clear. A dynamic industry is a diverse, changing industry – sometime volatile and sometimes slippery – but always moving towards the ideal in the pursuit of art.
(An excerpt from)Women Theatre Directors: Action Planning Forum Summary Document
Company B Belvoir, May 10-11 2010
*Recommendations for the Australia Council*
5. Adopt a policy of promoting the fair and equitable inclusion of women in the core creative processes of main stage theatre companies
a. Develop a framework (with guiding principles) for companies to progress equal opportunity for women directors
b. Require EO action plans for companies and accountability for progress as part of the grants acquittal process
c. Provide advice and assistance to companies to achieve their targets
d. Address non-performance issues with companies
Response
These recommendations are supported by the Australia Council and MPA companies. In addition, the Australia Council will raise the topic with their State colleagues for consideration as part of their funding processes
6. Take a leadership role in the support and development of women theatre directors
a. Commission a significant paper to address the gap between the last research produced on the issue of women in creative leadership, and the present.
b. Provide more information to companies about the current legislative framework for EO
c. Provide programs for skill development for women directors including workshops in pitching and promotion, confidence building, lobbying, contract negotiation and opportunities for producing work with mentoring support
d. Promote pathways between the different parts of the sector for talented women
Response
6a&b: These recommendations are supported by the companies and the Australia Council. The Australia Council will investigate opportunities for this paper and research to be undertaken by an independent person from e.g. a university or as a Currency House Platform Paper. Companies are committed to making available their statistics to the researcher as part of this process.
6c: Companies and the Australia Council will consider further the most appropriate way to respond to this recommendation.
6d: Companies will seek opportunities to bring together a diverse range of creative artists from across the sector, through informal social occasions, promoting easier access to company shows and invitations to events
NB: Based on the size and structure of the various companies the response to this recommendation will vary. Overall, however, the companies support the creation of meaningful funding programs of support which have the potential to create long-term developmental relationships between companies and artists. The companies believe this would be beneficial to the industry and if funding were made available for programs focused on women directors they would actively participate in them.
7. Consider the structure of the sector and its impact on the development of diverse creative leadership in theatre
a. Establish the result of the loss of ‘middle ground’ companies and opportunities (such as major regional theatre companies) and the long term effect on theatre directors identifying separately Indigenous women, culturally and linguistically diverse women and women with disabilities
Response
Companies share the concerns of the women directors about this topic. They will support moves to increase the number of paid directing opportunities in the theatre sector generally. Opportunities for women directors can be addressed and monitored through the framework/guiding principles to be devised by the Australia Council.
This is excellent Gus, and good on Suzie for getting action happening here. I had noticed that in a lot of the 2011 seasons there seem to be more female directors, but not as much has changed in terms of female playwrights. An increase in female directorial vision is fantastic, but why are female stories still struggling to find a mainstage home?
I wrote up something for Currency recently, in regards to ‘Lost plays’, and thought I’d post a little relevant part of it below.
[BTW – As you know, I’ve just been through an intense and valuable development process with the QTC (through QPDA) and really everything I say below holds. In the process model as set down, I struggled most with my porous, open, bendy nature, my urge towards collaborative peace and pleasantness, my ‘sometimes’ lack of confidence, and how my play moved beyond more traditional structures of form and process. During the process, it actually helped me a great deal to recall this Playworks research and remember that what I was experiencing was not uncommon. I learnt huge things about myself and my process because of this amazing, fast-tracked development experience with my second play.]
Extract from my ‘Lost plays’ Currency rant:
“I’ve always felt that female histories are important, but I only really valued this in a personal way when I was doing some recent research and re-looked at a Playworks resource Playing with Time (which should be available in the National Library’s archives, along with all of the Playworks plays and resources that were archived there in 2007). This book looks at research from 1985-1995 examining women playwrights; collecting stats and harnessing statements about their common experience.
Aspects of my approach and practice that I had taken for granted leapt out of the pages of that book (and a few others) and suddenly I could see the impact of my female paradigm and what that meant to my own work. Some broad aspects and commonalities that resonated with me were around stated preferences for collaboration, writing from place or landscape, experimenting with form and cross-arts practice, struggles with pay parity and art/life obligations, difficulties projecting perceptible confidence (leading to visibility issues) and a passion for working with marginal voices and in community.
Seeing oneself through this collective mirror is so important in terms of understanding my strengths, anticipating my external and internal barriers and naming and celebrating my uniquely female point of view.
In a time when there were more working structures for support for women in the arts (through mandates and programs through the Australia Council, Playworks and other organisations) reading research from the time is, well, downright depressing. Not because of the negativity of the work, but rather because so many people at the time seemed so optimistic about the support and change to come. If we’re to get very honest and rigorous about it though, nothing much has changed and, in fact, many support structures have been dissolved but the disparity hasn’t. I think this 1995 quote, a fifteen year old quote, says it all:
‘The Playworks survey does show that all companies think seriously about the issues of developing new Australian work, and work by women writers. There is awareness about their responsibilities to encourage the building up of an Australian repertoire. The companies responding to our survey present a number of ideas to develop a performing arts culture and in which woman played a significant part…’
So that’s fifteen years of thinking and awareness, and probably a fair bit more before it, but where’s the action, where are the outcomes, where’s the change?”
(http://www.currency.com.au/LostPlays.aspx)
Great that the representation of women playwrights on Australian stages is being discussed, and great that Suzie Miller has been proactive enough to keep this discussion going. However, I’d love to hear the rationale behind this being an ‘invitation only’ forum. There’s lots of women playwrights who’d love to be part of the discussion, and being kept out of the forum sort of adds insult to injury to those of us struggling to get our plays staged. As I say, if there’s a rationale for an ‘invite only’ forum on this issue I’d love to hear it – but in my opinion the more people talking about this – and the bigger the network we’re creating – the better.
Hi there – AWOL is Australian Women Playwrights On Line – and it is invitation only FOR AUSTRALIAN WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS – so if you are a woman playwright and want to join the discussion we would welcome you with open arms – email me on suzie.miller3@gmail.com for an invitation!! The invitation only element is so that we can keep it to women playwrights!!! so we can discuss candidly.
Oh and well done you Gus yet again!!!
I might also add that because AWOL is on google groups it has to be an invitation only gig, but you can request an invite yourself by going to the group AWOLnow – as some members have done! It is truly inspiring to be reminded of the intelligent, thoughtful and articulate women that are in the Aus theatre community! I am here in London (with Van Badham) and others are in NY – so it is a time zone challenged discussion, but gathering much momentum.
Hi Gus, I’ve been offline for a bit but this blog entry was mentioned a few times in the AWOL forum, so thought I’d have a read. Playworks gave me something like 3 or 4 development grants for my work from 99 til about 02, I got to work with some really great senior female oz playwrights and I learnt so much. I was so devastated when it was shut down, it felt like the only real support network out there for emerging and est. female playwrights. It was a certainly a place to feel understood. The AWOL online forum and the discussions currently happening are getting my heart a little aflutter – can things really change? Maybe? There is a little more hope in my heart for Oz theatre right now and my playwrighting career. I’m excited. And proud of the ones with profiles who are kicking and shouting x