cherry valley forever
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Janaina Medeiros
noise dept.
Product Placement
★
Andulka
Peter Solarz
pixel skylines
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Xuebing Du
d e v o n
KIROKAZE
Cosimo Galluzzi
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
ojovivo
Mike Driver
#extradirty
art blog(derogatory)
No title available
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@resetyourprops
Off in the wings, stage managers coordinate cast and crew, calling hundreds of cues during Broadway performances. They may not win Tony Awards, but without them, not even the curtain would go up.
Love your stage manager because the show doesn’t run itself!
The stuff of nightmares
That moment when you leave the theatre and can't remember if you hit the start button on the dryer for show laundry.
Do I have to read it all to make it official? #smlife #goingpro
Another tech day, another running list to decipher
He felt as if a polite but insistent stage-manager were attempting to make him give a new interpretation of a part he had conned for years
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald Aka the art of giving show notes?
This a a great look behind the scenes of many Broadway Shows!
Lovely sneak peek but too bad they couldn't include tech week! Guess we gotta maintain some mystery:)
If I’ve been at all responsible for people finding more characters in themselves than they originally thought they had then I’m pleased because that’s something I feel very strongly about, that one isn’t totally what one has been conditioned to think one is, that there are many facets to the personality which a lot of us have trouble finding and some of us do find too quickly.
David Bowie, Cracked Actor (via resetyourprops)
Rest happy in the stars, Ziggy x
To Whom It May Concern,
Hi! I’m Taylor, a genderqueer theatremaker based in New York City. I’m writing in regards to your recent complete casting announcement for Southern Comfort, the new musical you’re producing which will open in March 2016. As you know, the musical is inspired by a documentary of the same name, which follows a transgender couple in rural Georgia as they battle disease, stigma, and poverty.
A few months ago, you put out a casting call for Southern Comfort, specifically seeking transgender actors. When I saw this casting call, I was thrilled! It gave me such joy to see that The Public was not only investing in a story about the experiences of trans folk, but was doing the legwork to make sure this story was cast accurately, with transgender performers. Even when I discovered that you were only seeking trans performers for two roles in the piece, I felt confident that The Public was casting the piece so that both trans stories AND trans actors would be at its center.
However, the complete casting announcement that you released this past Thursday, December 17, proves that I was mistaken. Yes, you did cast two transgender performers in those two roles. I am thrilled that you did this, and want to publicly congratulate Donnie Cianciotto and Aneesh Sheth. I’m so excited to see the beautiful work they are sure to do in this piece.
But the protagonists of the story, the trans couple that form the emotional crux of Southern Comfort, have both been cast with cisgender, i.e. not transgender, actors. So has every other performance role in the piece, from the band to the acting ensemble. The writers and director are also cisgender. In fact, based on this announcement, the only two transgender people involved with this production, a musical that is entirely focused on trans experiences, are the two performers I mentioned earlier.
This announcement caused me to ask several questions which I’d like to put to you now.
Why did The Public choose to cast and staff a musical that overwhelmingly focused on trans narratives with an almost entirely cisgender cast and creative team? I have a hard time imagining it was due to a lack of appropriate or skilled trans talent for any of the roles or positions in the piece - there are now entire agencies dedicated to trans performance talent. And any trans theatre artist in this city - and indeed, many cisgender ones - can give you a list of talented, professional, transgender peformers, choreographers, directors, and musicians.
Did The Public seek out any trans theatre artists for advice of this kind? If not, why not? Certainly The Public knows of the city’s vibrant trans and queer performance art community, and knew that members of that community would be interested in the development of this piece. Why not consult them, then? Why not include trans folk in the process for a piece about trans experiences?
Is this production meant to serve NYC’s trans communities? How can it, when those in charge of it only felt the need to cast two roles in it with trans actors? The past couple of years have been incredibly difficult for American trans communities on many levels. On a cultural level, more and more trans narratives are being highlighted in plays, movies, and television shows every year, but only a small fraction of the roles in those narratives are being given to trans performers. A quick Google search or, again, a conversation with almost any trans person or artist will give you an idea of how deeply insulting and disheartening this practice is. Every day, trans people the world over are told that their identities are not real, are invalid, are just a show. But our identities are not negotiable, and our collective ability to tell stories based in trans experiences and history shouldn’t be either. Why would The Public further fuel this damaging notion that trans people aren’t competent enough to tell their own community’s stories?
Is The Public doing anything to support the potential trans audience base for Southern Comfort? Is it providing discounted or cheaper tickets to local trans organizations? Is it making sure that trans patrons will feel safe and well taken care of in the theatre space? Then again, how many trans people will want to devote time and energy to yet another story where trans narratives are put on display, but actual trans people are pushed to the side?
Perhaps contracts or arrangements were already in place that would make it impossible for The Public to produce Southern Comfort without casting such a large number of cis performers. Why, then, did The Public choose to produce it in the first place? If The Public’s aim was to create a theatrical experience that celebrated trans folks, why not commission a new piece about trans experiences and then cast and staff it with local trans artists? We already know that the Public is capable of conducting a nationwide search for trans actors. If it’s capable of doing such big and important casting work, why artificially limit it to two roles? Why not create a piece in which every cast and team member can be trans? Then again, was The Public’s aim to create a trans musical for the benefit of trans people? Or was it to create a trans musical for the benefit of everyone but trans people? Is The Public really trying to do right by trans folk, or is it just jumping on the trans story bandwagon, producing Southern Comfort in an effort to stay relevant, and not in an effort to empower or centralize trans experiences?
If you’re going to produce a story at the expense of the community whose history its meant to focus on, why produce it at all?
Lastly, I question why The Public didn’t follow the leads of other artistic production teams who have already, successfully, cast all the trans roles available to them with trans performers. The casting process for Taylor Mac’s HIR, which is now in its third extension at Playwrights Horzions, recently created some wonderful protocols for finding and casting trans performers, all within the last year. That casting process was almost certainly more difficult than most, but it clearly wasn’t impossible. Why would The Public not follow Playwrights’ lead? Was it not willing to take on that added difficulty in casting? Why was it easy enough to seek out and cast two trans actors, but not five or six? Who made that call? Who drew that line between “enough effort put into equitable casting” and “too much effort put into equitable casting”, a line that, as far as I can tell, is inherently arbitrary and unjust? Why cut corners when it comes to representative storytelling in Southern Comfort?
These are not rhetorical questions. In fact, I would love for this letter to serve as the starting point for a conversation between The Public and the NYC trans artist community, and the trans community at large, one in which The Public can answer all of these questions and more. I’d love to hear how The Public plans on collaborating and interacting with these trans communities. And nothing would make me happier than to hear how The Public plans on being an ally to these communities, both inside and outside of the theatre.
I love The Public. It’s been crucial to my growth as an artist and person for many years now, and I can’t wait for the next Under the Radar Festival to kick off.
But when someone asks me if The Public is an ally to trans people, I want to be able to answer with a resounding ‘Yes!’
And right now, I can only answer that question with a cautious “Yes. Occasionally. Only if it’s easy enough.”
What are you going to do about that?
Sincerely,
Taylor Edelhart
Theatremaker
I LOVE the Public, but Taylor makes some great points and raises some important issues. What do you all think?
Maybe, just maybe, because people were appointed to their various roles cause they were the most suitable for the position.
Equality means you get an equal chance. Exclusivity means a particular group get it all.
Every single person in theatre is in a minority; whether it’s based on the colour of their skin, their sexual preference, their gender or the group of kids they sat with at lunch cause nobody else would talk to them.
Let’s celebrate diversity and recognise equality instead of demanding exclusivity in disguise. I love your background, but i also love your ability to do a job.
/rant
I’m going to ignore the “everyone in theater is a minority” statement because….I can’t even get over it. It’s just wrong.
The Public did Straight White Men, which specifies queer/nonbinary stagehands. They hired them. Are they on this? I hope so.
Personally, if I was producing a show like this with a team of cis people (which, best I can tell, is the case here), I would want more trans voices in the room. I’m sure they’ve done plenty of research on the show but they have not lived this. And there are many actors/designers/crew who have. So where are they on this production?
It’s not just creating the equal opportunity, it is actively looking out for the people who have had less opportunity.
It’s holding the door open; I’m in here, come on in with me!
To the Public’s credit, the people who work there I’ve seen sharing this are very interested in speaking about it. So we’ll see where his goes as the production moves forward. I’m hopeful.
Yes, the issue is essentially one of equity (which is a means towards true equality). That means taking further and active steps to include marginalised groups. It’s not preferential treatment or exclusivity (I mean really?) when you take into consideration the status quo in society which does not treat all groups equally or give them equal opportunity. Of course, we’ve all been conditioned to accept the status quo as a default…..so any steps to even the playing field seem like extraordinary measures when really, they are necessary.
When topics like this come up about casting choices and people respond with “Well they went with the best person, we shouldn’t cast someone trans/of colour/minority for its own sake” their unconscious bias is revealed in the assumption that “the best person” couldn’t possibly be someone trans/of colour/minority. There lies the true insidiousness of our skewed views of what passes for “equality.”
Here it is, folks. You are the first people I’m sharing this with (before Facebook!) cause I’m really nervous about sending this baby out there! But also excited. Please participate, and share with your circles. If you have any feedback I’d love to hear it. Much thanks and love. Can’t wait to see what happens.
Hello, it’s me....
I was wondering if after all these years you guys still read this. Just wanted to say hello from the other side cause I graduated theatre school in May! What a whirlwind three years that was. So far life in the real adult world is treating me pretty well. Some things I’ve been up to:
1) Moved back to Toronto and apprentice stage managed Shakespeare in the Park aka THE best summer gig
2) Sound designed a Fringe show
3) Production and stage managed a show for SummerWorks
4) Spent 5 weeks in Ottawa on a musical
5) Back in Toronto now in between contracts so decided to travel in the new year. Gonna hit up Vietnam before returning home to Hong Kong after two years of being away!
6) Received my first theatre grant for a special project! This is what I am most excited about, and the good news is that it’ll be open to everyone to be a part of, regardless of where you are. I am close to officially launching it so watch this space!
I hope all of you are doing well as the year winds down. I’ve been absent but I do lurk all the time and I’m hoping to get back on the Tumblr train with regular updates. If you have any questions or want to say hi just drop me a line!
As always, love your stage manager...because the show doesn’t run itself.
Paperwork is your best friend during tech week.
Happy International Stage Managers Day! Celebrate and drink more coffee.
Rehearsal ready
I'm going into theatre arts at university. I would like to specialize in directing and stage managing. Do you think they'll cover tech theatre in theatre arts?? I can't tell you how much I enjoy SM-ing for shows. It's a joy and and an art (it's also stressful at times).
It really depends on the school and program. I can't tell if you've already picked your school or are still deciding, but either way I would talk to someone who runs the program. Some theatre arts degrees are more academic and theoretical, and others more hands-on. I remember applying for a Stage Management masters and finding out at the interview that tech/stagecraft classes aren't part of the curriculum. The school I go to now is a "Production" program and super practical and hands-on, covering everything including design, stage management, and even some directing. It depends on what you're looking for, and finding a school that can offer that to you. And if tech isn't in the courses, there may still be opportunities to get that experience on shows or extracurricular activities. Good luck!
My SM life has changed after learning how to import contacts from Excel to Gmail.
I believe in miracles. If enough people are interested I could put together a little how-to guide. I've been thinking of sharing paperwork tips here and there, mostly related to Excel. Let me know!
Theatre kids play baseball. Team Rosco vs. Lee
