Do We Discriminate Against Female Playwrights?
The NY Times reports on a fascinating study of gender bias in American non-profit theatre. As expected, research conducted by economics students at Princeton University confirmed that female playwrights are less likely to have their work produced than their male counterparts. But among the surprising findings was that the differential can be entirely attributed to the behavior of female artistic directors and literary managers:
Ms. Sands sent identical scripts to artistic directors and literary managers around the country. The only difference was that half named a man as the writer (for example, Michael Walker), while half named a woman (i.e., Mary Walker). It turned out that Mary’s scripts received significantly worse ratings in terms of quality, economic prospects and audience response than Michael’s. The biggest surprise? “These results are driven exclusively by the responses of female artistic directors and literary managers,” Ms. Sands said. … “Men rate men and women playwrights exactly the same.”
The study also compared the ratio of plays written to plays produced and the lengths of Broadway runs for female vs. male playwrights. In general, the findings seem to demonstrate that a problem exists, but that it’s a lot more complex than it might superficially appear to be.
So I’m curious… Since many of the readers of this blog work in non-profit theatre, is this consistent with your personal experience? Have you encountered gender bias? Have you been guilty of it?
Tags: theatre
While we work with female designers and directors (almost exclusively), to our shame our company has yet to produce a female playwright — although we know for a fact they exist, as there are active writers we’re big fans of.
There’s gender bias in all the arts. There’s gender bias in business too. I’ve been up against it my entire career. I don’t work in theatre, but I am an artist and run a consulting firm. It’s amazing that there is still this crap going on in the 21st century.
Don’t know about gender discrimination, but I seem to have experienced “resident city” discrimination. After I won a $25,000 prize in the 2001 Onassis International Playwriting Competition, I sent the play to four of the leading theatre companies in my home town. I offered to donate the prize towards a production to one theater. None of the theaters ever replied. The theatre critic did not put the prize announcement in the local paper, although the Onassis Institute sent him a notice, and two local people sent him a notice. It seemed that any honors won by a local playwright were neither newsworthy nor was the play performance-worthy.
2sterr
I am saddened to hear that it’s women who aren’t responding to the work of fellow women - that is disturbing. I haven’t experienced this, as far as I am aware; my first play was chosen for production by a male Artistic Director, but produced by a woman (who was equally devoted to the project and a huge fan of the play).
I will say this: I am close friends with a very promising (male) playwright, with whom I think I have a lot in common. We are at the same stage of development as playwrights, we have similar sensibilities, we’re the same age, race, etc. And if such an equation were provable, I would say we are equally ‘talented’ writers.
Yet, I do think he has had a little more “interest” than I’ve had; meetings with prominent producers and directors; he’s been to more workshops, nominated for a few awards… Still, truth be told, he’s out there pounding the pavement, networking, and writing constantly; while I’m raising a kid, working full time, and writing on the side, and… I send out scripts, once every six months? Seriously… my friend gets more attention because he has more TIME to GET the attention…
Which brings me to my gut reaction: Maybe women discriminate against other women, not because they don’t think that the WORK is good, but because the perception is that the woman playwright HERSELF is not as open or available for serious work (a production, a writing contract, etc) than a man might be.
Maybe the women doing these production deals are, themselves, juggling kids, husbands, plus high-powered artistic careers… and they know better than anyone how over-extended we gals can become. Maybe the perception is: it’s just plain easier to do business with a single guy?!
Still - this is a PERCEPTION, and any writer out there who has time to send query letters has time for a production, TRUST ME - so it’s NOT an excuse! Women in these positions should KNOW better - and start to look at themselves and wonder about their decision-making process, when it comes to picking plays, and playwrights.
I am the artistic director for a small off-broadway company and I have never produced a script by a new female playwright. This saddens me deeply being a woman and having our misson be to “louden women’s voices.” I have brought several scripts to our readings for review because I thought that they had something in them and the group(s) have never responded as favorably as they did to the other scripts that happen to be written by men. I know, people are going to jump down my throat on this, but….my experience have told me that an extremely talented female playwright is rare. Now, I know that’s not true. I know it! So, why do have so many crappy scripts from female playwrights in my file cabinet? I have just as many from men too. More facts being that I recieve more submissions from male playwrights, more workable scripts from men and they have been more accepting of suggestions to their scripts from our readings then then women. Why is this? I would give anything for a wonderful script to develope from a female playwright! I know that their out there…so where are they?