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An Open Letter From the Past, Present, and Future Resident Companies of Victory Gardens

To the Victory Gardens Board of Directors:

We, the past, present and future resident companies at Victory Gardens, are writing to express our frustration at the lack of clarity, transparency, and generosity given to Victory Gardens’ Staff and Resident artists. We stand in solidarity with Ken-Matt Martin, the Resident Artists , and staff members of Victory Gardens’ Theatre. We are equally troubled by this board’s lack of leadership, and even more troubled by its pattern of blatant and ongoing disrespect towards Roxanna and Ken-Matt, and the repeated dismissal of the Playwright’s Ensemble and staff.

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Divestment and Dissent – Artists Speak Out on Steppenwolf Theatre

Steppenwolf has had internal complaints about equity from their staff of color for years, which began to accelerate after The Great Leap when Deanna Myers’ complaints of harassment on the job went viral on social media. In the past year they have struggled to retain their staff of color for a variety of reasons, many having to do with inhospitable job environments, under-resourced shows, and pay inequity. Recently, two artists affiliated with the theatre have spoken to their journeys of navigating and negotiating with this institution. This article includes all three statements from these artists including the essay published by Isaac Gomez just today.

It is only fair to present these separate and yet deeply related arguments alongside each other, in order to ask ourselves what our path of engagement or divestment may look like. It is not a short read, but diligence is required of those seeking justice. Lowell Thomas served as Video Content Producer and resigned from the company earlier this month. Here, Thomas states his reasoning in his own words, posted on Instagram April 15th:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has committed itself to inequity. Time has revealed that the leadership of Anna Shapiro, Brooke Flanagan, and Leelai  Demoz betrays the very people who have helped it maintain its renowned status. It smugly ignores the urgency of the We See You White American Theatre Demands and offers only tepid reflection as a response. It buries claims of harassment, racism, and sexism to avoid accountability and real change. There is no redemption for this kind of leadership. It will continue to exploit its artists and staff under the guise of “grit” while clutching its pearls whenever presented with the harm it has inflicted on others.  Continue reading “Divestment and Dissent – Artists Speak Out on Steppenwolf Theatre”

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Student Activists Call In Drama Programs Nationwide

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University art and theatre programs at predominantly white institutions often claim to be safe havens of artistic acceptance. Clouded by claims of ‘diversity’ and acceptance, many BFA arts programs and conservatories see themselves as exempt from racist practices and behavior. In reality, white supremacy is just as integral to the fabric of these programs as productions of Hamlet. Student artists are resisting their institutions and using their unique gifts to pave the way towards a more just arts education. Black students, Indigenous students, and students of color who have been harmed by this racist “BFA culture” are collaborating, taking action, and demanding change.

 

In addition to the pervasive whiteness and financial oppression often present within the superstructure of any predominantly white university, many experiences of racism and anti-Blackness are specific to drama school, ranging from unforgiving work schedules to classrooms that both inflict and exploit the students’ emotional trauma. As a white graduate of Boston University’s School of Theatre (BU), I witnessed and was complicit in this racist culture. To date, BU’s School of Theatre only has one full-time faculty member of color, and shows are often cast by tokenizing students of color, or casting white students in roles written for people of color. BU has a guaranteed casting policy which requires most students to perform in whatever show they are cast in each quarter, denying students their artistic agency.

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