Are You in the Cast? - #14

DEAR ROW:

It was open house at the theater today. A celebration to commemorate their many years in existence. Everyone, meaning those not even interested in art, or students looking for a free meal, were welcome. The board members were allowed a certain time to come in before the ‘public.’ They were provided an interesting musical performance and first dibs at the booze and food. At 4:00pm, I came downstairs from the office to help set up. At 5:00pm, the board members started trickling in. By 5:30pm, all of the board members attending were present. And at 5:31pm, I noticed that all of the board members were older PONC men and women.

Was I surprised? Absolutely not. But when I surveyed the room for a brown face, it also became very clear to me that all of the theater administrators were also PONC, with the exception of two staff members, out of about thirty staffers.

Am I surprised about this fact as well? Again, absolutely not. I’m dispirited. When I look at the theater’s Education Department, I’m puzzled that not one brown face exists. Philadelphia is 44% black. One of the brownest cities in America. The schools the theater has teaching residencies in are WELL over half brown… I offer this, not to take away from the talent and care the director and teaching artists bring to that department and to those students. Having worked with them, I know they are completely invested in the students. I mention this simply because seeing a person that looks like you in any field you have not had exposure to challenges and raises your expectations. It makes what the students thought was unachievable, or only for a particular subset of the population, achievable.

ANYway. I’m fully aware of the vanilla industry I’m entering. And also fully aware that a little chocolate can go a long way. But it can’t just be me. Those running this industry have to open their minds to color as well. And not just color on stage. That’s the easy part.

One of the board members at the open house asked me if I was one of the actors in the show, which has an all black cast. I was wearing my nametag, which stated my name and position. The nametag was white and my clothes were dark. The nametag could have easily been the first thing you saw when you looked at me. But she assumed that because I was one of the few brown faces in the building, I was among the cast.

It’s this consciousness that brown faces are not in theater administrative positions that has seeped too far deep into their minds. And can you fully blame them, when they don’t see us in board meetings, etc? Do we as minority theater companies enlist PONC on our boards? We have to.

Write me back,

Chanel, still pondering

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DEAR CHANEL:

I totally agree about “when you see people like you out there, you believe that you, too, can achieve what they are”.  This is a fact.  This is tied in with barriers to equality and the power of subtle racism- while it might not impact someone directly on the surface, over time always being the token or the only one in the room representing views on issues pertaining to race/culture/heritage which may not be the dominant view in the group – that can break someone down.

I think for me, at some point, I stopped seeing color.  Raised as a kid from a very militant and self loathing Asian man who experienced racism first hand when looking for jobs in the 1970’s well below his education level (he’s an architect who would get denied for factory work) when he first immigrated, I was raised on stories of distrusting ‘the man’, looking out for yourself and not letting anyone walk over you- no matter what.

What I discovered when I began to work was that as an Asian American female who was smart and hardworking I was actually sought after because of the diverse qualities I offered.  Accompanied with a strong skillset and work ethic, it was hard to turn me down.  This shaped my perspective when dealing with PONCs in the workforce and hiring space.  I wasn’t angry like my dad was, I used my edge advantageously and maybe even slightly manipulated a PONC or two in my favor (if that’s possible).

Now, I hyperactively engage with race, color, and diversity because I don’t want to lose connection with what my dad experienced.  And maybe because of this my POV may be a bit more polarizing than who I really am.  I try to write strong Asian characters who act against stereotypes.

I think you’ve got to fly under the radar and take into account everything you’re seeing while you’re ‘inside’ at the internship gig and network and build connections on any level you can (maybe even if they may be too vanilla) because until you’re in a position of power to be an exec or administrator in the theater world… you’ll always be seen as a subordinate and not a peer.

It sucks that no one before you has done this (and it’s 2013), but you know… it could be you that breaks barriers for that young gay black girl living in Baltimore that wants to be a playwright or work in Theater.  It may even help that girl to stop seeing color and believe her talents and skills are enough qualification for success and employment in theater.

Anything’s possible,
--Row