Aussie theatre a boys' club
Wed, 9 Dec 2009, 10:00 pmNa6 posts in thread
Aussie theatre a boys' club
Wed, 9 Dec 2009, 10:00 pmI just saw this on the ABC performing arts site:
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2763949.htm
Apparently, Aussie theatre is full of males. And making it impossible for women to work in it.
... I honestly don't know where anyone would get that idea from. Women outrate men in all of the arts, not just theatre. That men have been getting top positions in a few big name companies smacks of someone being annoyed at being passed over if you ask me (or a writer given a dud press release and finding an angle, any angle, to write about it). I would state that it's easier getting an "upper echelon" (quoting the article) job in theatre if you've already had an upper echelon job, and has nothing to do with gender but the fact that it's circular hiring.
Anyone think men are ruling Aussie theatre?
EDIT: It's also as if they purposely ignore the many companies in Melbourne which are run by women. La Mama and 45 downstairs come to mind immediately.
I would be very suprised,
Thu, 10 Dec 2009, 12:01 amI would be very suprised, given the very liberal views of most "creatives", if there was a deliberate gender bias in the theatre industry. Also, it's law of averages isn't it? There will be some years where there will be a gender imabalance either way. I also noticed the article only seemed to refer to the upcoming season.
I agree with you Na, it seems to smack of jealousy and/or journationalism (sensationalising journalism). I will also add that the article failed to mention the West where I think most, if not all of our major theatre companies have female AD's and on the last few productions I have worked on the majority of the crew were female. The only area I can think of their being an imbalance over here is that most lighting designers that get hired seem to be male, but I have no proof of that and am probably wrong.