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.
Probably wrong
Fri, 11 Dec 2009, 01:05 am"...the West where I think most, if not all of our major theatre companies have female AD's..."
No, this isn't true.
The funded companies, and their ADs:
Barking Gecko: Jeremy Rice
Black Swan: Kate Cherry
Deckchair : Chris Bendall
Perth Theatre Co: Mel Cantwell
Spare Parts: Philip Mitchell
Yirra Yaakin: Kyle Morrison
That makes 2 out of 6 companies with a female AD.
A few years ago Angela Chaplin headed Deckchair, but Alan Becher was at PTC and Tom Gutteridge at Black Swan...and I don't think Yirra Yaakin had a female AD but I might be wrong...so the net result is either that it's stayed the same or there's one extra female in a major position than there used to be.
But I don't think you can call that a majority.
Cheers,
Craig
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