The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW), a not-for-profit that advocates for gender equality in theater, onstage and off, has published its latest study. The report, titled “Women Count: Women Hired Off Broadway,” found that women are underrepresented in behind-the-scenes roles in Off Broadway plays.
The study’s authors, Martha Wade Steketee and Judy Binus, examined the employment of 699 Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway plays from the 2010-11 season to 2016-17. Using playbills, theater web sites, reviews, databases, and other sources, Wade Steketee and Binus gathered information on 13 non-performing positions, such as writers, directors, and designers.
Overall, women made up 32 percent of playwrights from 2010-17. They represented a low of 29 percent in 2013-14 and a high of 37 percent in 2016-17. In contrast to filmmaking — where women often fare better as writers than helmers — women directors had a higher ratio than female playwrights: Women accounted for 34 percent of directors overall, with a low of 24 percent in 2011-12 and a high of 40 percent in 2014-15.
Women are especially outnumbered in many design roles. From 2010-17, they comprised just 18 percent of sound designers, 29 percent of set designers, and 14 percent of light designers. However, women dominate the costume design and production management fields: they accounted for 73 percent of costumers and 70 percent of production stage managers, stage managers, and assistant stage managers.
While much of the “Women Count” stats are discouraging, Wade Steketee and Binus plan to use their work to push for concrete change. “We notice that the world is unequal, that women’s voices are muted, that women aren’t present on production teams. The Women Count Report is about the power of numbers to augment advocacy [by] using solid information to change the world,” explained Wade Steketee.
“Having numbers to point to gives us power in meetings with people who are in a position to hire,” added Binus. “They can’t discount numbers, facts, or figures. The numbers prove and quantify an issue, and the LPTW has responded with advocacy initiatives to effect change and move towards gender parity.”
The authors’ work has inspired the LPTW to branch out into activism — the org will lead the Women Count March on June 12 to demand gender parity in theater. #OneMoreConversation has also launched in response to the report. The hashtag is meant to encourage theater decision makers to have one more conversation with a female candidate before making a hiring decision.
To get involved with the Women Count March, head over to the League’s website. You can access the full “Women Count” study in full here.
