With theaters finally reopening after their 18-month long shutdown, it appears that the Broadway, National Tour, and London productions of theater titan “Wicked” are set to benefit from a new appointment: Christina Alexander has been named in the newly created role of Director of Social Responsibility, according to Broadway World.
The role will see Alexander focus on facilitating inclusive and respectful environments onstage, backstage, within the production offices, and within the audiences themselves; implementing new procedures related to hiring practices and anti-harassment policies; and working closely with labor unions and production partners.
Commented Alexander: “An inclusive, thoughtful, welcoming theater is a place that I, and others in the industry, have dreamed of. For many, it has not been that place. I am honored to bring my EDIAB [Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging] skills, as well as knowledge and love of the industry, to ‘Wicked’ — and to focus on the business of turning ideas into actions.”
While the industry has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, theaters are on the verge of return, with some in London’s West End having reopened in May, and Broadway now following suit. Broadway’s “Wicked” production returns September 14, and London’s is set to do so the very next day. With the lockdown having exposed the precarity of jobs within the industry, and many questions raised about what the future of theater could look like and how it could be more inclusive, Alexander’s appointment could not be more timely.
Founder and lead consultant at Alexander Consulting Group, she has also worked with the likes of Florida Professional Theatres Association, Chorus America, and Trip Advisor as an inclusivity consultant, and was named one of the Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color in 2019.
A mainstay of the stage since its 2003 debut, “Wicked” — based on the novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” — is a musical told from the perspectives of the witches made famous by “The Wizard of Oz,” relating their backstories prior to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. The original Broadway production won three Tony Awards, and its success spawned numerous productions worldwide.
