I was hoping to ignore this issue until the weekend when I've got more time to write a more in depth piece about Company B's new programme - but that's no longer possible.
There's a lot of disquiet about the lack of women in the programme they announced on Monday and murmurs have now turned into quite large rants. Some anonymous. Others not.
The same response happened last year and even this website was guilty of looking at the issue too simply.
Many people are pointing their finger at Company B which I think is extremely problematic and ignores an issue that is systemic and industry-wide. But continually I ask myself as I travel around and see shows throughout the professional and independent sector; Where are the women?
Where are the women directors? Where are the women writers? Where are the women designers? Where are you?
The one exception to this rule is down the road at Performance Space, now based at Carriageworks... but we all know that the text-based industry doesn't venture that far unless they're visiting Playwriting Australia's headquarters (and vice versa to be fair... but that's another story).
But the story is different elsewhere and I still can't quite put my finger on the reasons behind the complete absence of women within the industry.
Joanna Erskine has given her opinion
HERE saying "... I struggle to understand how such a prominent and successful and LOVED company such as Company B Belvoir, has openly produced such a female-less season. I don’t mean actors, I mean females in integral creative roles - as playwright and director."
And Gus Supple has had a say
HERE asking some timely questions;
"...in nearly every instance female students greatly outnumber men. So what happens to them? At what point in the process are they being passed over? Do they give up when the going gets tough? Are they perhaps less committed than their male counterparts? Or do they side-step more readily into admin and support roles?"
And then there was this anonymous rant on Crikey today;
Even hardened members of the theatre community well used to the boys’ club of the Sydney theatre scene were taken aback at the launch of the much anticipated swansong from outgoing artistic director Neil Armfield at Belvoir on Monday night.
As production after production was announced and their creators called to join Neil on stage, the row of young male lookalike writers and directors fawning over Belvoir’s incumbent grew. It is hard to know who was more embarrassed -- the single token female Lee Lewis sitting resplendent in white among the sea of black-clad masculinity, or the audience, immediately and significantly more aware of the company's gender problem than, it seems, any of those at Company B who put the 2010 season together.
The fact that the majority of those on stage also served on the company’s programming committee only reinforced the accurate image that Belvoir is a closed male shop -- a more sterling example of jobs for the boys is hard to imagine.
Armfield's late elegy to the list of all female managers who have done his paperwork over the years was in stark and telling relief to the male visions they have been charged to realise.
All hale Sydney theatre in the 21st Century! Next up, Sydney Theatre Company's launch on Friday. Will Blanchett and Upton serve the sisterhood any better? They sure as hell couldn't do worse than the disgraceful team of patriarchs at Company B.As harsh as that comment is, what we can assume is this is now an issue that won't go away and is something not just Company B needs to look at. And by that I don't mean the industry should suddenly turn around and start programming more women but they need to look at a serious campaign, whether its mentoring or financial, to keep women in the game past their early twenties.
Kit Brookman gives a great summary of the Sydney-wide problem on Gus's post;
"The last female director to work at Company B upstairs was Rachel McDonald, who directed 'The Pianist,' which was a co-presentation with Sydney Festival 2009. The production opened on 16 Jan 2009.
"Prior to this, the last female director to work at Company B upstairs was Marion Potts in 2006 with her production of 'The Goat, or Who is Sylvia,' although this production was a buy-in from STCSA, and not originally produced by Company B.
The last female director to work on a Company B production was Kate Gaul, five years ago, for her 2004 production of 'Our Lady of Sligo.’
"Female writers are slightly better represented, with 5 productions in 2004-2009, not including playreadings. Perhaps encouragingly, all 5 of these writers are Australian.
"While the 2009 B-Sharp season, as noted above, has a distinct lack of female writers or directors, women have been better represented in past seasons, for example the 2008 season (10 productions) had 4 female writers and 5 female directors.
Griffin's 2009 season has 2 female writers in a 5-play season, and 1 female director. Of its current resident playwrights, 2 of the 3 are female. In the Griffin Independent season, a discussion of Australian playwrights of either gender is defunct since the plays are exclusively by international writers. 4 of the 7 productions are directed by women.
"Sydney Theatre Company's mainstage 2009 season (as first announced) has 4 female directors and 3 female writers in a season of 12 productions. Their Next Stage season has 1 female director and 1 female writer (working on a creative development).
The Ensemble Theatre Company in a season of 11 plays has 2 female writers and will employ 3 female directors over 5 productions.
"The Tamarama Rock Surfers’ 2009 season at the Old Fitzroy has 2 female writers (and 1 female co-deviser) and 3 female directors in a season of 11 plays.
"And finally, on a brief national note, of the artistic directors of what might be, say, the 10 of the largest theatre companies in Australia (STC, MTC, QTC, STCSA, Black Swan, Malthouse, Company B, Griffin, Windmill, The Ensemble), 3½ are women (the ½ coming from STC where Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are co-artistic directors).
"Of the companies that have associate director or associate artist positions (to my knowledge MTC, STC, Belvoir, QTC, STCSA, Griffin, Black Swan, the Ensemble) only Griffin has a woman in this role."
That last sentence is one of the most telling ... (I think Bell Shakespeare is another exception).
All I know, from someone that sees a lot of theatre, that there's a big drop off from female theatre makers who emerge from drama school and university to positions of importance and influence in the 30-50 year old age bracket.
I don't have a solution or an answer to the problem but it's there and it needs to be rectified. The debate has started, so lets keep it going.
Where are the women?
