A MultiCultClassics Monologue doesn’t require a subscription…
• Time Out Chicago magazine presented a cover story on the lack of diversity in the Chicago theater community (pictured above). “Most of the time the reason that people don’t consider diversity in their projects is because they quite frankly just don’t think about it,” said one Chicago theater official. Unfortunately, accessing the story online requires a subscription. Click on the essay title above to learn more.
• Babytalk magazine has sparked outrage among women with its latest cover (pictured above). “There’s a huge Puritanical streak in Americans … and there’s a squeamishness about seeing a body part — even part of a body part,” said the magazine’s editor. “It’s not like women are whipping them out with tassels on them! Mostly, they are trying to be discreet.” Not sure why folks are so upset. The typical magazine rack (pun intended) displays much worse — and we’re talking about women’s magazines, not Playboy and Juggs.
• The President of Iran ordered governmental and cultural agencies to stop using foreign words like “pizza” and “chat” — replacing them with “elastic loaves” and “short talk.” Somebody needs to send the president a subscription to Babytalk magazine.
1 comment:
Once again, you beat me to a cool story. i saw this one on the racks (winks) too.
It's a joke. You should talk to theater folks in chicago and in NYC where i used to work and in other big cities.
They're so incredibly condescending about it all. They're as bad if not worse than segments of the corporate world on this issue.
"Oh, black people don't support theater, therefore..." Or "we didn't realize it was an issue. We're colorblind and cast the best talent, period."
It's nonsense. They do what they do for a lot of nasty reasons. The big "r" word being one.
When black playwrights take their scripts around to investors and theater houses they get turned down. When they go to black investors, they end up doing stuff in churches, "the chitlin circuit" of clubs and arenas that draw black audiences, but that's about it.
Unless Oprah or some big name celebrity backs your stuff, it's embarrassing the amount of crap they go through. i know because i'm friends with a lot of these people.
As for the actors, they get pigeon-holed just like ad folks and corporate folks and those in Hollywood. If it's not a play or a show that's "supposed to have 'soul'" or some type of civil rights/slave narrative black actors are relegated to secondary roles almost exclusively.
And when they're not, the industry goes out of it's way to play the "look how inclusive we are!" card with the one or two folks they cast here and there.
It's a hustle. big time.
It can change but not as long as the folks running the steppenwolf's and the lookingglass and the other theater companies and venues in chicago keep up this white liberal "what did i do wrong?" front.
diversity of content and character is not a damn peace corps mission.
You've got lots of black and hispanic audiences that like theater. and the reason theater audiences are so white, in addition to the ticket prices is because no one wants to pay $75 a ticket or even $15 a ticket to start-up shows just to see the umpteenth esoteric 3 act tripe about what yet another white person is going thru in their own mind.
sorry for the rant. sorta. it just needs to be said.
Post a Comment