The Broadway League

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The Broadway League formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York, New York. Broadway League members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in New York and more than 250 other North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.[1]

History

The Broadway League was born in 1930 when Broadway theatre operators united to promote their common interests and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with theatrical unions and guilds. In subsequent years, the organization’s mission expanded to include serving the various needs of theatrical producers in New York and of national touring shows, as well as presenters of touring productions in cities throughout North America.

Today the League is a full-service trade association dedicated to fostering increased interest in Broadway theatre and supporting the creation of profitable theatrical productions.[2]

"White American Theater"

In June 2020 an open letter to the “white American theater,” several Black theater artists, from Broadway actors to playwrights, wrote: “We have watched you un-challenge your white privilege, inviting us to traffic in the very racism and patriarchy that festers in our bodies, while we protest against it on your stages.” At the time of this writing, the letter has over 80,000 endorsements via an accompanying petition.[3] The letter was written by community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and sign by 300 Black performers, musicians and back out house staff with the concern of protesting racial issue inside the Broadway.[4] "We watched you amplify our voices when we are heralded by press but refuse to defend our aesthetic when we are not", "We have watch you turn a blind eye as unions refuse to confront their racism and integrated their ranks", and many more accusations about injustice among the black and people of color.[5]

The report from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, AAPAC, in 2020 revealed that in 2016–2017, white actors made up 66.8% of casts on Broadway and professional regional stages. Black actors made up 18.6% of casts, Asian American actors represented 7.3%, and there were 5.1% Latino and/or Hispanic actors. In all, nonwhite actors represented 33% of casts in 2016–2017, an 18% increase from a decade prior.

When it comes to playwrights, 95% of Broadway productions in 2016–2017 were by white writers; 95% of these productions had white directors.

According to the U.S. Census, the United States is 23.7% nonwhite. As for NYC, the epicenter of the nation’s theater community, the city’s population is 57.3% nonwhite.[3]

Take Diversity Seriously

A few days after the letter went viral online, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition assembled a three-day webinar that held Broadway productions accountable for racism and worked towards an anti-racist future on America’s most iconic stages. The coalition’s campaign, Broadway for Black Lives Matter Again, offers an accountability pledge and a resource guide, among other supplements.[3]

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee has developed a new speaker series, entitled Listen. Learn. Act: Conversations about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The goal of this series is to allow the members to come to a better understanding of one another by listening to and learning from different stories, whether they be told by prominent individuals in the industry, or leaders in the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion arena sharing what they’ve learned from working in the field.

  1. The first session in the series took place on Wednesday, June 17th 2020, and featured a conversation between Tony Award winning director Kenny Leon and Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage.
  2. The second session took place on Wednesday, July 22nd 2020, with Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s Britton Smith, Co-founder and President; Susan Sturm, Policy & Research Director; Alejo Rodriguez, Community Engagement Director, and was moderated by Naila McKenzie, Director, Legal Counsel and Business Affairs at Disney Theatrical Group.
  3. The third session took place on Wednesday, September 23rd 2020, with Black Theatre United’s Broadway stars Norm Lewis and Capathia Jenkins, and was moderated by Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President & CEO of the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
  4. The fourth session took place on Wednesday, October 28th 2020, with Black Theatre Coalition founders Reggie Van Lee, T. Oliver Reid, and Warren Adams, and was moderated by Aaliytha Stevens, Chief Operating Officer, SpotCo.
  5. The fifth session took place on Monday, December 14th 2020, and featured a conversation between Emmy Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated Wayne Brady and two-time Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer Brian Moreland.[6]

In the days since stating it's solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement The Broadway League has pledged to do more. Charlotte St. Martin, the League's president and chief executive, has told the New York Times that in addition to making internal changes, the trade association will hire a company to survey diversity in all aspects of the industry.[7]

Appointed Black Producer to the Board

Brian Moreland, one of Broadway’s few Black producers, was just elected to the Broadway League’s board back in August 2020. Moreland, one of the few Black producers working on Broadway, is hopeful for a renewed kind of commercial theater which looks, sounds, and feels more diverse. “I feel there’s change in the air,” he told The Daily Beast. Moreland was elected alongside Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president of Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center. Both serve on the League’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “As Broadway looks to deepen audience engagement and plan for the future, the Board of Governors is pleased to welcome Kendra and Brian,” Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League, said of the appointments.

“They are going above and beyond to try and make a difference and be inclusive,” Moreland claimed of the League. “I wish We See You had reached out to me. There are more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) employees within the League. When you narrow it down to the board, should there be more BIPOC members? Yes. Are there opportunities for more BIPOC members to be on the board? Yes. Would I like more? Yes. But my presence on that board is a result of the Broadway League wanting Broadway to be better.” Is the Broadway League diverse enough? “No, it doesn’t feel it is,” said Moreland. “But they know that, and they are actively trying to change that. They are heading in the right direction.” Moreland add.[8]

References

  1. The Broadway League. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  2. About The League. broadwayleague.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Atex, Alex. Broadway League Addresses Racism on Broadway + in its Ranks. Backstage.com. 2 July 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  4. Byfield, Erica. Black Broadway Performers, Workers Write Scathing Letter Calling Out Industry's Racism. NBC New York. 11 June 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  5. We See You, White American Theater. weseeyouwat.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  6. Programs: EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION. broadwayleague.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  7. Clement, Olivia.The Broadway League to Undertake Audit of Diversity in the Industry. Playbill. 29 June, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  8. Teeman, Tim. Broadway Producer Brian Moreland on Racism, Fighting for Change, and How Theaters Will Reopen. The Daily Beast. 22 August 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.