'March on Broadway' Fights Against Inequity and Racism in Theatre Industry
(Photo: Karen Jenkins)
“Here I go, and there’s no turning back – my great adventure has begun.”
The melody to “Astonishing” from “Little Women” rang out over Columbus Circle on Thursday as actress and activist Sis sang into the megaphone to more than 300 arts workers.
She stood in front of the crowd as 1 of 10 speakers leading the March on Broadway, a protest of the theatre industry’s long-standing inequity, abuse, and racism.
“The reason I’m here today is because of a dream,” said Sis, who moved to New York City in May 2019. “That dream is multi-faceted. That dream has many intersections. That dream means a lot to me. That dream means a lot for so many people. Before I knew I was Black, before I knew I was trans, before I knew I was anything, I was a human being. And I am deserving of so much more.”
The march, organized by Actors’ Equity Association members Nattalyee Randall and Courtney Daniels, started at Columbus Circle and ended at Washington Square Park with stops at the Actors’ Equity office, producer Scott Rudin’s office, and the Winter Garden Theatre, where “The Music Man” was set to open prior to the COVID-19 shutdown.
The demands of organizers, which began rolling out on social media on April 15, include shutting Rudin out of the Broadway League for allegations of his abuse publicly released by the Hollywood Reporter on April 7.
Other demands are detailed reports about how Actors’ Equity is promoting BIPOC artists’ safety in the workplace and inclusion for transgender, non-binary, deaf, and disabled theatre workers.
(Photo: Karen Jenkins)
“Let’s come together, we can create this,” Sis said. “You are here for a reason. And I need everybody to know that – specifically my Black folks, specifically my Black queer folks. My plus-size folks. My dark-skin folks. We are here for a reason. We are needed, and we are necessary.”
Other speakers at the protest comprised of Eden Espinosa, co-founder of Artists for Economic Transparency with Karen Olivo; Brandon Michael Nase, founder of Broadway for Racial Justice; Jaime Cepero, founder of Intersectional Voices Collective; actor and disability advocate Ryan Haddad and Broadway alums Diamond Essence White and Ashley De La Rosa.
“I cannot tell you how many times I went into work uncomfortable, to put it lightly,” said De La Rosa, who has appeared in “Mean Girls” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” on Broadway. “We don’t say anything, because there’s a culture of white supremacy that is built into this industry and into our world that tells us that we can’t. This must change before we return to work.”
Olivo, who recently exited their Tony-nominated role in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” with an Instagram video on April 14, attended the protest to show support for fellow Actors’ Equity members.
“These are my people,” Olivo said. “Humanity’s lost. We’re thinking about paychecks, we’re thinking about monetizing something that was built out of something that was much more pure. So we have to take a stand to do something different.”
Espinosa, Olivo’s partner in leading AFECT, took the microphone as the final speaker before hundreds of arts workers began their march on Broadway.
“This is the first day that I have not felt heartbroken – I feel lifted up and inspired by each and every one of you who have shared this space and who showed up here today,” Espinosa said. “Now is the time. We have the power. We do. This is how Equity was started.”