“To me, if half the soundtrack stays with the audience after it ends, the movie musical succeeded. Is it a low bar? I guess, but ultimately, the goal of a movie musical is for the music to engage the audience long after the performance ends.”

“Figure out why you want to hire,” Pace said. “What are you hoping they’ll bring to the table? Do you want someone who will do education or just choreography? Are you looking for a borderline co-director because the show is so intimate? Ask questions tailored to what you need, rather than what you think they should have.”

In the past week, there has been a newfound call to arms for theatres across the globe to make their stages more diverse when they resume operations. However, not every community theatre can do this. Not every community is diverse enough or has the talent pool to produce heavily diverse shows. So what steps can they take to bring more performers of color to their stages?

"Even even in communities outside of theatre, such as sports or academics, honoring a kid for “participation” is looked upon as frivolous nonsense. If “everybody wins,” then doesn’t nobody win? Doesn’t this create only extrinsic, rather than intrinsic, motivation? My answer is a resounding no.”

“New York City is an amazing place, but it doesn’t have to be the be-all and end-all of the theatre world. Great work is happening everywhere and it’s time we really appreciate it.”

“While powers behind industries such as Broadway have been slow to act on calls for change, thankfully, dozens of theatres in the UK are taking it upon themselves and committing to real action - starting by promising to cast trans actors in trans roles.”

“If this is how CBS values the Tony Awards, it may be time for the American Theatre Wing and the network to go their separate ways.”

“The issue of casting based on personal identity is a complex and nuanced one. But the bottom line is we can’t even begin to have a conversation about those issues until the playing field is significantly evened out.”

“I feel my family’s economical status is what truly drove my passion for the performing arts. I worked much harder because it was something that I wasn’t able to take for granted.”

“We want them to know that they have value, that their stories have value, that their voices have value, that their own way of speaking or writing has value, and that we deeply care about that,” Chavez said. “We care so much that we will bring in all these mentors and actors and a sound designer. We will bring this bevy of adults who care about their expression and that gives them the confidence to take what they’ve learned from our program and apply it to another class.”

“This week, it was announced that legendary British actor Sir Ian McKellen is about to start rehearsals for a new production of Hamlet with him playing the title character. Director Sean Mathias’s production promises to be cast ‘age-blind’ though the full casting details are yet to be released. Age-blind casting is an interesting idea, but it doesn’t seem possible that such a decision can ever be made ‘blind’ because characters’ ages have a substantial and significant impact on their relationships and situations.”

“One of the shared experiences that Myesha-Tiara and Jerulane “Jay” Jenkins had with their college careers was the discovery that there were few opportunities for people of color and that BIPOC students often went unsupported and their voices unheard. So, when they were trying to decide what their new company, Perceptions Theatre, would do for their spring show, they decided to create a BIPOC Playwrights Festival, a two-weekend virtual one-act festival that features BIPOC playwrights, directors, and actors.”