Vulcan Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth is about to take the stage in New York City, focusing on the play’s gender politics, cycles of violence, fate vs. coincidence, and more in this iteration of the well known Scottish Play by The Bard.  But there’s a twist.

Of the 323 creative leadership positions in the 2017-2018 season, only 17% were held by women. This statistic is staggering considering that Broadway is the epicenter of American theatre and that women comprise 66% of Broadway audiences overall. It’s time to change the stage and prioritize a level playing field.

The expectation to dedicate 20+, 30+, even 40 hours a week and be offered a daily or weekly stipend to ‘offset the cost of housing and living expenses; is simply absurd. Institutions “providing opportunities” like such are only doing harm to those that can’t afford to work for you.

We don’t question the eight-show-a-week model, or the demands of score, or the press events the actors are expected to attend. We blame the actor. The show must go on. If it doesn’t, that actor is either lazy or they have bad technique. It’s a lose-lose situation.

In Their Footsteps is a celebration of real women in a messy and complicated war. The women in this play all served willingly, did the work, and then “went back into the shadows” when the war was over, with little or no recognition.

Every arts organization needs to craft policies and procedures that state a zero-tolerance policy for abusive, bullying, and similar conduct by any employee or volunteer.  That goes for the board, too. Board members, in particular, must train themselves to understand the law.  They need to know what local, state and federal laws have to say about harassment and abuse.  They need to make this training a regular and ongoing part of board orientation and development.