I’ll be frank: I agonized about the title for this blog. Is it wrong to say “white writers,” for some reason? Is the verb “support” condescending?
I think a lot of people don’t know what to say these days. They’re afraid to say the wrong thing, so they say nothing.
That’s why I was nervous when I reached out to writer Cheryl Davis with my direct and perhaps blundering questions (below). I asked her to forgive me if I was being insensitive or offensive somehow. Her response? “It’s very hard to offend me.”
Maybe she just doesn’t have time. Cheryl is one busy woman. She pens musicals and plays, writes for Law & Order SVU, and wrote for As The World Turns. She is also an attorney whose “day career” is general counsel for the Authors Guild.
So I was super grateful she took time out from her packed schedule so I could ask her:
What can white theatre writers do to support and increase opportunity for writers of color? What are some actions – large or small, but concrete – we can take, today, and every day?
Cheryl had a few great – and easy – suggestions. I was brave enough to add a couple.
1. Get to know writers of color. Check out the Musical Theatre Factory’s People of Color Roundtable (they were supposed to have a show at Joe’s Pub in April). If you like their work, give them shout-outs. Collaborate when it makes sense.
2. Go to NPX and read plays by people of color. Review them. Good reviews can result in productions. In fact, it’s one of the tactics adopted by Honor Roll!, the new advocacy and action group of women+ playwrights over forty and their allies.
3. Recommend writers of color. If you are approached for a gig and pass, offer an idea of someone else to consider – and hopefully that someone could be someone of color.
4. If you’re in a writers’ group, make sure writers of color are represented. Make it look like the world.
5. Mentor young theatre-lovers or writers of color near you. This was actually Tom Mizer’s idea, and I’m jumping on it. Can we help create a pipeline for young WOC? Non-white teens may write hip-hop or love Hamilton or have appeared in Oklahoma – but never considered writing plays or musicals. Show them that possibility. Help them tell their stories, their way. Reach out to me if you’re interested in doing this, too. We can make an informal network and share what we know/learn.
These ideas are but scratching the surface. Please share your thoughts and ideas - we need them!
And I realize this doesn’t get into the work itself and how theatre needs to become less white-centric. That’s for another time.
And if I have offended somehow (maybe with that last sentence??), please let me know.