Producing equality

I have recently been swamped with work for a new company I’m the producer for. The sense of excitement and community within the company are invigorating, but in many respects I would rather the company didn’t need to exist; the fact that it does suggests there are serious issues of inequality within the theatre industry which have yet to be properly addressed.

Agent 160 Theatre Company came into being because of a lack of opportunities for female playwrights to see their work produced. Sphinx Theatre’s Vamps, Vixens and Feminists conference in 2009 revealed that just seventeen percent of plays produced professionally in Britain are by female writers. Quite why the number is so low is open to interpretation and could be affected by a number of different factors. However, there has clearly been a real lack of action addressing it, or attempts to change attitudes. Writers’ work should be judged and produced on its own merits, and in keeping with the artistic policies of companies and venues; adding additional, unwritten caveats regarding gender is a damning indictment of supposed professionalism.

I personally find it absurd that gender should play any part in an artist’s professional development. I have met and worked with some exceptionally talented and hard-working female artists across various disciplines, but at no point have I felt their gender has had any effect on how I or my peers treat them or their work. It disappoints me greatly that this is happening at any level and as a male it worries me that my own professionalism may be called into question due to the gender bias of others. There is undoubtedly a sense that the patriarchal system is alive and well in the upper reaches and this may affect opportunities as people climb the ladder. I sincerely hope that time will see the make up of the upper echelons change to become more representative of the industry and society as a whole.

For now, companies such as Agent 160 will do what we can to help promote the work of those who deserve to be seen. As we prepare to launch, there is definitely a sense that people recognise what we are doing is sadly necessary.