Friday, December 10, 2010

ANNUAL GIRLCOTT LIST - Do not buy a ticket to these theatres

GUERRILLA GIRLS ON TOUR PRESENT

THE 2010/2011 GIRLCOTT LIST

These theatres will not be producing a single play by a woman

on their main stages for the 2010/11 season.

The New Group, New York, NY**

American Folklore Theatre, Fish Creek, WI**

Full Circle Theatre Company, Jersey City, NJ**

Park Players, Birmingham, AL**

Profile Theater Project, Portland, OR**

New Stage Theatre, Jackson, MS**

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, IL**

A Noise Within Glendale, CA**

Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle, WA**

Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cleveland, OH**

Theater for a New Audience, New York, NY**

American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, CA**

Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington, DE

Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota, FL

Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC*

Hartford Stage Company, Hartford, CT

Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, CA*

Lincoln Center Theater, New York, NY*

Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY

TheaterWorks, Hartford, CT

Ivoryton Playhouse, Ivoryton, CT

Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI

Signature Theatre Company, New York, NY

American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA

Connecticut Repertory Theater, Storrs, CT

The Repertory Theater of New Britain, New Britain, CT

Book-It Repertory Theater, Seattle, WA

Sierra Repertory Theater, Sonora, CA

Seaside Repertory Theater, Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Telluride Repertory Theater Company, Telluride, CO

Jewish Repertory Theater of Western New York, Buffalo, NY

Coastal Repertory Theater, Half Moon Bay, CA

Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater, Grand Lake, CO

Castaways Repertory Theater, Woodbridge, VA

Jonesborough Repertory Theater, Jonesborough, TN

Texas Repertory Theater, Houston, TX

Stageloft Theater, Sturbridge, MA

SecondStory Repertory, Redmond, WA

Third Rail Repertory Theater, Portland, OR

Repertory Theater of Iowa, Des Moines, IA

California Repertory Company, Long Beach, CA

McKinney Repertory Theater, McKinney, TX

Penguin Rep Theater, Stony Point, NY

Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington, DE

City Theater Company, Wilmington, DE

University Theater of Georgia, Athens, GA

Diamond Head Theater, Honolulu, HI

Boise Contemporary Theater, Boise, ID

Boise Little Theater, Boise, ID

Illusion Theater, Minneapolis, MD

Theater in the Round Playhouse, Minneapolis, MD

Rosedale Community Players, Southfield, MI

11:11 Theatre Company, Boston, MA

Whistler in the Dark, Everett, MA

Lofte Community Theater, Manley, NE

The Attic Ensemble, Jersey City, NJ

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theater, South Orange, NJ

Theaterwork, Santa Fe, NM

Adobe Theater, Albuquerque, NM

North Carolina Theater, Raleigh, NC

The Clemson Little Theater, Pendleton, SC

Centre Stage, Greenville, SC

Mariemont Players, Cincinnati, OH

Showboat Majestic Theater, Cincinnati, OH

CATCO, Columbus, OH

Licking County Players, Newark, OH

Artist’s Cooperative Theater, Nashville, TN

Community Playhouse, Tullahoma, TN

American Heartland Theater, Kansas City, MO

Hangar Theater, Ithaca, NY

Lucille Ball Theatre, Jamestown, NY

San Angelo Civic Theatre, San Angelo, TX

Vortex Theater, Austin, TX

Beaumont Community Players, Beaumont, TX

Unity Theatre, Brenham, TX

Theatre Three, Dallas, TX

Ennis Public Theatre, Ennis, TX

Kaufman Civic County Theatre, Terrell, TX

Vermont Stage Company, Burlington, VT

Essex Community Players, Essex, VT

Northern Stage Company, White River Junction

Gala Hispanic Theater, Washington, DC*

Jackson County Community Theatre, Brownstown, IN

Sugar Creek Players, Crawford, IN

American Theatre Company, Chicago, IL

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL

Oracle Productions, Chicago, IL **

Organic Theatre, Chicago, IL

Raven Theatre, Chicago, IL **

Remy Bumppo, Chicago, IL **

Signal Ensemble Theater, Chicago, IL

Steep Theatre Company, Chicago, IL

Strawdog Theater, Chicago, IL

The Gift Theater Company, Chicago, IL

The House Theatre, Chicago, IL **

Hypocrites, Chicago, IL **

The Mammals, Chicago, IL

Timeline Theater, Chicago, IL

TUTA Theater, Chicago, IL **

Writers Theatre, Chicago, IL

Clinton County Civic Theatre, Frankfort, IN

Red Barn Theatre, Frankfort, IN

Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, Ft. Wayne, IN

Footlite Musicals, Indianapolis, IN

Mud Creek Players, Indianapolis, IN

Munster Theatre Company, Munster, IN

Richmond Civic Theatre, Richmond, IN

Community Theatre of Terra Haute, Terra Haute, IN

Colonial Playhouse, Aldan, PA

Act II Playhouse, Ambler, PA

The Actors’ Net, Bucks County, PA

Totem Pole Playhouse, Fayetteville, PA

Fulton Opera House, Lancaster, PA

Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, PA

Hedgerow Theatre, Media, PA

Bickford Theatre, Morristown, NJ

* indicates no women directors have been hired either

** indicates multiple years on the Girlcott List

Complied by Sabina Friedman-Seitz

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

actually, you're incorrect about the Montana Rep Missoula.
The first play it produced for the 2010-2011 season was by a woman:
http://www.montanarep.org/repmissoula.html

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Thanks for correcting us. We have taken Montana Rep off the list.

Marilyn Johnson said...

Actually, the Virginia Stage Company opened our 2010-11 season with The Diary of Anne Frank, based on the Anne's writings, play written by Frances Goodrich (&Albert Hackett) and adaptation by Wendy Kesselman.

It ran from Sept. 21 through October 10. Thanks in advance for updating your information!
Marilyn Johnson, Marketing Director, VSC

guerrillagirlsontour said...

This list is based on research from the web sites of each theatre. Virginia Stage Company may have produced "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1/2 written by a woman) but it is not listed on their site. Guerrilla Girls On Tour would like to point out that producing just one (or one half of a play) by a woman per season is not acceptable (in our opinion). There should be 50% representation of women playwrights and directors across the board. That being said we will take Virginia Stage Company off the list.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Guerrilla Girls! We salute you for your continued leadership and your activism. It's always depressing to learn how long the list is. It's outrageous that this is where we are in terms of opportunities for women theatre artists--in the second decade of the 21st century.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Stay tuned. Our GOOD NEWS LIST comes out next week!

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brad said...

To slam other theaters and tell people not to patronize them, because their missions do not align with yours, is quite offensive.

Women did not reach a point of equal rights as men, by excluding others. They did it by rallying and getting support from anyone, for the suffrage movement. Those women that fought for your rights, did not do so by alienating those that could help propel their mission forward, as many of these theaters would if you asked them to.

I have a hard time believing any theater on this list, is intentionally not producing works by women. But I can say for a fact, your company has NEVER sent us a script for consideration. I can also say for a fact, that this season our adaptation for the finial show is headed by a woman, last season, our original Halloween series was again headed by a woman. Not to mention we subsidized the rent for a Chicago company, comprised of all women, producing woman playwrites, at their start, as they had no cash to get off the ground. Just because we don't advertise this, doesn't mean our missions are not valid.

I applaud you all for having such a focused mission. But you catch more bees with honey, than vinegar.

Brad Jayhan-Little
Executive Director
Oracle Productions
Chicago IL

Anonymous said...

At the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA, we do a "blind" search for new plays every other year. All scripts are read without knowledge of who the author is, so the winning play is selected on its inherent merits, not the sex, nationality, celebrity, etc. of the playwright. Interested playwrights can find submission details online; we're always excited to discover great works from both women and men!

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Dear Brad,

FYI, women have not reached a point of equal rights as evidenced by your season of three plays by (dead) men. We are sorry that you feel alienated but hope that you will consider producing three plays by women for your 2011/12 season. There are thousands of plays by women in the current canon we would be happy to send out a call for submissions on our list serve for you to consider.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

FYI the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA, is not producing any plays by women either. If you would send submission info to Guerrilla Girls On Tour! we will post it.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Guerrilla Girls for undertaking this important work. This list is a valuable tool for audiences who do not want their ticket dollars to support arts organizations who continue to contribute to gender disparity. When I decide where to spend my entertainment budget, I'll think twice about patronizing any theatre on this list.

Anonymous said...

So half your season and tours is written by a man right? Let's be fair here.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Guerrilla Girls On Tour's plays are written, produced, directed, designed, stage managed and administered entirely by women. Combating centuries of "unfairness" to women in theatre isn't easy.

Katie Swindler said...

As a female director and theatre artist I've got to defend a few of these Chicago theatre companies that I've worked with. I've personally worked with Oracle Theatre Company and Strawdog Theatre Company and found them to be incredibly supportive of empowering female artists at every position in a performance and production team.

Oracle Theatre produced a show I created and directed 3 years ago, Show Game Live: from the Milky Way!, that was my original concept, my baby. I workshopped a partially improvised script with a group of actors and I directed. The cast was half female, the assistant director and costume designer were female. Currently, Oracle is in talks with my sketch group, SizeEight.net to be the Oracle "house team" for a regular late night spot. We are a sketch group of 3 women who write, direct, produce and perform all our own work.

As you mentioned in another comment, nearly all of Oracle's scripts are by "(dead)" authors - if the writers of the scripts they are producing are dead, why does it matter what sex they are? It's not like a woman is being denied a script writing job. Polling the sex of dead members of the creative team seems a silly way to measure gender equality of live, employed artists in a particular season. Especially when there are so many live female artists actively involved in the very productions you are advocating a boycott of.

I applaud your focus on pushing for gender equality in theatre - I agree that we aren't there yet - but I think you are picking the wrong point of measurement. A script author, especially dead ones, should not be the be all, end all measurement of a company's commitment to equality and should certainly not be the basis for something as extreme as a call to boycott.

Thank you for starting this conversation and for your consideration of reevaluating your point of measurement.

Katie Hawkey Swindler
Director, Size Eight Sketch Comedy

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Note: Chicago Shakespeare theatre is producing 5 plays this season, only ONE by Shakespeare. The other 4 are written by white men.

Anonymous said...

Well said! It is not easy indeed. Keep up the good work!

Facing One's Own Prejudice said...

It's hard for some folks to face their unconscious and conscious prejudices. They kick and scream, and sign their names to defensive postures, protecting their own rights to their prejudice, claiming it as their aesthetic.

That is the state of the American theatre in a nutshell.

Anonymous said...

most of these theaters are teetering on the brink of financial collapse. a good boycott may wipe them off the map. I doubt that will teach men anything. but it will mean that all the female directors and actors and designers they employ will work less. you should ask your followers to, rather than boycott these theaters, find great plays by women that fit these theaters' missions, and mail notes to the theaters recommending them. that might actually help you to your goal of seeing more female playwrights produced.

Mary Rose O'Connor said...

Guerilla Girls,

I would like to know how many theatres on this list you have patronized. As a female director and artistic director of a company I founded in Chicago, I have seen shows at almost every Chicago theatre on your list, (many of whom I have worked with) as well as the Delaware companies you also listed.

I am proud to say that I have enough conviction and self-respect to not patronize or work for an organization that would degrade or alienate women from their company. I am also proud to say that I have had nothing but positive experiences from the theatres I've worked for on your list.

These plays may not be written by women, but that doesn't mean they don't employ women or promote female-empowering ideas. Until you have been to these theatres, seen their work, and made some kind of connection with their resident artists, you have no basis to encourage people to not see their work.

If you want more exposure of plays written by women, write a play that is worthy of recognition.
And the next time you immaturely attack talented artists on your website (this reminds me of high school slam books---a list of all the fatties we hate--how catty!) do your research first.

Mary Rose O'Connor
I'm not afraid to post my name and I don't need to wear a mask to have the courage to voice my opinion.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

The problem is not the lack of great plays by women. Again, if any artistic director of a theatre on our list doesn’t know how to find a play by women we would be happy show them. Yes, we have patronized these theatres (if only to sticker their toilet stalls). It’s about what theatre’s present on their main stages; about what they are saying when they don’t produce plays by women (and, as some of you are indicating only hire women to work behind the scenes). We don’t mind being called immature cowards as long as we can keep pointing out the sexists.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...
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Anonymous said...

Instead of posting a boycott list, you would make better use of your time compiling a recommended list of great plays by female playwrights and send that to all the theatres in the country and update it frequently.

Make change through positive action, not negative thinking.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

The "Girlcott" isn't negative thinking but a form of protest. What do you think was more effective -- The Montgomery bus boycott or sending a list to the mayor of where African American women wanted to sit on city buses?

Anonymous said...

"This list is based on research from the web sites of each theatre"
And if that's all the research you do to pad out your list you probably would not know the following: Bob Fisher of The Mammals Theater Chicago produces plays he has written himself. He is the sole playwright. The money he puts into his productions is his own. Not having been born with a vagina, that I know of, he would not be in the position of using female playwrights.
David Lykins

Anonymous said...

First, let me say that I totally support your project. People need to be called out. However- The Mammals, while it generally only produces shows by one (male) writer, has a collaboratively written show going up in spring 2011. There are about six writers on the team, one of whom is a woman. That ain't a lot, but it's enough to get the company off the list, I think. Also, the House Theatre, another Chicago Theatre on your list, should get a star for multiple years on the girlcott, because despite producing all new work, they have never produced a show by a woman. Ever. They were founded in 2001.

Unknown said...

I greatly appreciate any effort to redress the shameful underrepresentation of women on American stages. Activists in the theatre community have been loathe to point fingers as they fear repercussions in terms of their employment as artists, so good for the Guerrilla Girls for exploiting their anonymity. Two quick points. While I agree 50% is ideal, very very few theatres that are not dedicated to the works of women have achieved parity. In fact, Manhattan theatre Club has a better record than most in terms of supporting women playwrights, and women playwrights of color. I would just suggest that while you call out theatres for their negligence (and I hope you are sending copies of this to the boards of these theatres...) you also call out those theatre that have done a consistently good job of representing women playwrights and/or directors, from those historically dedicated to the work of women to ones like Playwrights Horizons which stands out in terms of producing and hiring women. I also wanted to point out the need for regular research that is conducted in a consistent way, so we can accurately monitor progress or lack thereof. You go Guerilla Girls! Susan Jonas

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Thanks for the comment Susan. Stay tuned for our GOOD NEWS LIST to be posted today.

Anonymous said...

The Bickford Theatre in Morristown, NJ should be on this list. They have for years, done plays by men, with very few female playwrights represented in their season. Check out their website for this season's plays. They will occasionally use a female director.
http://www.morrismuseum.org/bickford/customer/home.php?cat=41

Guerrilla Girls On Tour said...

Thanks! Bickford Theatre is now on the Girlcott List!