WHY ARE YOU CALLING US? BY SNEHAL DESAI +
MADELINE SAYET JULY 8, 2020 What could be more thrilling than the moment an artistic director calls? Sadly, for many BIPOC directors, these calls are not the happy content of fairy tales. Because while there are many reasons a white artistic director calls a BIPOC director, few of the initial reasons are the same as for a call to a white director. Over time, these exchanges that should be centered around moments of artistic connection give way to a heightened sense of skepticism, as the truth behind the power dynamics of each call seeps out, and the question morphs from one of enthusiasm to one of trepidation: why are you calling us? The most common answer to this question is: you are calling because you need a director of color for a BIPOC play you have chosen.
Some of the other reasons we have been called include: to balance out an otherwise all-white production team; because you want a cultural consultant; because you want to look like you have interviewed a BIPOC director for the position before ultimately giving it to a white director; because you want to direct the play yourself but know you shouldn’t, so you are seeking a BIPOC front while you attempt to backseat-drive the production. We are a solution rather than an artistic voice, despite our work being unique, distinctive, imaginative, and varied, beyond our identities. In these situations, power still rests with the institution. Is it any wonder, then, that we suffer from imposter syndrome when we have been invited in under different pretenses than our white colleagues? Below are some of the misconceptions and challenges BIPOC directors run into, based on our own personal experiences as well as
conversations with fellow BIPOC directors and in shared affinity spaces: “There are no BIPOC directors who are ready to work at this level.” What does “they are not ready” to work on this level mean? How are you assessing this? What professional development opportunities could your institution be creating to cultivate new and emerging talent? Are you primarily looking at emerging directors and ignoring the previous generations of artists? Are you being as strict with the admittance of new white directors? “I haven’t seen their work.” What have you done to make sure you are seeing work by BIPOC directors? Have you seen work at a theatre of color? Have you mentored a director of color? Once a director has been “approved” by another PWI, does
Assassins at East West Players, directed by Snehal Desai PHOTO Steven Lam
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