A dramatic imbalance

A dramatic imbalance

The theatre world prides itself on its open-mindedness, but when it comes to the gender divide, it seems Australia's flagship companies are still way behind.

IN TERMS of blokiness, the theatre industry is rarely thought of in the same terms as the rugger-bugger world of sport, the macho model of corporate business or the old-boys' networks of academia. But recent weeks have seen those charges laid against the top figures of our peak performing arts bodies.

Last month, Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre announced its 2010 season. As each production was announced, its creators were invited to take to the stage. But as the numbers mounted something became glaringly obvious - amid the sea of what one Crikey tipster called ''male lookalike writers and directors'', only one woman was featured. On an ironic note, that director was Lee Lewis, who caused a storm several years ago when she called the theatre community to task for systematically ignoring non-white actors.


It wasn't long before the fury spread. The Melbourne Theatre Company's 2010 launch showed a similar skew, with one female director employed for the 12-show season. The Sydney Theatre Company offered another 12 shows: only three female directors.

When the issue blew up, accusations of a boys' club mentality among senior industry figures began to fly. But is the problem the result of a few leaders denying women access to our main stages, or is it indicative of a more endemic, ongoing crisis in Australian theatre? Even Simon Phillips, the MTC's artistic director, doesn't deny that something's desperately wrong. ''There is an imbalance, that's for sure. There's something systemic that we have to address.''

Female playwrights don't have it any better. Chris Mead was in the audience during the Belvoir launch and noted with puzzlement the gender disparity. As artistic director of PlayWriting Australia, he heads the country's foremost organisation for the promotion and support of playwrights. He sees a lot of scripts; both the submissions he receives and the projects the company pushes are pretty evenly split, gender-wise.

Australia is not without its share of high-profile female talent. Playwrights such as Joanna Murray-Smith and Hannie Rayson are mainstays on our larger stages. Directors including Gale Edwards, Kate Cherry and Marion Potts are among the country's best. But pointing to those who've succeeded doesn't explain the imbalance.

''It's great for them and they are results of long-term investment in people's careers,'' says Mead. ''They had the opportunity to learn their craft. But they're not programming theatre companies either.''

Of the past 50 productions the MTC has staged, only 10 have been directed by women. Of those, five were co-productions with other companies. This isn't an exceptional case. Alarmingly, it seems to be closer to the rule. And despite the recent uproar, a more equitable balance won't assert itself naturally.

It takes a substantial amount of industry buzz for word of a hot new director or playwright to reach the ears of someone like Phillips. ''Right at the moment,'' he says, ''there are a handful of young directors whose work is starting to be seen and they are being recognised as new forces within the industry. But I have to say: the majority of them are men.''

Great directors are made, not born. If there's a dearth of top-level female creatives it's partly due to that lack of ongoing development: the ''long-term investment in people's careers'' Mead mentions. The only way a director can become the best is by working with the best, but the same faces are given the same opportunities each year. This is part of the larger companies' code of practice.

The MTC employs one or two associate directors who work year-round with the company. ''We do 11 or 12 plays a year,'' says Phillips. ''I direct three or four, the associate director directs three or four. We need to do co-operative works with other companies, to make financial sense of what we do.'' The number of plays left over for outside directors is usually just one or two.

Female playwrights face a comparably difficult position. Mainstage companies program to a formula: a few successful overseas plays, an overseas classic, an Australian classic and a new Australian play or two. From small-scale to big budget, new Australian plays make up around 10 per cent of the total works produced. ''If you look at the stats, that's tough,'' says Mead. ''One in 10 is not great.''

Looking to the West, however, things seem radically different. The artistic directors of Perth Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company are both women. Melissa Cantwell is only the second artistic director the PTC has had in its 25 years, and she credits her predecessor Alan Becher's strong focus on developing the careers of women he worked with. PTC ran an emerging directors' program this year, says Cantwell. ''One of whom I've just appointed to a directorial role and she just happens to be a woman. She's the best person to direct that show.''

Cantwell agrees that the key to producing first-rate artists is ongoing support and dialogue. ''Absolutely. It really is a lot about the people that you learn from, in this industry. I was lucky to have some supportive mentors who believed in me and converted that belief into actual opportunity.''

Could the MTC create a similar program to nurture talent? Speaking of the new Lawler Studio in the company's Southbank building, Phillips says: ''We have a new space that is a perfect laboratory for taking more risks and developing more people. But we don't at this point have sufficient funding to run a program in that studio that could address some of the issues that we're talking about.

''If we can get half a million to a million dollars to fund a laboratory in the Lawler, give emerging directors the opportunity to test things out, then in terms of the major companies needing to kind of answer everything, create the ladder, we've got a chance of addressing the issue.''

The MTC doesn't have that money, however. Despite the strong sales for its 2009 season, moving from the bordering-on-dangerous old premises of its South Melbourne offices to the 21st century digs of Southbank has been a $5 million operation. The company, though effectively a non-profit enterprise, does have an economic imperative.

While a job with the MTC, STC or any of the country's other most recognised institutions might bring acclaim and an attractive pay cheque, it only means you've ''made it'' in a narrow sense.

The prestige comes at a cost, including the ability to experiment with the form, take risky artistic decisions and work in theatrical styles that aren't bound by dictates of commercial wisdom.

VCAM lecturer Tanya Gerstle says that the gender debate may point to a more complex misperception of the importance of flagship companies. A directing gig with the MTC is seen as a high-status job; the bulk of female directors in Australia work in what are perceived to be lower-status positions - theatre-in-education, community works or independent companies.

Moreover, she says, these directors are frequently producing more interesting work than their more recognisable counterparts in bigger companies.

Established director Susie Dee agrees. ''Personally, I don't aspire to work at the MTC or Malthouse or STC at all. Some of the other female directors and playwrights I admire do more interesting work; there is a more innovative, poetic side to the work.''

In 10 years at the VCA (now VCAM), Gerstle has directed 25 productions. She, too, has little interest in an MTC directing job, since the commercial demands of the mainstream companies come with financial imperatives that restrict creativity. ''These companies are entertainment factories,'' she says. ''I suppose Cate Blanchett wouldn't want to think of it that way, but they are.''

The lure of a paid position with a mainstream company is still reckonable, though. And the opportunities need to be there for those who want to pursue them.

PTC's support of up-and-comers is encouraging. But Cantwell cautions against looking to WA as a place that's somehow overcome gender politics in theatre.

''There's a healthy amount of respect and interest in women here directing. But at the same time the reality is that there are still specific issues that face women as directors or even women in positions of power or authority in any way. That's something that's ongoing and why it's good to talk about it.''

One aspect of this intangible difference comes down to the role of networking in the industry. Artistic directors frequently assert that jobs are offered on the basis of merit. But in the arts, ''merit'' isn't a technical measurement. A top-level director needs to be able to talk the talk and project the personality that will inspire confidence in their abilities.

When Dee began directing 20 years ago, she landed a production at the Arts Centre. She found a gendered culture immediately apparent.

''I found it was such a strong male paradigm. I'm quite an intuitive, collaborative director, but I knew to exist in that world I had to make decisions quickly and stick to them so I wasn't seen as a soft director who doesn't really know her mind.''

During Dee's tenure heading Melbourne University's Union House Theatre, she directed close to a dozen productions, and had at least eight young women as assistant directors.

Dee doesn't see that same kind of interest displayed by the artistic directors of major companies. ''I don't quite get why. I don't think it's a deliberate choice. I don't think Simon Phillips and Neil Armfield and Michael Kantor are deliberately not working with women. But I think they're not active enough and don't go and look at enough work. I think they should take a more active interest in female directors.''

In the theatre world, Dee says, ''there's always the wonder boy, the Benedict Andrews and the Matthew Luttons. You never hear of the wonder girls or the wonder women. Where are they? They're out there.''

MTC 2010 season 

The Drowsy Chaperone, directed by Simon Phillips

The Swimming Club, directed by Kate Cherry

Madagascar, directed by Sam Strong

The Grenade, directed by Peter Evans

Richard III, directed by Simon Phillips

The Ugly One, directed by Peter Evans

Boston Marriage, directed by Aidan Fennessy

Dead Man's Cell Phone, directed by Peter Evans

Let the Sunshine, directed by Michael Gow

All about My Mother, directed by Simon Phillips

Life without Me, directed by Peter Evans

Songs for Nobodies, directed by Simon Phillips

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