Page 12
WHAT NEVER
HIGH GEAR
HAPPENED TO
DECEMBER 1976
women
By Donna Minkler
our
Despite the undeniable gains women have made in moving the stereotypic images of forward time, innumerous vocational, political and social areas, participation in the theatre has most regrettably failed to reflect where we have been, how we have allowed ourselves to be projected and where we will elect to go.
Having re-routed a career in the dramatic arts myself, I was eager to find a woman who was sympathetic to the frustrations I'd experienced as a result, in part, of being subjected to rejection depression and suppression
now.
The dialogue which follows is an attempt to assess the difficulties women do experience in the more lucrative areas of theatre and will hopefully direct the reader towards indulging in some etiological considerations notably the few contributions women have been able to make in this area.
HG: When I saw the Batdorff article in the PD last Sunday I was excited at the prospect of an entertainment critics growing sensitive to a problem women in theatre encounter when they try to make that commitment to greasepaint and flood lights... But at the same time, I was skeptical. I mean, how authentic could his remarks be... coming from word of mouth as a complaint and not first hand ex-
perience.
KL: I think he had a valid point; he just reported the problem. If we're going to make a change or hope to, announcing the sickness is not enough. HG: It sounds like you're saying a critic must be a reviewer, historian and doctor all in one.
KL: The good ones usually are. Look, it gets pretty depressing and frustrating to continue in this rat race no matter how big of an ego you've got without pocketing a historical perspective along side your rejection slips and less than promising interviews.
If you remember, where the theatre has come from you somehow get it together to continue. We're coming from a
foundation dating back from the Greeks who never used women for actresses.
HG: So, are you maintaining that the problem stems from our chauvinistic heritage.
KL: Those are your words but ok... I suppose I'd accept that as a partial explanation. But as much as I'd like too, I think
they too, were a product of their environment. The women walked around barefoot and bearing children, literally. They weren't even allowed to attend performances.
...
HG: But when theatre started to bring itself to people caravans, ministrel shows, showboats When it spontaneously happened in the mid-' dle of your market place, you accidently became the audience...
Not by choice, but by circumstance. Is this what is responsible for the eventual era transition that did occur centuries later when people began entertaining the notion that women could possibly perform the women's parts best?
KL: I think that's part of it... but even in Shakesperian times,
were
women were not used as actresses. It wasn't really until the restoration that women allowed to become performers because men had decided they were capable of portraying themselves.
HG: What do you think has influenced the lack of women's roles in theatre?
KL: The same thing that's suppressed women from competitive employment in all aspects of our world outside of the kitchen: the myths of fragility... "sugar and spice and everything nice" that's what little girls are made of. If you come from that consciousness, it's not very difficult to see how people came to believe that it is not a woman's place to pick up a hammer. It's corny but it's legit; all the stereotypes in real life. were all laid out right there for you... to pur on the stage for all to see but for few to relate. HG: Are there stereotypes actresses play.
KL: Oh yes... there's earth mother.... there's ingenue, and there's the character roles: the juicy fun parts for women where their personalities are explored and identified beyond their youth and
..
their
measurements... are all character roles, and if you ain't up in
years you never get considered. for those.
HG: What about other areas of theatre? How have women done, for example in technical areas and production? KL: It seems that the women
who get started in costume design stay there for a bit and then go into lighting design and tech. Whereas actresses become stage managers or unemployed performers, actors become directors and producers.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
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