Women of Color on Broadway
“Women of Color on Broadway” is a 3-part initiative honoring women of color who paved the way to cultural diversity on Broadway, as well as encouraging young female performers, writers, producers, and directors who want to pursue a career in musical theatre. It was launched in response to singer-songwriter and actress Alexia Sielo observing to me, Victoria Velazquez (her older sister), the lack of work opportunities in musical theatre for young women of color. Women of Color on Broadway started off as a one woman show in the summer of 2018 but soon turned into a full initiative after the immensely positive response and subsequent contributions from our professional female colleagues. As our 2nd tribute cabaret approaches during Black History Month at Feinstein’s/54 Below, I sat with Musical Theater Today to reflect upon the goals we have set with this launch.
Alexia Sielo’s Story, In Her Own Words
I remember being in school and discussing the quantity and quality of role opportunities for women of color versus non-people of color, especially men. A lot of my peers admitted to feeling threatened by the popularity of shows like Hamilton, The Color Purple, and Once On This Island, but what they failed to realize is that women of color are type cast into the same kinds of roles. It’s extremely difficult to be considered for roles outside of the obvious because you’re black or brown.
A lot of them didn’t understand, so I did an experiment: I asked my classmates what kind of roles they thought I should pursue post-graduation. Answers ranged from Joanne in Rent, to Celie in The Color Purple, even the Schuyler sisters in Hamilton. It sounds flattering at first, given that these are arguably the biggest musicals of the past decades, but then I asked my second question:
“What about Lee, my best friend who migrated here from Africa to study musical theatre?”
They answered, “Oh wow, she would be great in Rent as Joanne; I think she should pursue The Color Purple as well.”
I remained silent.
“What about Genesis, another closest friend of mine who is from the Dominican Republic?”
“Oh, she should do Hamilton!”
The three us all are all talented but we’re also immensely different. Still, somehow, we were told to go for the same roles. Black, Asian, and Hispanic women have a lot to offer in this industry. 2015 was a big year for cultural diversity on Broadway thanks to shows like Hamilton, the revival of The Color Purple, and The Wiz Live!, which was broadcast on NBC in December 2015. Although these groundbreaking productions lean toward the progressive direction of race and gender diversity, there is still a large gap of employment and salary between men and women, and white and non-white actors. I want people to have an open mind about casting—for everyone. Our ability to showcase our talents should not be limited because of our ethnic backgrounds. They soon understood my frustration. We can do it all, but for some reason, we aren’t seen that way.
According to ProductionPro.com, there were 137 Broadway debuts between June 2017 and April 2018. There were 186 directors, choreographers, writers, and designers who worked in those productions. Out of those 186 creative employees, 19% of the directors were women, 18% of choreographers were women, and 16% of writers were women. Costume Design, Hair and Makeup jobs female dominated by over 50%, but roles related to STEM such as Lighting, and Sound Design, Company management, and even Music Supervision were all are male dominated by over 60%. If race and ethnicity were factors as well, the numbers would be even smaller. Award-winning actor Pun Bandu worked with a group of Asian-American performers in what is now known as the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) to track racial demographic data in the theatre industry. Before then, no one was tracing the racial and gender demographic for employment in theatre in the United States. They found that from the years 2008-2015, white actors dominated the theatre industry by more than 75%. According a New York Times article in June 2017, women held 35% of principal roles in plays and 42% of roles in musicals. In Off-Broadway productions, women held 40% of principal roles in plays and 47% of principal roles in musicals.
The Game Plan
My sister would come home from class and tell me about the conversations she would have with her peers. As a business major, it made me think of 2 things: 1) What can we do to make things change, and 2) How do we exercise our independence in a male-dominated industry? We can’t rely on anyone but ourselves to tell our own stories.
I came up with Women of Color on Broadway under my production company, ZAVE Media, because despite the difficulty women across the industry face on a day-to-day basis we have contributed so much to the multi-billion-dollar business it has become. Our first show premiered at Don’t Tell Mama, NYC as a one woman show with guest appearances a few of Alexia’s friends who were also people of color. We had one hour to acknowledge Anne Brown, Chita Rivera, Stephanie Mills, Melba Moore, Audra McDonald, Jennifer Holliday, Heather Headley, Lea Salonga, LaChanze, and Cynthia Erivo. Honoring so many giants in so short a time was challenging at first, but we found a way to honor all of them by incorporating medleys and special guest performances to ensure we highlight their works in musicals from Porgy and Bess to The Band’s Visit. The audience loved it.
When Alexia began booking roles in off-Broadway productions, I recognized that the creative teams—writers, producers, directors, sound engineers, light technicians—were majority male employees. That was the moment Women of Color grew from a cabaret to a full initiative with three parts. As a business woman myself, I notice a shift of energy when I’m in a room with all men making executive or creative decisions in marketing, casting, production, music supervision and stage management. As their colleague, or even their boss, that needs to end.
It shouldn’t be a taboo for a woman to be in charge. Women should be exposed to every career opportunity that men are regardless of the field they work in. What Alexia and I are working on now is finding a way to push the conversation outside of the theatre hall.
Today, Women of Color on Broadway is divided into three parts:
The Cabaret
We host a series of cabarets all over New York City, starring Alexia Sielo singing some of your favorite songs from Broadway. Our first show took place in June of 2018 at Don’t Tell Mama. Proceeds from our first concert were donated to the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids Foundation (BCEFA). Our second show will take place Monday, February 25th, 2019 Feinstein’s?54 Below, with Melba Moore as the guest of honor. We have special performances by Arbender Robinson (The Book of Mormon), Alena Watters (The Cher Show), Majeste Pearson (The Four on FOX), Barbara Douglas, Felipe Joglar, and Genesis Collado.
The Conversation/Lecture Series
Women of Color on Broadway partners with colleges and universities throughout the metropolitan area to produce workshops and interviews with working actresses, directors, and producers to guide students on how to sustain a successful career in musical theatre from a woman's perspective. The first interview is set to take place in the Spring 2019 with Britney Johnson, the first African American woman to play Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. Alexia and I hope to use this to further develop the community we have built with aspiring theatre professionals by providing networking benefits that will create job and internship opportunities in the near future.
The Musical
Our end goal is to produce a musical, mapping the contributions made by women of color on Broadway, and the opportunities these contributions will hopefully give future women of color on broadway. Women of Color on Broadway: The Musical will be known for recruiting more women than any other Broadway production as performers, writers, producers, directors, music supervisors, and sound engineers on their cast and creative team.
I studied music business at New York University, and Alexia Sielo studied theatre performance at New York Film Academy:Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre. We both graduated in 2015, and joined forces to build a career in women leadership. Alexia and I use all proceeds and media attention to further expand our vision for Women of Color on Broadway. We use our experiences to develop creative ways to build a community for women of color and anyone else who believes in our mission. Though less than a year old, Women of Color on Broadway has received endorsements from working actress in regional, national, Off-Broadway, West End, and Broadway productions. One of the biggest reasons for there being so much effort put behind this is to make sure “color-conscious casting” is not only used to increase popularity in theatrical works for the next five years. As shows like The Band’s Visit, Miss Saigon’s revival, and other previously mentioned productions increase box office revenue as receive more positive critical reception, there is hope that everyone can understand the importance of inclusivity. Diversity is more than a trend; it is evolution.
