Nearly 90% of women in theatre still feel under-represented

87 per cent of females working within the theatre industry feel that there is not enough representation of women throughout the industry, research by iN BLOOM shows. The survey was taken by over 200 women, working in various of aspects by theatre; from actors and directors, to lighting engineers and designers.

IN BLOOM decided to conduct the research as part of International  Women’s Day (Wednesday 8 March), after hearing from many of the female partners, practitioners and teams they work with, that even in 2017 they felt that life for women in theatre was more difficult than that of their male counterparts.

The survey also revealed that as many as 93 per cent think it’s much harder for those women, who rise through the ranks into more senior positions, while over 90 per cent of women believe that it is more difficult for women to succeed in the theatre industry as a whole.

Executive Director of iN BLOOM, Paul Bloomfield said: “We strive for egalitarian practices and ensure a 50/50 split of men and women on all of our productions – including our current production RUN. It really is disgraceful that women should still be being made to feel in any way, that things are more difficult, and really things need to change. We hope that this research will help to continue to shine a light on a problem, which clearly has not been dealt with. ”

Director of RUN, Lucy Wray said: “In my work as a director, gender and the representation of women is often foregrounded, whether on inherently feminist pieces …or just because every member of the team happens to be a woman….As more women become theatre directors and writers, the opportunities increase for women to be represented in more complex and interesting characters on stage.

 On Run we have a female sound designer, lighting designer, stage manager, and we’ve had a young female student on work experience in the room with us. It is a gay male love story, written by a man and performed by man, but the work will only be made richer by our diverse team. For me it’s always important to have female creatives on a project, regardless of content, and especially when the story is not female-led.”

iN BLOOM’s current production is RUN by Stephen Laughton, which begins its tour at JW3 on Wednesday 8 March, before moving to the Marlborough in Brighton from 12-15 March and finishing with a transfer to the Bunker Theatre in London Bridge from Monday 20 March to Saturday 1 April.

To continue this research and join the survey you visit www.inbloomentertainment.co.uk/survey

Author: Alex WoodAlex is the former reviews editor at Theatre Bubble, but since changing position now contributes occasionally. He has been writing reviews for a number of years, as well as seeing his own shows performed. He has produced and marketed a number of performances at venues in London, Oxford, Edinburgh, including the world premiere of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.