Welcome to Equity in Theatre

Dear Colleague,

Three studies in the last thirty-five years reveal alarming and persistent systemic gender inequities in Canadian theatre. While the most recent 2015 study indicates small incremental improvement, women still earn significantly less than men, are hired less frequently than men, and remain under-represented in artistic leadership. For example, women make-up over 50% of the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s membership yet account for only 25% of the playwrights produced on Canada’s stages, and the statistics for women of colour and indigenous women are much lower. This inequitable representation of women playwrights has a trickle down effect that negatively impacts on opportunities for women in other creative positions, such as directors, designers, and performers. Ironically, women make-up the majority of theatre audiences, despite deep-seated gender inequities in the industry.

A joint initiative of ten professional arts service organizations, Equity in Theatre (EIT) was established in 2014 to redress discriminatory patterns in the theatre industry. Our aim is to increase visibility and improve the status of women and other marginalized communities in theatre and the performing arts.

We are reaching out to you, as an ally and participant in the Canadian theatre ecology, to raise awareness and disseminate information that can help create impactful and permanent change. Enclosed here are infographics for our Change in Action toolkit and our recent study’s Best Practice Recommendations, both of which offer concrete steps to create a more gender-balanced and equitable industry. We ask you to help us spread the word by sharing this information, and we encourage you to implement some of our suggestions to improve the status of women and other marginalized groups in your own community and arts practice.

For more information, please visit our website, equityintheatre.com, where you will find links to various studies, the full Change in Action toolkit, and an ever-growing Directory of Women Theatre Practitioners from across Canada. For additional copies of resource materials, or to become more actively involved in EIT and the effort for change, please contact us by email. We look forward to working together to forge a more inclusive theatre that will prosper by better reflecting contemporary Canadian society!

Sincerely,

The Equity in Theatre (EIT) Steering Committee