Why don’t more women hold top leadership positions in American theaters?In 2013, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) partnered with the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) to conduct a study on the gender equity of leadership opportunities in the nonprofit American theater. The project was made possible by the Virigina B. Toulmin Foundation, the Valentine Foundation, and individual donors. Research included interviews with current Artistic Directors and Executive Directors, members of Boards of Trustees of theaters from the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) who had been involved in the leader selection process, search firm professionals who manage searches for top leadership positions, and people in the pipeline to leadership. The StudyPreliminary findings showed that some of the main barriers to women achieving lead leadership positions in theater are:
To learn more about the research findings and how your theater can make the important changes, download the full report, watch the livestream of the conference, and check out the project overview on the WCW website. Additional Resources
Recommendations to address issues faced by women in theater How the Statera Foundation serves women in theater |
Thank you to the generous supporters of the Women’s Leadership Project!
Anonymous Foundation, Susan McGee Bailey, Michael Barker, Bryan Bellomo, Stephen Bennett, Barbara Bessey, Caroline Blanding, Laura Bonamo, Kelly Borgia, Jennifer Caleshu, Betty Anne Carlin, Suzanne Ciani, Lisa Cohen, Tegan Cohan, Amy Corcoran, Ariel Craft, Mary Margaret Dale, Suzanne Darley, Anne Dautun, Michelle Dissel, Emily Donn, Robert Donnalley, Sumru Erkut, Nate Farber, Rachel Flynn, Cynthia Fuhrman, Shelby Gans, Priscilla Geeslin, Diana Glazer, Barbara Grasseschi, Julia Griswold, Franes Grossman, Gruber Family Foundation, Debbie Harmon, Candace Hemphill, Lisa Honig, Katherine James, Laura Kepley, Paulette Kessler, Sheila Larsen, Margaret Lourenco, Steph Mazow, Joy Meads, Penny Metropulos, Dr. Mary Metz, Diane Miller, Mandi Moss, Elizabeth Munz, Carey Perloff, Posner-Wallace Foundation, Ellen Richard, Helen Rigby, Ian Simpson, John Sullivan, Joseph Tally, Jennifer Tattenbaum, Martha Taub, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, Kristen van Ginhoven, Dixie Uffelman, and Monica West
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