Over the past couple of weeks, the Abbey Theatre’s controversial new programme, Waking the Nation, has sparked intense debate within the arts community. The 2016 programme runs from January to September and aims to commemorate the events of the 1916 Easter Rising, as well as representing Ireland as it is today and the strides we have taken over the past decade. The programme features three world premieres and new interpretations of what are considered some of the best plays of the last one hundred years. The world premieres include David Ireland’s Cyprus Avenue, Sean P. Summers’ Tina’s Idea of Fun and Town is Dead, a musical by Philip McMahon. The remaining plays include Shakespeare’s Othello, The Wake by Tom Murphy, Observe The Sons by Frank McGuinness, Me Mollser by Ali White and The Plough and the Stars by Sean O’Casey. At a glance, this line-up appears strong and appropriate considering its purpose; however, one can not dismiss the striking gender imbalance.
Ali White, the only woman featured in this year’s programme, brings Me Mollser to the stage, a play that focuses on the beloved Mollser from O’Casey’s The Plough and The Stars. The play is a specially commissioned monologue to introduce O’Casey’s play. So despite the fact that we have at least one strong female voice, it is there purely to support that of a man.
For so long, the Abbey stage has been dominated by a male presence. Since 2006, the Abbey has produced 111 plays and only 12.6 per cent of those plays were written by women. How can a gender that makes up 50 per cent of the population be reduced by almost a fifth on our national stage? Unfortunately, the obvious gender imbalance of the Abbey is representative of a much greater imbalance in the arts as a whole. Whenever this imbalance is questioned, people give the same excuses: “Men just write better plays” or “we can’t put on her play just because she’s a woman”. Exactly, do not put on her play because she’s a woman, put on her play because it is worthy of a production. Another statement of defence that is often thrown around is “what about Marina Carr?” Correct, Carr is one of the most successful female Irish voices and has been represented on the Irish stage again and again; however, that just isn’t enough anymore. Marina Carr shouldn’t be an excuse, but proof. Proof that women are just as good as men.
Director of the Abbey, Fiach Mac Conghail came out and stated that he was not going to produce a play by a woman that was unprepared for the stage, which is fair, but what about the women whose plays are prepared for the stage? Over the years, the number of female playwrights has grown rapidly, so within these ever growing statistics there is bound to be just as many “capable” female writers as there are men. The Lir Academy of Dramatic Art, one of Ireland’s leading drama schools, produces more female graduates from their MFA class, and this has been the case for the last three years. The women are there. And they are prepared. Unfortunately, those who are ready are often offered a much smaller stage and a much smaller budget.
The debate regarding the inequality in theatre continues to grow on social media. Stage designer and arts manager Lian Bell coined the hashtag #WakingTheFeminists which has become one of Twitter’s most trending topics. The hashtag has spread massive awareness and has received support from all over the world. Celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Christine Baranski have shown their support by uploading pictures of themselves with a sign that reads “I support women in Irish Theatre #WakingTheFeminists”. Waking The Feminists has become a massive movement in itself, and this was brought to life on the 12th of November as more than thirty women took to the Abbey stage to break their silence. Their voices finally heard.
In her opening speech, Lian Bell states “we can’t keep watching talented women artists being overlooked” and addresses the fact that audiences are only ever hearing half of what is their story. In order to combat this, she repeats the Waking The Feminists mission statement, which is a call on the Abbey “as our national theatre to lead the way in establishing equality for women artists”. The campaign objectives of this movement are as follows: “Sustained policy for inclusion with plan and measurable results”, “equal championing and advancement for women” and finally “economic parity for all working in the theatre”. Although filled with potential, this promising movement is just the beginning. There is a long road ahead for women in the arts, but with this plan in our holsters, we have plenty of ammunition to take down what challenges may arise.
In her final words, arts manager Sarah Durcan reminds us that the Abbey Theatre was co-founded and funded by a woman, Lady Gregory. This is something we often forget, despite her portrait hanging high on the Abbey walls. A theatre that wouldn’t be standing if it wasn’t for a powerful woman owes it to female artists to have their voices represented. As the talk comes to a close, Durcan calls out “we stand here in our full strength and brilliance and demand what is our right as fifty percent of the population”.
There is no excuse for the appalling ratio of men to women playwrights regularly featured in the Abbey, particularly in 2015. Ireland is considered one of the most progressive countries as of late; however we will always be covered in a middle-aged veil. Unfortunately, that legacy is evident in theatre, an industry that is considered to be so fluid and evolving. The truth is, men know men, men like men and men hire men. Women are left in the shadows with work on claustrophobic stages and plays left unread.
As the debate reached its peak, Mac Conghail posted an open letter on the Abbey website, where he states “I regret the gender imbalance in our WAKING THE NATION programme… the fact that I haven’t programmed a new play by a female playwright is not something I can defend… This experience has presented a professional challenge to me as a programmer and has made me question the filters and factors that influence my decision-making”. It seems that finally our voices are being heard, and despite the discouragement of the programme, changes are approaching. Maybe this is exactly what we needed. Maybe the nation will finally wake up.
Despite the controversy of the programme, all of the plays featured are excellent and it guarantees for an exciting few months. It is a programme full of potential, but stained with inequality. I am writing this article as an editor and a journalist, but also as a recent playwright graduate and most importantly a woman. I don’t want to be another playwright who has to leave my country for my voice to be heard. It’s time our voices are fostered and not ignored. So here’s to waking the nation indeed.
