If the theatre industry were to carry out an internal audit of what has been achieved since the #MeToo watershed of 2017-18, how would it fare? There were certainly great signs heralding a new epoch in the direct aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein case. Equity launched Safe Spaces, a campaign to reduce harassment in the workplace that is still active; artistic directors programmed new work addressing the issues head-on; and female practitioners became more visible. Even the uproar over the lack of female representation in a 2019 season at the National Theatre marked a grim kind of progress, in so far as everyone noticed and demanded greater balance. And the National has, in fairness, put on an encouraging number of works by women since. In terms of the real, calculable numbers around gender inequality, however, the optics sit at quite a distance to the cold facts. Last year, a report found minimal strides had been made in the industry, and post-lockdown research throws up yet more worrying numbers.
Whenever there is progress, there is pushback from those who feel most threatened. We are seeing a backlash way beyond theatre right now, from a rise in male sexual violence against women to greater political control over reproductive rights. But the backlash is visible in theatre too, and other cultural representations of women.
