When the producers of Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner recently asked publications to only send critics of colour to review the show in Melbourne, the ensuing controversy once again threw a spotlight on the gatekeepers of Australian theatre.
Issues of diversity and inclusion, which had been swept under the carpet to a large extent by the existential crisis of Covid-19, were front and centre again, prompting a furore on social media, open letters and a controversial piece in the Age that criticised the decision as “a misguided move that promotes tokenism” and was, in print, accompanied by a cartoon deemed offensive by some readers.
Now, in an industry first, Melbourne Theatre Company has arrived at what it hopes will be part of a solution: a group of artists diverse in both culture and age, including lighting designers, actors, directors, writers, comedians and activists, who will form an advisory council to those making programming decisions at the MTC.
The panel will advise on wide-ranging issues including a disability action plan, cultural inclusion on stage and behind the scenes, and on what culturally diverse audiences want to see, as well as on broader issues such as reducing the company’s carbon footprint.
The move sets out to amplify voices who have long been left out of top-level decision-making in the state theatre companies across the country.
Zindzi Okenyo, co-director of Kylie Jenner, is part of the new advisory group. She said her experience with Kylie Jenner showed her “theatre is moving and changing” and now she wants to be part of leading the change: “For me, it’s about how we can be even more inclusive and how do we move forward together.”
MTC artistic director and co-CEO Anne-Louise Sarks, a practising artist herself, said “urgent listening is needed” at the company.
“It is essential to gain insight and expertise from all backgrounds and generations and practices,” she said. “We’re here because of the art, and it has to be the starting point.”
The group of 12 are: queer comedian Zoë Coombs Marr; Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri theatre and film artist Tony Briggs; actor, writer and director in the disability arts sector Kate Hood; veteran playwright Patricia Cornelius; lighting and set designer and dramaturg Paul Jackson; Hong Kong-Australian artist Roshelle Fong; performer and arts activist Sonya Suares; Wiradjuri and Worimi playwright Amy Sole; Merium/Torres Strait performer Corey Saylor-Brunskill; writer and performer Margot Morales; Stephen Nicolazzo, co-founder of the queer theatre company Little Ones Theatre; and Okenyo, who is also an actor and recording artist.
Serving on the panel for two years, the group will meet four times a year and each member will also have one-to-one meetings with Sarks on their individual areas of expertise.
Sarks said the group will advise and inform the decision-makers in the company, but will not have a direct say in what plays are programmed.
“It is an advisory group, not a programming group,” she said. “But this is about acknowledging that everything the company does is informed by these artists who have specific expertise, and they represent society as a whole.”
Cessalee Stovall, founder and director of Stage A Change, a group that advocates for more professional opportunities for artists of colour in Australia, welcomed the announcement as one that “addresses historic exclusion and creates pathways for increased and meaningful representation”.
“The success or failure of the artistic associate model often comes down to the level of inclusion and empowerment given to the artists from the directors, board, audiences, and staff,” Stovall said. “These sorts of initiatives do run the risk of being a bit performative, but I am optimistic about the new leadership at MTC and look forward to seeing them lead the change the sector so urgently needs in this way.”
Audience response is one urgent topic for discussion. Sarks said the company’s recent production Sunday, Anthony Weigh’s play based on the life of the Melbourne art world figure Sunday Reed, broke the record for the highest-selling single day of a new Australian work post-opening night, based on word-of-mouth buzz and rave reviews.
“We need to know what drew audiences to Sunday and then what is next?” Sarks said. “We have to be very responsive but also ahead of the curve, what do we have in 2024, 2025 and 2026? That’s why it’s essential to have this broad experience in the advisory council. It makes the conversation so much richer.”
The establishment of the advisory panel will help the company reassess its culture and the type of work it presents, says Okenyo.
“There are a lot of artists really pushing the boundaries and holding companies to account in terms of the work that needs to be programmed,” she said. “Speaking personally, one of my missions is the creation of Black work because it’s something the theatre industry has not programmed historically.
“Black work is gaining so much momentum now. It’s not just a Black Lives Matter phase. There’s a genuine push and presenting it means we are going forward and seeing new audiences coming in, as opposed to being stagnant and doing the same as we have always done, which is really going backwards.”
Briggs said the group had impressive depth of knowledge and experience. “So far, the conversations have been really fascinating and really frank. It’s been fantastic to be sitting amongst these extraordinary minds. You can’t please everybody but you sure as hell can come in close.”
Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2023 season is Anne-Louise Sarks’s inaugural season as artistic director. Their next production, directed by Sarks, is Bernhardt/Hamlet and opens 4 March
