Cultural Competency in the Theater

Actor Agency  

Acting is a craft … a set of skills that with sustained learning and practice over time leads to high levels of proficiency.

The audience expects to see a great show and be impressed by the performance of the actor. They are often unaware that they’re experiencing the show at its peak of perfection. The stage performance evolves from script to weeks of rehearsals and multiple moving parts painstakingly brought together to make the seamless show possible.

The Space

All the moving parts that make a show come alive are made possible by human beings. Yes, directors, producers, actors, technicians, set designers, costuming, handlers, stage crews, etc. While every person is focused on performing their craft, role and task to the best of their ability human behavior and personalities can strain the process. Each of them deserve to work in a safe environment that has their best interest at heart.

A large part of my role as a Cultural Competency Consultant is to provide Actor Agency, by creating a space where the creative (artist) can do their best work, that supports their mental and emotional safety and allows them to act on their own behalf without fear of exclusion or retribution. Acting does take courage, a bit of audacity and the ability to be vulnerable. Vulnerability can sometimes leave an actor feeling powerless, targeted and excluded.

Whether it’s a micro-aggressive statement unwittingly made by a director staging a scene, an embarrassing gender identity mishap in costuming, an exclusionary interaction between cast members, or providing culturally accurate script text analysis, we are here to provide context, facilitation, coaching and guidance. Exclusion, in any form, can negatively effect an actor’s performance, cause chaos and poor morale within the cast and reputation issues for the theater. 

If you are a theater professional, organization, production company, or artist and would like the support of a Cultural Competency Consultant reach out to me for a consultation of my services.