Let’s talk about socioeconomic bias in non-profit theatre! A mini-lesson for y’all, using the lens of layoffs and furloughs during the pandemic.

We all (should) know that there is a massive barrier to entry in the theatre industry due to the horrifying amount of UNPAID and UNDERPAID work that we demand of new entrants in the field. This, right off the bat, bars a significant number of people from even working in theatre.

For the handful of folks from low-to-middle income backgrounds who do break into the field, there are then significant hurdles to advancement: the long hours that functionally prevent taking on additional work, the heinous commutes when you can’t live close to the theatre, etc.

There is a huge amount of drop-off in middle management, because by your late twenties/early thirties, you can’t afford to work in poverty any longer. You have parents and kids to take care of. You need to save for retirement. You leave the field.

What does this have to do with COVID layoffs and furloughs, you ask? At professional theatres that are forced to remove folks from the workforce right now, take a look at the staff members who are continuing to work.

By and large, the folks remaining on staffs across the country are those that come from very financially privileged backgrounds.

“But they just happen to be the ones whose jobs are super essential right now, it hasn’t nothing to do with their background!”

Well...

There is a direct correlation between these positions and financial privilege. These workers, most of whom are good and hardworking folks, were able to get into these vital roles because they were able to spend YEARS as unpaid/underpaid workers, building up their work history.

These are not coincidences, it’s how the system of nonprofit theatre was built to function.

TL;DR: literally everything has to do with money and power.