Women make up 50% of the population.
Women buy 70% of theatre tickets sold.
Women make up between 60-70% of audiences in theatres for every performance.
But male roles in the industry outnumber those for women on an average of two to one.
An unofficial survey concluded that women are placed in an average of 35% of all roles, and therefore stories focusing on men outnumber those of women by the same amount.
The absence of an adiquate number of HERstories in the theatre has got many a critical tongue wagging, especially over the summer of 2012 where a number of all-male or male dominated plays were aired in London's testosterone-fuelled West End.
The predominant culprits were said to be Mark Rylance's all male Twelfth Night, Propeller Theatre's touring productions of Henry V and Winter's Tale which concluded at the Hampstead theatre, and finally Chariots of Fire, Which with its cast of 18 men and only 3 women transfered to the Guilgud theatre for an extended run ending early next year.
Now, I would like to point out that I saw 3/4 of these productions, and they were excellent. Despite being a firm believer in sexual equality, I did not feel cheated in any way with the absence of an excessive number of actresses.
But I understand exactly why so many did.
One who made her opinions known on the subject was playwright Stella Duffy;
"Theatre, as we learn in Hamlet, is supposed to offer a window on society and yet women are treated as though they are a minority. If we don't tackle this, what hope is there for the female disabled actor, the black woman actor – they have been made a minority twice," she said. "We need, as women, to be more circumspect, to seek out plays with female roles – it is not easy, but it is worth doing."
Some may view this as a bit of an exaggeration, But how much do we aspiring actresses of the next generation need to worry? Well according to Lynda Rooke, the chair of the women's committee at Equity, a fair bit;
"If young women want to go into the arts and they are not seeing their gender reflected that is a problem – you can't be what you can't see." Yikes.
Well as of late I have been fortunate enough to SEE women being represented in the theatre, and with a strength and quality that arguably, no number of all male companies could deliver.
The first of these was Berenice at the Donmar Warehouse. Set in Palestine at the height of the Roman Empire, This is a play that independantly captures the agonies of love, both reciprocated and unrequited. The success of this production sits upon the dainty shoulders of Anne Marie Duff, who plays the title role with effortlace grace, entirely inhabiting the role to her fingertips.
The second production was Scenes from an Execution written by Howard Barker and is another piece that again presents a woman at the forefront of the action. Galactia- flawlessly played by the outstanding Fiona Shaw; is a passionate artist, and is commissioned by the state to paint the valiant "Battle of Lepanto". But in a persuit to remain true to herself and her morals, she instead creates a vast canvas of carnage and butchery, which leads to her facing incarceration.
Now, aside from the obvious, I realized these pieces have several things in common.
The first being that both Berenice and Galactia as characters demonstrate a weakness on the subject of love.
In Berenice, the title character is emotionally torn at the discovery that she can not be eternally bound to her lover, Titus, and that she must flee at the request of the people. Her suffering is so severe that at one stage she expresses a desire to take her own life.
Execution also explores the relationship between women and love. At first, it appears that Galactia is merely a sexual predator, using her lover Carpeta for purely a physical satisfaction. But as the plot unfolds it becomes clear that the artist is governed by the first real love of her life, confessing of a weakness in her self when her lover is not by her side.
Now, as both these plays were written by men; some of the more "Feminist" amongst you may argue that this is a potentially sexist presumption that has been made.
But stop right there! Because as well as being at a disadvantage from their love affairs, both of these characters remain strong, confident, charming and above all Femine, truly exhibiting the epitome of womanhood.
So, are we women soon to become a minority? Well, I can't answer that. But the evidence is there that women are more times than not being under represented in the theatrical industry. But,with a handful more productions such as the one's above (Including the all- Female production of Julius Ceasre at the Donmar Warehouse- Yes that's right!) we'll be sure to see the gender gap narrowing down. Well, a little bit anyway.
