The performing arts have had a tumultuous relationship with people of color throughout the years. Consider musical theatre’s problematic history with shows like Miss Saigon, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Showboat where the bits and pieces of POC roles are marred through the romanticization of imperialism, and offensive caricatures and stereotypes posing as meaningful representation. Given the modern musical’s origins in racist minstrelsy shows rife with blackface, and consistent favor toward those who have white privilege, it strikes as no surprise learning that these origins have led to disappointing statistics such as that 94% of directors on Broadway are white, and that 2/3 of Broadway roles are fulfilled by white actors.
In the wake of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movements, actors of color have made their stances public on speaking out on personal injustices faced whether on the stage or from their management. On June 4th, 2020 Jelani Alladin of Frozen & Hercules fame spoke surrounding the importance of utilizing one’s platform on culling injustice. “In the theatre we talk about how we’ve done our job if we change one person’s heart or one person’s mind. Why does the same thing not apply to Black lives and your opinions on that?” Alladin opined, speaking out on the utmost importance surrounding amplification of BIPOC voices rather than silence that favors the oppressor.
As an active member within musical theatre through VSMT, straight theatre through VST, and a cappella through Measure Up, I have struggled with the question of representation. Within the theatre spaces on campus, there are often times where I note wistfully that I am the only person of color in the room occasionally. However, independent of this, there are only a handful of POC who remain active in either VSMT or VST. While I can find some solace in Measure Up, which remains the most racially diverse a cappella group on campus, there have been incidents concerning the broader a cappella community that I cannot help but think about during these times of introspection.
Villanova as a predominantly white institution is all the more prone toward having this culture seep through in the entirety of its student activities. However, there exist spaces that are dominated by POC within the various dance groups on campus compared to the white-dominated campus fields of a cappella and theatre. In recognizing that, I knew that I alone could not answer the questions swirling the presence of meaningful representation and the experience of a POC navigating these spaces. I expanded my search to include a range of perspectives ranging from Voices to The Superlatives to VST. While this may not represent the whole experience of a POC involved in Performing Arts, I attempted to paint as clear a picture as possible.
Theatre
“VST’s always been a place of love. There’s no one that’s in it that’s outwardly hateful. However, even as a half person of color, I’ve noticed some things so easily. Once, in a show, I was told that me and the only other person of color in the show were ethnic enough to fit in the diversity requirement.” A VST student reflected, referring back to her time in A Streetcar Named Desire where a director made a flippant comment that managed to create an uncomfortable environment for her. Her performing arts experience had been strictly toward Villanova Student Theatre during her time at Villanova. The student noted that there were so few Black women and other women of color within the organization, leading to situations where POC students were relegated toward certain roles such as how the sole Black woman would get cast in the “angry” roles that invoked the offensive stereotype. She continued to reflect on her experience during the interview by illuminating some other experiences that she had noted during her time in the organization.
“During the hiring process for a show, I remember there were two directors that were equally qualified, one white and one Black. However, I just felt as if no one ever thought of the diversity and inclusion for the organization. We talked about qualifications and experience of the white candidate without analyzing why there would be gaps for the Black director.” The student continued, speaking further on how she did not want her opinions to be qualified and diminished by peers by her trying to strive for more diversity in the organization. However, she constantly reiterated VST being a wonderful organization to be a part of, and stressed that her speaking was out of a desire for improvement.
A holistic picture was created when she spoke about the extracurricular activities such as parties and other social events independent of rehearsals. “Some hangouts are weird now because it feels like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop after that incident regarding the N-word at the party. I know that people are pretty fine and that I can have a good time, but this year may be different given the climate” The student actress continued, citing an incident appearing on @blackvillanova concerning a student instantly feeling their safe space violated when another castmate explicitly said the N-word at a party they were attending.
“It was always in someone’s mind, but never presently acted upon in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable.” A VSMT student added his perspective combining his experience with being in an all-male a cappella group. He spoke about his recognition of the lack of more than a handful of people of color within VSMT and in a cappella.
“I have not had a personal microaggression that I have experienced within any of the Performing Arts spaces, but it should be noted that I’m very white-passing which I, unfortunately, would call a blessing.” He continued to reflect, drawing upon his experiences collectively through VST, VSMT, and a cappella. He continued to speak about how it was a radical difference behind growing up within a diverse community and the stark contrast between that to the predominantly white institution that Villanova upholds in its population, but reiterated his continued support and overall positive experience within the Performing Arts spaces.
However, one of the positive aspects concerning theatre was the presence of mentorship and kinship among members of color within these organizations.
“I’m fortunate enough that whenever issues concerning race are talked about, other people manage to bring up these issues. If there was a problem, and no one would feel comfy saying it, I would say something with no problem. However, my Big in my organization will take shit from absolutely no one and will be unafraid to share his opinion. To see often the only person of color in a room be so open about it, it was incredible to see.” Oftentimes, in a world where so much of the social and cultural aspect of theatre is driven by its community, it is unsurprising to see that the small moments of interpersonal relationships drive the safety and comfort that any person of color experiences.
Singing Groups
Outside of theatre, there are a number of groups that specialize in singing ranging from one of the eight a cappella groups on campus to the open Singers and Voices choirs for those who identify as men and women respectively. These groups also contribute to the cultural landscape of Villanova through their works in the Performing Arts on campus. However, despite the range of openness toward those who choose to participate, some problems remain analogous to those afflicting the theatre groups on campus.
“In Voices, we were supposed to sing Glory from Selma. I’m assuming that the goal was for it to be a statement by Voices concerning the BLM movement. However, I felt it was disrespectful since there’s only a handful of women of color and specifically Black women within the choir, even if I understood the sentiment.” While the situation ultimately resolved, and the student felt that they were entirely supported in their concerns, it was an incident that they felt was worth mentioning in that these missteps can happen regardless of the best of intentions.
“During another time during Palooza 2019, someone in another a cappella group kept apologizing to me for racism. I didn’t want to say anything that would make it my job to absolve him of his white guilt. It put me into an awkward position because I felt that it’s better to use your actions to acknowledge that it’s a thing, but outwardly apologizing places the burden on me as a person of color to make you feel better.”
However, a common agreement alongside the experiences of those interviewed concerning theatre on campus was the presence of mentor figures. Despite this though, there comes along an added pressure on existing students of color within organizations to become the zeitgeist concerning speaking about uncomfortable issues surrounding representation within a cappella and other singing groups.
“I had Camille from Haveners, Azzeiza from Nothing But Treble, and Ashay from Spires as people I could talk to especially in Freshmen year, and I thought it was cool that there were people of color that I could reach out to. However, now that I am the next oldest Black person in my group, I wonder if I need to act as the role model for the younger women of color in my group and future ones? It’s a lot of pressure to try and live and be strong constantly.” Despite the tepid interaction between being grateful for any form of representation and the pressure of having to uphold the burden and title of the future, the student singer also made note to praise the unique environment that smaller spaces can create meaningful conversation.
“I really appreciate the way we make the safe space within my group. We’re very open about mental health issues, sexuality, and racial issues; we are judgment-free zone which I appreciate. The only thing that I would say is that there are times where I wish there was a reframing on focusing the conversation on improving and answering concerns rather than simply going back-and-forth in a conversation, as well as a need for fostering participation from the whole group rather than 5-6 people usually speaking. I know that I found a lot of support when I was clearly upset about the song situation, and everyone was open to helping. To me, it’s not just about wanting to sing in a group, it’s about wanting to feel safe and feeling like my voice matters because at the end of the day, issues like these affect me the most directly.”
Concluding Thoughts
The important distinction was to note that each student interviewed remained in agreement about how the responsibility of increasing meaningful diversity and inclusion still remained primarily in the hands of the administration.
“The best thing that we can do now is advocate for the steps for the University to take to diversify the student body. The student body that is being accepted, admitted, and enrolling is predominantly white. A smaller percentage of students of color are those who audition and an even smaller percentage currently get into groups.” One student reflected, citing that they personally felt that every group was trying hard to improve in the ways that they could. However, though it may seem obvious, even to blame the individual student-run societies that the performing arts are founded on ends up wiping away the responsibility from the administration which has continually failed to improve outreach toward students of color and BIPOC especially. “I couldn’t really figure out whether each group was trying to check the diversity checkbox for themselves, but I later realized that it was very much that the school did not have enough that tried out for music activities.”
However, despite this broad agreement concerning the administration needing to do more, some students also had ideas on continuing improvements that individual societies could take toward ensuring that future years would have a more representative body.
“There are some simple steps that we haven’t taken that I believe could go a long way. There should be bias training for directors, and actively look into our Constitution to ensure that diversity and sensitivity training ought to be prioritized. I feel that seeing things like fierce declarations of antiracism are good starts, but there needs to be action taken rather than washing away responsibility. Do more shows that have color-conscious casting, do more shows that have roles that may not necessarily be written for a specific race but have been originated by POC actors.” Another student opined, citing the important distinction between tokenization where diversity is used merely as a checkbox and the active creation of a space for people of color. “I’d rather hear an honest review saying that ‘We have problems, but here are the steps that we’re gonna take to make it better’ than hearing any old-fashioned statement that ignores past problems.”
Speaking personally, in a world where oftentimes the lived experiences and trauma that people of color endure from a predominantly white campus are hand waved away, I know that I’m constantly at a crossroads where I’m tired of fruitless statements that have no impact, yet also I feel frustrated and burdened that the burden to educate is always on my shoulders where I have to place my trauma into view to get people to validate my existence or become more empathetic. I’m ever grateful for my safe space within Measure Up, but this environment is only achieved conditionally with more students of color involved in the performing arts. While I know I can recognize a problem of administration with Villanova’s refusal to engage in more financial support or admissions efforts towards POC and specifically BIPOC students, I also can recognize that inaction by administration does not preclude organizations from assuming responsibility for prioritizing meaningful diversity.
This sentiment has been echoed by those in positions of power in their respective organizations, such as the following student in charge of VSMT.
“We are a predominantly white group: oftentimes, we don’t often realize the cases that may be leaving people out. It’s helpful to hear the ways in which there might be areas of improvement for an all-white Board, and for leadership to hear about the ways we can help. Getting sensitivity training made me realize that, especially in serving in a high level of board, there are so many actions I can take that I hadn’t considered before.”