vaov:
Mortifying. I wonder how many, on top of that, are Hispanic. Sometimes I feel like it was so absurd to come to NY and change languages to do this.
I felt the same discouragement when I saw so many Harold teams in Chicago an they had barely any woman and ZERO minorities. I am not discouraged all the time (I think I can do it) but still.
I’ve been thinking about these topics a lot lately.
Sexism definitely exists in the entertainment industry and the hiring process, but women still have work to do on our end. We need to be getting out there, writing and taking control. No Maude team has more than two (out of six) female writers. Two teams have only one female writer. I don’t think this indicates sexism in the application process; it indicates women aren’t writing enough. I want to see more women in the theatre write — Spanks, sketches, videos — everything!
Is it scary to show people something you’ve worked on that you’re claiming is funny? Yes (at first)! Is it a hurdle every successful writer male or female has jumped! Yes (always)! These fears, of course, are not exclusive to women, but much more common.
Women wait for permission. I often hear statements like “I don’t know if I’m ready to coach/direct” “I’d like to write, but what if it sucks,” “I’m not ready for my own show” etc. Women, in general, are totally paranoid about “being ready.” I’m going to let you in on a secret: no one’s ever ready. You just forge ahead or you don’t.
So, if you’re looking for permission, how about this: I grant you permission. You’re good enough; you’re ready.
Go out in the world. Tell them Caitlin Tegart sent you.
What my girl Caitlin said.
PS - Don’t think.
writewritewritewritewrite
