At 61.5 % of available roles across the industry, White actors continue to be the only race to overrepresent by almost double their respective population size in NYC. Black actors represented at 23.2%, Asian American actors 6.9%, Latinx actors 6.1%, MENA actors 2% and Indigenous Actors 0.2%

This site provides some historical information about representation on- and off-stage. The research here draws on work in progress under the umbrella of a larger data-driven history, Visualizing Broadway. It will be updated as new research develops.

Catalyzed by the nationwide movement and rooted in ongoing regional conversations about racism and white supremacy in theater spaces, a Bay Area-based community document was created, entitled “Living Document: POC Experiences in Bay Area Theater Co.”

Advocacy for Performers With Disabilities officially began in 1980 with committees at SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of TV & Radio Artists), Actors Equity, WGAW Writers With Disabilities Committee (Writers Guild of America), and CA Media Access Office, leading to task forces with AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture & TV Producers), the Broadway League, Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, and other initiatives. From 2009-2012 the IAMPWD Campaign (Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People With Disabilities), PWDs began to significantly raise consciousness in the industry, and 2017-2020 saw a tripling of employment of PWDs in the industry.

Launched in 2016, The Sol Project is a national theater initiative dedicated to producing the work of Latine playwrights in New York City and beyond.

Guided by the values of joy, rigor and generosity, The Sol Project works in partnership with leading theaters around the country to amplify Latinx voices and build artistic homes for artists of color.

Initiated last year by the leadership of TYA theatres across the country, the study was commissioned by TYA/USA to provide concrete data as a tool for meaningful change and accountability. Key findings demonstrate that the TYA industry has made strides for increased representation in terms of gender and race across the last decade, but racial diversity in live theatre for young people is not yet representative of the US population.

In the midst of the uprising brought about by the death of George Floyd, playwright Keelay Gipson and Stacey Rose felt compelled to cease the momentum of the time to escalate substantive change within the American Theatre. They felt that work began with gaining an understanding of how Theatre Makers of Color felt they exist in the industry vs. how they actually exist. In an effort to seek this understanding, they created the Theatre Makers of Color Requirement Survey.