Who Designs & Directs in LORT Theatres by Pronoun and Porsche McGovern

“Are we getting closer to gender parity in design in LORT theatres?”

RESEARCH PROJECT: Who Designs & Directs in LORT Theatres by Pronoun

COVERAGE: 2012-2013 to 2017-2018 TheaterSeasons

RESEARCH PARTNERS: Porsche McGovern

I look at who designs and directs in LORT theatres by Pronoun. I examine the data through geographical regions, contract categories, averages, prolificity, correlations between disciplines, how design teams are comprised, among other ways.

FINDINGS: Are we getting closer to gender parity in design in LORT theatres? The short answer is yes, albeit very slowly and with a good chunk of caveats. Over the six seasons, the percentage of she designers in positions increased 6.0 percent overall to 33.0 percent. Individual disciplines varied. In lighting and projection/video, the percentage of she designers in positions more than doubled. But the percentage of she designers in sound design positions only went up by 0.3 percent.