Gender roles in the theatre and film ~

On International Women's Day, I have been looking at a lot of very difficult statistics that see women wholly underrepresented in film and theatre especially. Whilst I am not a big shot Hollywood producer with a budget of millions and a trend to honour so as not to rock the boat, I sincerely do think that positive change can be effected via one's own theatre and film projects. 

Changing gender stereotypes and hitting those apparently deep rooted socialistic prejudices can happen at grass roots level. Lead by example to effect change. As a theatre director and writer, I think that if you are a director you have a duty to change the sex of a part without prejudice ~ if you are a writer/director, then create roles for women that challenge gender stereotypes. 

For example, could we have a female Sherlock Holmes? Of course we could. Why not? The role is famous due to the nature of it's writing. Holmes is a creature beyond the realm of the everyday, a person that has a devastating intellect. That to me could easily be a woman or a man. Of course fans would argue that then it is not Sherlock Holmes, that it becomes different, new, a twee attempt to satisfy some pc social media trend. But I don't think so. 

You take a role and simply change the sex and you create an interesting dimension, you have a woman playing a famous part that was written for a man by a man. That to me is fascinating. How would a woman tackle that? Change the references to the character being a man, so 'he' is replaced by 'she' and so on. 

What is achieved, what is created?

The other thing to do is to write more roles that challenge gender stereotypes; In my forays into new writing with SFT we actively take a male role and give it to a woman.
Our next immersive mystery does just that, Sammy Wilder is a film noir PI, a genre that is used to simply having femme fatales or matriarch figures to accommodate women in them. Sammy is a woman, and not a blonde twenty something.

We have cast an older actor in the role, who can still have desires, dreams, romances and strengths, a real character that does not have to satisfy the 'male gaze'. There is beauty in that. And it still entertains.
This is interesting to me and real, if theatre is a reflection of our everyday dressed up as adventure, romance or whatever genre you wish to tag upon it, truth must be valued as much as story. 

In our Bond parody show, James Frond was a bumbling idiot, saved at every turn by his secretary, Pamela Hand, the real secret agent. It is obvious to me to do such things and I always welcome advice and guidance on our shows, from female and male actors.

I'm not bragging about any of this, I'm merely pointing the ease with which female actors can achieve further in the theatre, when more and more writers and directors take what is seen to be a risk and goes with it.

So today on International Woman's Day, have a think about your art and how best you can serve the equality that is lacking in theatre, in film and other artistic forms. What would happen if you produced King Lear with a woman as Lear, or did a silly murder mystery with a female Bond?
I can tell you; the audience would be left thinking deeply and would be provoked to discussion and above all, entertained, which is what good theatre is all about.

#internationalwomensday#actors.