Slot Plays: Inclusion or Subtle Prejudice?
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- St_Alia_10191
- added this
"They're called "slot plays": The Latino play, the black play, the woman play. And every season, the Denver Center Theatre Company opens up a slot — or more — to all of them.
Nobody likes the term because it implies a quota system. Some might presume that a play has been staged just to appease one target audience rather than for its value to the community as a whole. That can burden a play with lowered expectations before the curtain even rises.
"Slot plays" are a double-edged sword. They offer clear evidence of a company's ongoing commitment to underrepresented communities. They expose the mainstream audience to lesser-known writers and theatrical styles.
But slot plays can be seen as condescending to the very people they aim to attract. It happens every February when companies slot annual Black History Month plays, then forget that African- Americans exist for the rest of the year.
Of course, the alternative to slot plays is no slot plays. And that has not worked out well in the past."
Nobody likes the term because it implies a quota system. Some might presume that a play has been staged just to appease one target audience rather than for its value to the community as a whole. That can burden a play with lowered expectations before the curtain even rises.
"Slot plays" are a double-edged sword. They offer clear evidence of a company's ongoing commitment to underrepresented communities. They expose the mainstream audience to lesser-known writers and theatrical styles.
But slot plays can be seen as condescending to the very people they aim to attract. It happens every February when companies slot annual Black History Month plays, then forget that African- Americans exist for the rest of the year.
Of course, the alternative to slot plays is no slot plays. And that has not worked out well in the past."
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- groups:
- Entertainment, Culture, Art and Style, Feminism, 1 more
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- tags:
- Entertainment, Culture, Art and Style, Women, 10 more
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wayseeker
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That's a fantastic picture.
- 3 years ago
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wayseeker
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St_Alia_10191
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wayseeker:
It is! Here's the caption for it, "In this season's Latino "slot play," Ricardo Gutierrez plays Candelaro Serrano in the Denver Center Theatre Company's world premiere of "Sunsets and Margaritas." The playwright workshopped his script in "story circles" in Latino neighborhoods from Denver to Pueblo. The comedy runs through May 17. (Terry Shapiro)"
- 3 years ago
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St_Alia_10191
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pjacobs51
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Inclusion or Subtle Prejudice?
I would have to say "yes"
- 3 years ago
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pjacobs51
