The Visibility Report
Racial Representation on NYC Stages
Our Mission
The mission of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) on diversity with artistic institutions and the Broadway community including partnering with allies on national initiatives. While our work remains specific to New York City, we endeavor to have a meaningful impact on representation for Asian Americans in the greater American theatre.
is to expand the perception of Asian American performers in order to increase their access to and representation on New York City’s stages. AAPAC publishes the only publicly available annual statistics report on racial representation in the NYC area of its kind and has been a leader in discussions and forums
www.aapacnyc.org
AAPAC is an Obie Award-winning, volunteerdriven organization with limited resources. If you find these statistics useful, we ask that you make a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas. Go to www.fracturedatlas.org and search for AAPAC or go to our direct page:
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We thank you in advance for your donation and support!
This report was made possible through the generous support of the American Theatre Wing.
Introduction
The following report presents statistics for the 2019-2020 theatre season up until the industry-wide closure in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although many anticipated shows were canceled or cut-short, we have included all productions that had official openings prior to the shut-down in an effort to document the season for archival purposes. We have refrained from any deeper analysis of the season in consideration of the fact that it was truncated and may not reflect the full breadth and scope of the season as intended. Many shows that were canceled on and off-Broadway were revived in the 2021-2022 season and will be included in the report for that season. It is with deep hope that our industry will never endure another shut-down again and that New York theatre will continue to forge ahead better and more equitable than ever.
Pun Bandhu and Julienne Hanzelka Kim Co-Authors
on behalf of the AAPAC Steering Committee: Pun Bandhu, Cindy Cheung, Vichet Chum, Angel Desai, Christine Toy Johnson, Peter Kim, Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Kenneth Lee, Eileen Rivera, Lipica Shah and Nandita Shenoy.
Overall: Actors Across Both Sectors
Actors
20.4%
BIPOC actors who identified as Mixed-race
Broadway Actors
Broadway Musicals
Featured
Principal vs. Chorus
Broadway Plays
Lead vs. Featured
actors secured...
of all lead roles White actors secured...
of all lead roles
of all lead roles
of all featured roles
of all featured roles
of all featured roles
of all featured roles
of all lead roles 2.9% of all featured roles
of all featured roles
Non-Profit Actors
Non-Profit Theatre Comparison
2019–2020 Season
Inclusive Casting: How Often Are BIPOC Actors Hired Without Regard to Race?
Racially-Specific Casting vs. Inclusive Casting
Percentage of roles that went to BIPOC actors in non-raciallyspecific roles at non-profits
Percentage of roles that went to BIPOC actors in non-raciallyspecific roles on Broadway
Earnings by race
For every $1 spent on White actors...
$0.18was spent on Asian American actors
$0.15 was spent on Latinx actors
$0.02 was spent on MENA actors
$0 was spent on Indigenous actors
$0.49 was spent on Black actors
$0.85 was spent on BIPOC actors
$1 spent on White actors
Overall: Writers Across Both Sectors
Writers
White 4% Latinx 2.1% MENA
of all writers hired were BIPOC. only 25.3% 12.1% Black 7.1% Asian American 0% Indigenous 24% BIPOC writers who identified as Mixed-race
Non-Profit
Broadway Plays and Musicals Combined
Overall: Directors Across Both Sectors
Directors
Non-Profit Directors
Overall: Designers Across Both Sectors
Designers
Racial Breakdown By Design Discipline:
Broadway Designers
Non-Profit Designers
Broadway Plays & Musicals
2019–2020 Season
Plays
A CHRISTMAS CAROL adapted by Jack Thorne; directed by Matthew Warchus
BETRAYAL by Harold Pinter; directed by Jamie Lloyd
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE by Terrence McNally; directed by Arin Arbus
SEA WALL/A LIFE by Simons Stephens & Nick Payne; directed by Carrie Cracknell
SLAVE PLAY by Jeremy O. Harris; directed by Robert O’Hara
THE INHERITANCE by Matthew López; directed by Stephen Daldry
Musicals
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY book by Conor McPherson; music and lyrics by Bob Dylan; directed by Conor McPherson
JAGGED LITTLE PILL book by Diablo Cody; music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard; lyrics by Alanis Morissette; additional music by Michael Farrell and Guy Sigsworth; directed by Diane Paulus
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL book by John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Justin Levine; directed by Alex Timbers
TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL book by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins; music supervision, arrangements and additional music by Nicholas Skilbeck; directed by Phyllida Lloyd
THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL book by Joe Tracz; music & lyrics by Rob Rokicki; adapted from the book, “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan; directed by Stephen Brackett
WEST SIDE STORY based on a conception by Jerome Robbins; book by Arthur Laurents; music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; directed by Ivo van Hove
Non-Profit Productions by Theatre
2019–2020 Season
Ars Nova
DR. RIDE’S AMERICAN BEACH HOUSE by Liza Birkenmeier; directed by Katie Brook
Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theatre:
HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN by Stephen Adly Guirgis; directed by John Ortiz (co-production with the LAByrinth Theater Company)
SUNDAY by Jack Thorne; directed by Lee Sunday Evans
Atlantic Stage 2:
ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE by Alice Birch; directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz
PARIS by Eboni Booth; directed by Knud Adams
Classic Stage Company
DRACULA by Kate Hamill; based on the novel by Bram Stoker; directed by Sarna Lapine
FRANKENSTEIN by Tristan Bernays; based on the novel by Mary Shelley; directed by Timothy Douglas
MACBETH by William Shakespeare, directed by John Doyle
Irish Repertory Theatre
DUBLIN CAROL by Conor McPherson; directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
INCANTATA by Paul Muldoon; directed by Sam Yates
KINGFISHERS CATCH FIRE by Robin Glendinning; directed by Kent Paul
Irish Repertory Theatre (continued from previous page)
LADY G, PLAYS AND WHISPERINGS OF LADY GREGORY by Lady Augusta Gregory with additional material by Ciarán O’Reilly; directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
LONDON ASSURANCE by Dion Boucicault; directed by Charlotte Moore
PUMPGIRL by Abbie Spallen; directed by Nicola Murphy
Lincoln Center Theater
Mitzi Newhouse Theater:
GREATER CLEMENTS by Samuel D. Hunter; directed by Davis McCallum
LCT3, Claire Tow Theater:
POWER STRIP by Sylvia Khoury; directed by Tyne Rafaeli
THE HEADLANDS by Christopher Chen; directed by Knud Adams
Broadway, Vivian Beaumont Theater:
*THE GREAT SOCIETY by Robert Schenkkan; directed by Bill Rauch
Broadway, Studio 54:
*THE SOUND INSIDE by Adam Rapp; directed by David Cromer
MCC Theater
The Newman Mills Theater:
THE WRONG MAN book by Ross Golan, directed by Thomas Kail; music and lyrics by Ross Golan
The Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater:
ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS by C.A. Johnson; directed by Kate Whoriskey
SEARED by Theresa Rebeck; directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Manhattan Theatre Club
Broadway, Samuel Friedman:
*MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON by Rona Munro from novel by Elizabeth Strout; directed by Richard Eyre (co-produced by The London Theatre Company and Penguin Random House Audio)
*THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM by Florian Zeller; directed by Jonathan Kent
Irish Repertory Theatre (continued from previous page)
LADY G, PLAYS AND WHISPERINGS OF LADY GREGORY by Lady Augusta Gregory with additional material by Ciarán O’Reilly; directed by Ciarán O’Reilly
LONDON ASSURANCE by Dion Boucicault; directed by Charlotte Moore
PUMPGIRL by Abbie Spallen; directed by Nicola Murphy
Lincoln Center Theater
Mitzi Newhouse Theater:
GREATER CLEMENTS by Samuel D. Hunter; directed by Davis McCallum
LCT3, Claire Tow Theater:
POWER STRIP by Sylvia Khoury; directed by Tyne Rafaeli
THE HEADLANDS by Christopher Chen; directed by Knud Adams
Broadway, Vivian Beaumont Theater:
*THE GREAT SOCIETY by Robert Schenkkan; directed by Bill Rauch
Broadway, Studio 54:
*THE SOUND INSIDE by Adam Rapp; directed by David Cromer
MCC Theater
The Newman Mills Theater:
THE WRONG MAN book by Ross Golan, directed by Thomas Kail; music and lyrics by Ross Golan
The Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater:
ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS by C.A. Johnson; directed by Kate Whoriskey
SEARED by Theresa Rebeck; directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Manhattan Theatre Club
Broadway, Samuel Friedman:
*MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON by Rona Munro from novel by Elizabeth Strout; directed by Richard Eyre (co-produced by The London Theatre Company and Penguin Random House Audio)
*THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM by Florian Zeller; directed by Jonathan Kent
Manhattan Theatre Club (continued from previous page)
Stage I:
BELLA BELLA by Harvey Fierstein; directed by Kimberly Senior
THE PERPLEXED by Richard Greenberg; directed by Lynne Meadow
Stage II:
THE NEW ENGLANDERS by Jeff Augustin; directed by Saheem Ali
The New Group
Daryl Roth Theatre:
CYRANO adapted by Erica Schmidt; directed by Erica Schmidt; music by Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner of the National and lyrics by Matt Berninger of the National and Carin Besser
The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre:
BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE book by Jonathan Marc Sherman; directed by Scott Elliott; music & lyrics by Duncan Sheik
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
ONE IN TWO by Donja R. Love; directed by Stevie Walker-Webb
New York Theatre Workshop
ENDLINGS by Celine Song; directed by Sammi Cannold
“RUNBOYRUN & IN OLD AGE by Mfoniso Udofia; directed by Loretta Greco and Awoye Timpo”
SING STREET Book by Enda Walsh; directed by Rebecca Taichman; Music & Lyrics by Gary Clark & John Carney
Playwrights Horizons
Mainstage:
HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING by Will Arbery; directed by Danya Taymor
UNKNOWN SOLDIER book by Daniel Goldstein; directed by Trip Cullman; music & lyrics by Michael Friedman and lyrics by Daniel Goldstein
Peter Jay Sharp:
THE THIN PLACE by Lucas Hnath; directed by Les Waters
WIVES by Jaclyn Backhaus; directed by Margot Bordelon
Primary Stages
THE CONFESSION OF LILY DARE by Charles Busch; directed by Carl Andress
The Public Theater
Newman Theater:
SOFT POWER book & lyrics by David Henry Hwang; directed by Leigh Silverman; music & additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori (co-production with Center Theatre Group)
Anspacher Theater:
A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY by Tony Kushner; directed by Oskar Eustis
COAL COUNTRY by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen; directed by Jessica Blank; music by Steve Earle
The Martinson Hall:
FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF by Ntozake Shange; directed by Leah C. Gardiner
The LuEsther Hall:
THE MICHAELS by Richard Nelson; directed by Richard Nelson
Roundabout Theatre
Broadway:
*A SOLDIER’S PLAY by Charles Fuller; directed by Kenny Leon
*THE ROSE TATTOO by Tennessee Williams; directed by Trip Cullman
Laura Pels Theatre:
SCOTLAND, PA book by Michael Mitnick; directed by Lonny Price; music & lyrics by Adam Gwon
72 MILES TO GO by Hillary Bettis; directed by Jo Bonney
Roundabout Underground, Black Box Theatre:
DARLING GRENADINE book, music & lyrics by Daniel Zaitchik; directed by Michael Berresse
Second Stage Theater
Broadway, Helen Hayes Theater:
*GRAND HORIZONS by Bess Wohl; directed by Leigh Silverman
*LINDA VISTA by Tracy Letts; directed by Dexter Bullard (co-production with Center Theatre Group)
Second Stage Theater (continued from previous page)
Tony Kiser Theater:
THE UNDERLYING CHRIS by Will Eno; directed by Kenny Leon
WE’RE GONNA DIE by Young Jean Lee; directed by Raja Feather Kelly
McGinn-Cazale Theatre:
*OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD by Alexis Scheer; directed by Whitney White ( co-production with WP Theater)
Signature Theatre
Irene Diamond Stage:
CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND by Lauren Yee; directed by Chay Yew
THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA by Horton Foote; directed by Michael Wilson
The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre:
FIRES IN THE MIRROR by Anna Deavere Smith; directed by Saheem Ali
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre:
THE HOT WING KING by Katori Hall; directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
Theatre for a New Audience
FEFU AND HER FRIENDS by Maria Irene Fornes; directed by Lileana Blain Cruz
TIMON OF ATHENS by William Shakespeare; directed by Simon Godwin (Co-Production with Shakespeare Theatre Company)
WHY? by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne; directed by Peter Brook and MarieHélène Estienne
Vineyard Theatre
DANA H. by Lucas Hnath; directed by Les Waters (co-production with The Goodman Theatre, Center Theatre Group)
IS THIS A ROOM conceived by Tina Satter; directed by Tina Satter
WP Theater
*OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD by Alexis Scheer; directed by Whitney White (coproduction with Second Stage)
WHERE WE STAND by Donnetta Lavinia Grays; directed by Tamilla Woodard (coproduction with Baltimore Center Stage)
*IndicatesaproductionproducedonBroadwaybyanon-profittheatrethatwasnotacommercialtransfer.
Acknowledgments
Data Visualization, Graphic Design, Report Layout by Alyssa Achacoso
Database Input by Alyssa Achacoso
Report Written by Pun Bandhu and Julienne Hanzelka Kim
Statistics Committee
Pun Bandhu (report co-chair), Julienne Hanzelka Kim (report co-chair), Cindy Cheung, Vichet Chum, Angel Desai, Christine Toy Johnson, Peter Kim, Kenneth Lee, Eileen Rivera, Lipica Shah, Nandita Shenoy
Non-Profit Board Members Data collected by: Lindsay Brill, Ka-Ling Cheung, Josh Doucette, Wayne Duvall, Becca Lish, Alex Neil, Peter Rini, Johnny Sánchez, Vicki Shaghoian, Keith Randolph Smith, Kristin Villanueva. Coordinated by Peter Kim and Cindy Cheung.
Broadway Producers and General Managers
Data collected by: The Industry Standard Group (Rashad V. Chambers, Miranda Gohh, Adam Hyndman, Toni R. Israel, Rob Laqui, Sammy Lopez, Ronee Penoi, Cynthia J. Tong) and Penny Pun. Coordinated by Pun Bandhu.
Designer Data collected by: Wilson Chin, Design Action, Coordinated by Peter Kim.
AAPAC original Logo Design by Siho Ellsmore
Special Thanks:
Ralph Pena and Ma-Yi Theater Company; Clint Ramos, Actors’ Equity Association, Lisa Gold (The Asian American Arts Alliance), Francis Jue, Jake Manabat, Alex Birnie (The Actors Center), Elena Chang and Ciara Smith from Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Todd London (Dramatists Guild), all members of “Counting Together,” Leslie Ishii and Ariel Estrada (CAATA), Derek McPhatter (Latz & Co.), Mia Katigbak (NAATCO), Yuvika Tolani, Ellen Shadburn, Randi Berry, Raquel Almazan, Karen Brown (The Negro Ensemble Company), Sade Lythcott (National Black Theatre) and especially, Heather Hitchens, David Henry Hwang and Luis Castro from the American Theatre Wing for their ongoing support.