Counting Together: Some Historical Perspectives

by Derek Miller

In support of the Counting Together project, which uses data-driven studies of the American theater to improve equity, this site provides some historical information about representation on- and off-stage. The research here draws on work in progress under the umbrella of Visualizing Broadway. It will be updated as I develop new information.

Broadway

The images below show the percentage of women in three major design roles: set, light, or costume designer. Drawing on data from the Internet Broadway Database and PlaybillVault, we can get a rough glimpse at how women have fared on creative staff historically.

Important notes:

• Only named designers are included—no assistants or anyone other than a lead designer.
• These data are neither complete nor entirely accurate. For some shows, no designer is listed in a give category. For others, the designer's gender is unknown or an organization is listed. For others, there may be an error.
• All values represent the number of female-identified designers as a percentage of the total number of designers with an identifiable gender. The databases use a binary gender categorization and should thus be understood only within the limitations of that gender model.
• Only plays and musicals are represented here. Special events, dance performances, concerts, etc., are not part of these calculations.
• Data track years, rather than seasons, which makes no difference to the general trend. This will be updated in the near future. Note that some charts have shorter time series, due to limited information in earlier years.

A few observations follow each image. As with the data themselves, comments are provisional, meant to offer a first glimpse, rather than a final accounting. Click any image for a downloadable version.

Set Designers

Set design is the least female-friendly role among the three long-standing physical design roles. Only in the most recent years have more than 25% of designers identified as female.

Lighting Designers

Female lighting designers have fared better than set designers, with sustained periods matching set design's peak. The late 1950s through the mid-1960s, and then again from 1980 to the early 1990s were relatively good periods, with a persistent presence of female designers at or over 25%. Outside of those eras, however, lighting design has been as inequitable as set design, including in the 2000s, though numbers seem on a slight upswing recently. (Note that this graph starts in 1940, around when lighting designers started appearing consistently in programs.)

Costume Designers

Costume design represents the one lead design role with significant, sustained female leadership. Numbers over 50% have been common since the 1940s, with occasional troughs such as 1999, and peaks as high as 75%.

Directors

One bonus: directors. This chart looks as inequitable as that for set design. Even the general upward trend starting in the 1990s has yet to sustain itself at one out of every four plays or musicals.

Visit Counting Together for more about the current state of equity in the US theater.