ABSTRACT
Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling is struggling to protect his theatre’s reputation after a week of outrage in the arts community over the Guthrie’s new 2013–14 theatre season, which some have declared “a tragedy.” When the Guthrie Theater announced its 50th Anniversary season, the absence of women and minorities among the playwrights and directors ignited a fierce debate in the Twin Cities arts community. Many who felt they have long been excluded from the Guthrie’s main stage – and some who haven’t – used the Guthrie’s announcement to highlight what they called the flagship theatre’s failure to embrace diverse audiences. Actress Heidi Berg was among them:
To suggest that there just aren’t talented women and people of color out there this season is appalling. It isn’t as though the Guthrie’s not hiring from a national and international pool of talent. While we are accustomed to being told there aren’t enough local people qualified to fill positions in the Guthrie season, now we are to believe there aren’t enough talented women and people of color in the WORLD.
The theatre’s defenders rushed to say the Guthrie was only doing what it must do to fill seats and stay on budget. 2