Did you know that only 22% of the plays that are produced in the United States are written by women? Did you know that 21% of the 1,914 plays written in the past year were written by women? Did you also know that only four out of the forty marquees on Broadway are named after women? If 51% of people in our country are women, then why aren’t our theatres more representative of that?

Part of the problem lies in the leadership of American theaters. According to a 2013 study by the American Conservatory Theater, one of the main barriers to women becoming leaders in theatre is a lack of women mentors for those seeking to gain these positions. Of course, some people might say that we should just give women these jobs, however, Bekah Brunstetter argues that those who seek to get involved in the theatre are “responsible for the advancement of your own career. You can’t sit around waiting for opportunities to come to you.”

That’s why if you’re a theatre enthusiast in the Rochester area, you should come to the Carolyn Bowman Theatre Symposium on April 7th at Roberts Wesleyan College where several talented professionals will be coming to teach workshops and give a panel discussion. This is a wonderful opportunity to find women role models in theatre to inspire a new generation of leaders in theatre.