Do you have a hobby, passion or interest that you’re dedicated to and is something you may aspire to continue or excel in? Is there a hidden story or history in your interests which may reveal uncomfortable truths involving how people are treated?
Have you ever questioned it – or is it easier to ignore? Do you think it’s just part of growing resilience in the ‘real world’? Well, the ‘real world’ is what we make it.
In this article Kieran, member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group, shares his insight into the world of performance and dance. He challenges the established norms of gender perception and treatment. While he loves the performance, he believes that the toxicity in the industry can only change if we ‘the audience’ step outside of our passive role as the applauding audience and dig a bit deeper, ask questions and call out inequality. We need to expect more – for those who entertain us and for ourselves.
I’d like you to think of a time you have gone to the theatre and reflect upon what you felt or thought whilst watching.
To most people, theatre is what happens under the spotlight. It’s the standing ovation at the end of a show, the dazzling costumes, and the performers taking their final bow. As audience members, we are shown a carefully constructed image; an image designed to entertain.
But what if I told you that the audience only sees a fraction of the reality?
As someone who has for just under a decade been involved in theatre and dance, I have experienced a very different side of the industry. A side hidden behind rehearsal rooms, auditions and casting decisions. A side that many people never witness. And it is here that I began to notice what I can only describe as a plague infecting the industry.
This is why I chose this topic to talk about.
I love theatre. It has given me opportunities, friendships and experiences that I will never forget. However, caring about something means being willing to acknowledge its flaws. And one flaw that continues to plague the industry is gender inequality.
I want to explore three symptoms of this plague.
Firstly, the unequal longevity of careers, where performers are often judged differently as they age depending on their gender.
Secondly, the unequal expectations placed upon performers, where girls frequently face greater competition and pressure to excel in every aspect of performance, while opportunities can be distributed differently for boys and girls.
My argument is not that theatre is a terrible industry. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Theatre prides itself on being progressive, accepting and inclusive. Yet some of its deepest inequalities remain hidden behind the curtain.
So, if theatre truly is a place where talent matters above all else, why are performers still judged by expectations attached to their gender?
That is the question I hope to answer
The start of this plague can be traced back to the very top of the theatrical food chain: professional theatre and the unequal longevity of performers’ careers.
In an industry where experience should be rewarded, men and women often find themselves travelling down very different paths. Ballet dancers already face exceptionally short careers, with many retiring before the age of thirty due to the immense physical demands placed upon their bodies. Yet while both genders battle the same injuries, exhaustion and competition, women often face an additional obstacle: age itself.
As male performers grow older, they are frequently celebrated for their experience. They become mentors, principals and respected veterans of their craft. Their age becomes evidence of dedication. Their careers are seen as developing.
For women, however, age can become something to overcome rather than something to celebrate. Female performers are often expected to maintain an image of youthfulness alongside their technical ability. The same years of experience that elevate a man’s status can, paradoxically, raise questions about a woman’s suitability for certain roles.
How can two performers dedicate the same decades to perfecting their craft, yet find themselves judged by entirely different standards?
The contradiction is impossible to ignore. Theatre claims to value talent above all else, yet one gender is more likely to be praised for growing older while the other is more likely to be scrutinised because of it. It is a subtle symptom of the plague, but a dangerous one. It teaches performers that success is not determined solely by talent, discipline or hard work, but also by expectations attached to their gender.
And if inequality exists at the very highest levels of theatre, should we be surprised when it spreads throughout the rest of the industry?
The second symptom of this plague emerges long before performers ever step onto a professional stage. It lurks within auditions, drama schools and conservatoires, where dreams are built, but too often, confidence is broken.
For many aspiring performers, gaining a place at drama school is already a daunting challenge. Yet for young women, the challenge can feel overwhelming. They are expected to be singers, dancers and actors. They are expected to be versatile, exceptional and unforgettable. They are expected to pour every ounce of their time, energy and passion into becoming the perfect performer.
Meanwhile, young men can often find success through a single speciality. A strong actor. A talented singer. A gifted dancer. While female applicants are frequently expected to become the complete package, male applicants can sometimes be celebrated for excelling in only one area.
The result is a relentless culture of pressure. A pressure that breeds self-doubt, fuels insecurity and leaves talented young women questioning whether they are ever enough.
And so the expectations grow.
Dance harder!
Sing louder!
Act better!
Again and again, female performers are taught that being good is not enough. Being excellent is not enough. Being exceptional is not enough.
How devastating is it to dedicate years of your life to a craft you love, only to be told – directly or indirectly – that there is always someone better, someone stronger, someone more deserving?
Many young performers walk into auditions carrying not only sheet music and dance shoes, but the crushing weight of perfection itself.
The tragedy is that these expectations are often disguised as opportunity. Yet beneath the surface lies a system that demands more, expects more and forgives less from one gender to another. It is another symptom of the plague: silent, suffocating and deeply ingrained within the industry itself.
Before I finish, I want to acknowledge something.
As a male performer, I am privileged in ways that many of my female peers are not. Throughout my time in theatre and dance, I have been encouraged to pursue my ambitions, chase opportunities and follow my dreams.
Yet some of the most talented performers I know are young women.
Women who dance better than me.
Women who perform better than me.
Women who work harder than me.
And yet, while I am encouraged to dream bigger, they are often encouraged to be more realistic.
That is not equality.
And this is exactly why I reject the argument that performers simply need to speak up.
They already have.
For years, dancers, actors and performers have challenged these inequalities. They have protested them, criticised them and exposed them. Yet the plague remains.
Why?
Because a plague survives when people learn to live with its symptoms.
Every time an audience applauds a company without questioning what happens behind the curtain, every time inequality is dismissed as “just the way things are”, the plague is allowed to spread.
So my call to action is not directed at performers. It is directed at YOU.
The next time you watch a show, ask questions. Hold companies accountable. Demand better from directors, producers and institutions. Refuse to celebrate an industry on stage that you would not accept behind the scenes.
Because the cure for this plague cannot come from those suffering from it.
It must come from those who continue to watch it unfold.
Kieran
More about gender roles in performance
If you’d like to read more about gender roles in performance, read Xinyue Yang’s excellent article for Echo Dance.
