Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of the Broadway hit, “Hamilton” is on a mission to increase diversity in theaters across the United States.
The Miranda Family Fund has donated money to build the R.I.S.E. Theater Network. R.I.S.E stands for Representation, Inclusion and Support for Employment, and its goal is to help theater professionals from diverse backgrounds find jobs as producers, managers, and stagehands.
According to Miranda, “R.I.S.E. is really about making sure that the beautiful mosaic of people you see — if you see a production of ‘Hamilton’ or you see a production of ‘MJ (The Musical)’ or ‘Fat Ham’ on Broadway — is also reflected backstage, that it’s not just the folks in front of the footlights, because there are incredibly talented practitioners and carpenters and makeup designers and wardrobe folks who also deserve that shot.”
A study by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition revealed that in 2018-2019, 100% of general managers and 94% of the producers on Broadway were white, as were 90% of the lead roles in plays, and 80% of the lead roles in musicals.
R.I.S.E. is set to publish a directory of 1,000 diverse theater professionals, helping them to gain visibility by those doing the hiring. The directory will be available for free to the theater community.
Set and production designer Wilson Chin, is hopeful that R.I.S.E. will succeed. “People keep saying, ‘We can’t find anyone,’ but we’re out there, we just have to be found. Having us all in one place is great for us to be seen.”