I saw a post tonight on Facebook that resounded with me. Written by Douglas Lyons, an amazing and awesome actor, writer, composer, and somebody all of us should listen to right now.
https://www.facebook.com/douglas.lyons.35/posts/10102001392914579
I'll post it here as well:
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The knee on the neck.
Some see the murder porn video of George Floyd’s death and say: “Ouch, how awful.” I’m now seeing theatre people sharing “Make Them Hear You” videos. But don’t think for one second that the politics of our industry aren’t an invisible version of that video.
The knee on the neck.
The ability to say: “I like your idea, but I don’t know if it’ll resonate with my audience.” Not because it’s not good, but because it’s not well “white or safe enough.”
The knee on the neck.
My ability to count Brown lead producers and theatre owners on one hand followed by my inability to find many creative Tony nominees who look like me. The token chorus roles. The big black gospel solo feature over and over and over again instead of the stories about our souls.
The knee on the neck.
The Black slot each season, testing black audience attendance with no desire to engage them further. The appreciation of black talent for the money it makes but the silence for the struggle it cries. The fear of writing this post or speaking my truth because coming off too radical could have its consequences.
The knee on the neck.
The Black artistic directors who can’t fully support you because they have a knee on their neck. The realization that it may be a black cast on stage but most of the royalties from that “award winning piece” forever fill a white pocket.
The knee on the neck.
I’ve been asked quite often from my white allies “what can I do?”. Share this post, and talk amongst yourselves. Dig deeper into your awareness of our business and unpack the fact that though you can’t see it, most of your black colleagues too have knees on their neck.
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So, all I ask of all of you, no matter what you do in the industry, today or in the future, let's make sure that we are not a knee on the neck of anyone in our industry. We must have our heads up and eyes open and be aware, vigilant against the damning silence of apathy.
I have modified ControlBooth's logo to show solidarity. Graphics are one of the ways I can express what I feel. This is my first step. There will be more, but I need to think about what I can do to help. What talents, resources and connections can I bring to this fight? What can I do to ensure that I'm not a knee on the neck? I don't expect to get much sleep tonight, but I hope each of you can reflect on what you can do as well.
-David Silvernail
Owner, ControlBooth.com
https://www.facebook.com/douglas.lyons.35/posts/10102001392914579
I'll post it here as well:
---------------------------------------------------
The knee on the neck.
Some see the murder porn video of George Floyd’s death and say: “Ouch, how awful.” I’m now seeing theatre people sharing “Make Them Hear You” videos. But don’t think for one second that the politics of our industry aren’t an invisible version of that video.
The knee on the neck.
The ability to say: “I like your idea, but I don’t know if it’ll resonate with my audience.” Not because it’s not good, but because it’s not well “white or safe enough.”
The knee on the neck.
My ability to count Brown lead producers and theatre owners on one hand followed by my inability to find many creative Tony nominees who look like me. The token chorus roles. The big black gospel solo feature over and over and over again instead of the stories about our souls.
The knee on the neck.
The Black slot each season, testing black audience attendance with no desire to engage them further. The appreciation of black talent for the money it makes but the silence for the struggle it cries. The fear of writing this post or speaking my truth because coming off too radical could have its consequences.
The knee on the neck.
The Black artistic directors who can’t fully support you because they have a knee on their neck. The realization that it may be a black cast on stage but most of the royalties from that “award winning piece” forever fill a white pocket.
The knee on the neck.
I’ve been asked quite often from my white allies “what can I do?”. Share this post, and talk amongst yourselves. Dig deeper into your awareness of our business and unpack the fact that though you can’t see it, most of your black colleagues too have knees on their neck.
----------------------------------------------
So, all I ask of all of you, no matter what you do in the industry, today or in the future, let's make sure that we are not a knee on the neck of anyone in our industry. We must have our heads up and eyes open and be aware, vigilant against the damning silence of apathy.
I have modified ControlBooth's logo to show solidarity. Graphics are one of the ways I can express what I feel. This is my first step. There will be more, but I need to think about what I can do to help. What talents, resources and connections can I bring to this fight? What can I do to ensure that I'm not a knee on the neck? I don't expect to get much sleep tonight, but I hope each of you can reflect on what you can do as well.
-David Silvernail
Owner, ControlBooth.com
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