​Zoe Kamil: Can you name a moment or experience from your adolescence that made you realize that writing plays was something that you could do?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: Welp, the jury's still out on "could"-- day jobs: making the possible seem impossible since the dawn of civilization-- but I can tell you all about the "should." I was a scholarship kid at a swanky private school where we had an art gallery (I know, right?). And in this art gallery, there was an exhibit by a photographer who took photos of Americans living in poverty. And there was one picture in particular of a woman-- a black woman who looked like she could have been my mama-- sitting next to a huge hole in her wall. And as I'm passing by this picture, one of my classmates, in utter and alarming earnest, goes, "Ew. Why doesn't she just get that fixed?"
 
And I really wanted to punch her in the throat. But I started writing plays instead.
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​Zoe Kamil: Do you think that identifying strongly with a particular racial or gender identity is limiting, or freeing to an artist?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: It's both. On the one hand, I'm never like "Whaaaaat am I going to write about?" You always have something to say when you're poor and black and a woman. On the other hand, it's a tremendous responsibility. You gotta rep hard and rep well and no matter what you write, someone will always be dissatisfied with your portrayal. Take, for example, DEAD & BREATHING. There's a trans character in it who, for this particular incarnation, is being played by a cis-woman. And you have to believe me when I say we resisted that until the very last precisely because we know how important it is to rep the under-repped in an authentic way. We felt like those jokers out in California (California!) trying to justify casting a white guy as the Chinese lead. My hope, though, is that we'll get some trans folks in the audience who are so moved by the story, by this character, that they can't help watching and going, "I could play the shit outta that role." And then maybe actually come out and audition for the next production. Sheeit. We'll do representation in phases, if that's what it takes.


​Zoe Kamil: Your play “Dead and Breathing” is about the "right to die” issue. Has the time you’ve spent with this script led you to a personal conclusion about the issue, or simply raised more questions? Has it caused you to question preconceived thoughts about assisted suicide?
 
Chisa Hutchinson: I'm generally a fan of life. I like living it. I think it's a gift. But I have had some experiences that have led me to understand why some folks might have a harder time feeling that way. My Ma passed of cancer in 2011, and in the end, this woman who had worked sometimes three jobs to make sure her kids were fed, who chased my sisters with belts and slippers when they were misbehaving (never me because I was a good kid-- HA!), who actually physically intervened to protect a friend when her abusive husband went on one of his rampages... this woman was in diapers in the end. She couldn't speak or feed herself or nothing when it got real bad. And it made me question whether or not all life is worth living for sure.


​Zoe Kamil: What do you think is the most aggressive setback to gender parity in theatre right now? How do we overcome this?

Chisa Hutchinson: Maybe this answer is super obvious, but we gotta get some more broads in taste-making positions. On the front-end and the back, meaning as producers and Artistic Directors aaaand as critics. If I read one more tone-deaf, dick-driven review of a brilliant play by a female playwright or hear one more male AD go, "There just aren't any really good plays by women out there," I'm gonna... well, I'll probably punch someone in the throat this time because there ain't no instant gratification in becoming a playwright.

by Charlotte Ahlin
 
Any actress who’s ever been to an open call can tell you that there are plenty of young ladies out there in the theatre world. But where are all the women* playwrights? Directors? Designers? Women* make up most of the theatergoing audience, and a little over half of the world’s population. So why are only 24% of plays produced in America written by women*? How is it that, in the 2013-2014 Broadway season, not a single play was written by a woman*? Isn’t it time to do something about it?
 
Works by Women is changing the game. We’re a non-profit organization with the sole mission of supporting diverse theatrical work written, directed, and/or designed by women*. This month, we’re standing up for equality in style: Works by Women is hosting the industry’s first ever Parity Party, where you, too, can party for gender parity.
 
Come for exclusive performances from Lizzy Bryce, Jody Christopherson, F.A.B. Women, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Honest Accomplice Theatre, Autumn Kioti, Sylvia Milo, National Black Theatre, New Perspectives Theatre Company, and Laura Pedersen. Come for our silent auction, featuring everything from show tickets to luxury hotel stays to aerial lessons—start bidding now. Come to schmooze with cutting edge artists, to enjoy refreshments from local New York businesses, and to stick it to systematic inequality. All proceeds go directly towards advocacy for women* in theatre. We’re raising awareness and funding!
 
Join us at TheaterLab in Midtown Manhattan on October 18th, 7:00 PM for an evening of performances, networking, light food, beverages, and a silent auction to raise awareness and funding toward our goal of reaching gender equality in the theatre by the year 2020. Find your ticket online at Brown Paper Tickets. We also offer an artist ticket, if you’d like to donate your ticket to an artist performing at the benefit. We can’t do it without you!
 
*We use an inclusive definition of “women" and we welcome all who identify with the term.
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