What started as a group of like-minded women getting casual drinks in Midtown has grown into the Broadway Women鈥檚 Alliance, serving women in the business of theatre all over the U.S. In their first 2017 meetup, 鈥渨e just started talking about the industry鈥攁bout our frustrations, our hopes, our dreams鈥攁nd it all just became a group therapy session almost,鈥� remembers co-founding member Jennifer Isaacson.
As these meetups continued, the group鈥檚 members started to realize that they shared common goals and began putting together plans to turn those dreams into reality.
鈥淚t was at the end of 2019 that we realized 鈥極k, if we have if we have goals and things we want to accomplish, we need to be able to raise and have a bank account,鈥� Isaacson continues, recounting how the Alliance came to exist in an official capacity only weeks before the pandemic began.
鈥淥ur organization was officially founded in January of 2020 and then six weeks later, our entire industry shut down,鈥� recalls Diana Salameh, another co-founding member. 鈥淲e wanted to be a lifeline for each other.鈥�
Even in the face of the pandemic, BWA was able to provide significantly more programming in 2020 than they had ever anticipated, including pulse-taking check-ins, financial insight training, resume and interview workshops, book clubs, panels, and trivia nights. BWA also started an event series called You Should Know Her, which spotlighted various women within the industry, with their first iteration highlighting women on the front line: ushers, box office staff, and front of house staff. July 8 of 2021, BWA finally had their first in-person event.
How else has BWA grown since making the decision to become a more formalized organization? 鈥淭he biggest way we've grown is in our numbers,鈥� says Isaacson. 鈥淲e've also seen women getting jobs, for example, through their networking with BWA.鈥�
One of the organization鈥檚 undertakings for 2022 is a docu-series called Here鈥檚 To The Ladies Who. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a visual celebration of women during the shutdown,鈥� says Isaacson. 鈥淚t's everything from ushers to producers to ad agency associates,鈥� explains Salameh, 鈥淚t's everybody in the industry. What was originally intended to be a small series ended up featuring over 100 women. 鈥淧art of the reason for this series is so that generations of women in the future know what we went through,鈥� Salameh continues, 鈥渁nd we can continue to be connected by that experience, learn from that experience.鈥�
BWA is also planning a Mother鈥檚 Day event for May, which they see as another way to keep the women of theatre industry connected to and supporting one another. Salameh says that BWA鈥檚 founders have had many of their members who have chosen not to have children show interest learning how to support their colleagues who are mothers. 鈥淲e want to have more empathy for each other,鈥� she says.
Even with these success stories under BWA鈥檚 belt, its founders don鈥檛 believe that the organization is in its final iteration. During the pandemic, BWA鈥檚 numbers have grown to include members outside of New York, and its founders would like that trend to continue. 鈥淚 would like to see this group expand, even in a bigger way beyond New York,鈥� says Salameh, adding that she is also hoping to continue to reach out to other communities of women 鈥渢hat can help us grow, and we can help them grow.鈥�
鈥淲e want to make sure that when you walk into a room that there is another woman who's standing there with you and that you're connected to her within this industry.鈥�
, directed by Heather Arnson, produced by Catherine Markowitz, and narrated by Ashley Park, is available to watch on the Broadway Women鈥檚 Alliance website. The Broadway Women鈥檚 Alliance was co-founded by Isaacson, Salameh, Molly Barnett, Katie Dalton, Tracy Geltman, Kristen Rathbun and Beth Watson.
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