Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new network seeks to enhance diversity on Broadway

Correction: The Black Theatre Coalition was founded by Warren Adams, T. Oliver Reid and Reginald Van Lee. The information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

Lin-Manuel Miranda launched a new initiative Thursday aimed at increasing diversity among theater professionals on Broadway and in theaters across the country. 

The Representation, Inclusion and Support for Employment Theater Network (R.I.S.E. Network) will create a database of diverse professionals working in various roles in the theater world, hoping to make it easier for prospective employers to hire applicants of color and make it easier for people of color to find work opportunities. 

The network already has nearly 1,000 entries, the R.I.S.E. Network project director told The Associated Press in an interview, and Miranda said he hopes it will continue to grow.

“I can write as many characters and roles for us as possible, but that needs to start being matched by the folks who are backstage and front of house and the rest of the theater ecosystem,” Miranda told The Hollywood Reporter.  

Miranda, who created award-winning Broadway shows “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” is known for creating employment opportunities for actors of diverse backgrounds. Both of his musicals are known for their uncharacteristically diverse cast makeup. 

In the 2018-2019 Broadway season, a study found that 100 percent of general managers were white and 94 percent of producers were white, the AP reported. The actors cast in lead roles were white 80 percent of the time in musicals and were white 90 percent of the time in plays.

Miranda said even while there are efforts to diversify the actors on stage, it’s important that the same diversity be reflected in the crew.

“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,” Miranda told the AP. “Because there are incredibly talented practitioners and carpenters and makeup designers and wardrobe folks who also deserve that shot.”

Miranda said he got the idea for the directory from filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who launched the ARRAY initiative, which is a directory of women of color who work behind the scenes in TV and film. 

Miranda hopes the resource can reduce the number of unpaid internships, which usually go to people who can afford working without pay.

In recent years, Broadway has made strides to increase diversity and employment opportunities. The Hollywood Reporter reported that R.I.S.E. Network is teaming up with The Black Theatre Coalition, founded by Warren Adams, T. Oliver Reid and Reginald Van Lee. The Coalition asks sectors of the industry to make a pledge to a series of reforms. 

—Updated Friday at 12:51 p.m.