This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:02] Mason Bray: Welcome back to Real Talk with me, Mason Bray.

[0:05] Mason Bray: Now, this week has been very hard for so many in my community here in Indiana and for me and my peers, losing a beloved classmate.

[0:14] Mason Bray: But I hope that you can join me for this week to have a breath of hope and relief and just take a break to talk about this art form that I love so much and that is so dear to so many others around us.

[0:26] Mason Bray: Um, to strengthen this idea of community that I've seen this weekend flourish in Indiana.

[0:32] Mason Bray: Um thank you so much for being here and taking time out of your day to listen to my voice and listen to these interviews that I have the privilege to do.

[0:42] Mason Bray: And I'm so happy that you're here. Joining me today is Gennean Scott, who I initially mess up her title in the introduction, but um she is the Chief Diversity Officer at the Broadway League, doing wonderful stuff with equity, diversion, and inclusion.

[0:59] Mason Bray: So thank you again for being here, and I hope you enjoy this episode. If you want to tune in to more Real Talk content, you can go to bpn.fm slash real talk to see anywhere you can listen to podcasts or my social media.

[1:13] Mason Bray: I'd love to have you join me. Um, so on today's episode, we have Gennean Scott, who is the Broadway League's first director of equity, diversity, and inclusion, which she got that role in 2021, aiding with the comeback from COVID.

[1:35] Mason Bray: Um, her entire career has been devoted to theater and this inclusion that we talked about. Um, her voice of the Broadway League is just the beginning of the change that we are seeing um on Broadway and on theater stages across the entire country and globe.

[1:50] Mason Bray: Uh, she also hosts uh the Black Business of Broadway on the Broadway Podcast Network, and I'm so excited to have her here on my show. So, hi Gennean.

[2:00] Gennean Scott: Hello, how are you?

[2:02] Mason Bray: Doing good. How are you?

[2:03] Gennean Scott: I'm well, thank you for having me.

[2:06] Mason Bray: It is an honor to have you here. So, starting out, can you tell me your path to working at the Broadway League or just getting in theater in general?

[2:16] Gennean Scott: Yeah. Well, um, as you mentioned, uh, I have had a long history of work in this area, especially um as it relates to equity. But I also grew up as a dancer. So the arts have always been a passion of mine. I started dancing at two, and fast forward 40 some years later, I am still um, I am still an arts advocate and lover.

[2:47] Gennean Scott: I started out in Omaha, Nebraska and um as a dancer, but that's also where my career started out in arts administration. I started with a small nonprofit and then grew my career into uh becoming vice president at the Omaha Performing Arts, which is the largest arts organization uh in the state of Nebraska.

[3:09] Gennean Scott: And that's where I really got a chance to um make some major impact uh, not just in the workplace but in the community. And that's uh, and because Omaha Performing Arts is um a presenting organization, we present Broadway, we were a part of the Broadway League, and that is how I found my way to uh to being here at the Broadway League.

[3:34] Mason Bray: That's amazing. Um, and all of that work you were talking about, um specifically equity. Can you define for you what your job is to promote this diversity inclusion and equity?

[3:47] Gennean Scott: Yeah um you know people get equity and equality oftentimes confused.

[3:54] Gennean Scott: Oh yes. And um equality is giving everybody the same thing. But that also makes the assumption that everyone is at the same starting point. Equity ensures that everyone is getting exactly what they need in order to be successful.

[4:14] Gennean Scott: So equity is is far more important to me than equality because we are all not at the same starting point. Uh when I think of when we talk about uh diversity and inclusion I heard it once in a training a long time ago that diversity is being asked to attend the dance but inclusion is being asked to dance and so um we invite people all the time we have diversity whenever we walk in any room but are we really being inclusive in the things that we are doing are we making those individuals feel welcome so there's there is a there's a dramatic difference um between inclusion and diversity and some people you know would add in belonging and accessibility and those things also fall in um in the scope of our EDI work.

[5:05] Mason Bray: Absolutely that's wonderful and I think extremely important for um where we want Broadway to go in the future as audience members but also for people working behind the scenes.

[5:16] Gennean Scott: Absolutely. Absolutely. So with your job, you are creating opportunities all year round. But specifically, you were spearheading with the Juneteenth celebrations of um figuring out how to come back in a safe way and still have those connections with the audience in that event.

[5:35] Gennean Scott: So can you talk about your process of figuring out those events and making sure that you have opportunities for people to be involved?

[5:43] Gennean Scott: Yes. So when you look at the event uh Juneteenth, it obviously it's become a just what this past year or two, it's become a national holiday.

[5:55] Gennean Scott: Yeah. But in my in my life, we've always celebrated Juneteenth. Uh so you know, I'm happy that the world has has uh has had an opportunity to catch up with us.

[6:08] Gennean Scott: But that event is to celebrate not just the talent that's on stage, the black talent that's on stage on Broadway, but it was also um to celebrate those individuals behind the scenes and the creatives.

[6:22] Gennean Scott: So from the stage managers to the musical director to our musicians, and of course the talent that was on stage performing, all those individuals um identified as as being black.

[6:35] Gennean Scott: And that was important to us because sometimes we and not just we as in black people, but we as a country need to see black people in the various roles besides just being on stage and dancing.

[6:51] Gennean Scott: We need to see them behind the scenes, we need to see them heading up marketing campaigns, and I believe it normalizes once you see someone who's black as a director, then the next time you see it, it becomes part of, oh yeah, you know, black people can be directors too.

[7:08] Gennean Scott: Um, and it starts to create a normal, a normalcy. Uh, because you know, I think the unconscious bias it it creeps in so often in our everyday life.

[7:20] Gennean Scott: Like if I say a ballerina, back when I was growing up, I would have thought of a blonde-haired Caucasian female whose hair would be slicked back into a bun.

[7:29] Gennean Scott: But now if I say ballerina, my daughter instantly thinks of Misty Copeland.

[7:34] Gennean Scott: So it's about changing, it's about changing those um, those unconscious biases that we don't recognize uh come into play every day of our lives.

[7:45] Mason Bray: That's so wonderful. And I'm so glad that you mentioned like bringing in those roles to um showcase black excellence, because there's some shows that think that just having um people of color on stage as performers makes them automatically um equitable and inclusive.

[8:04] Mason Bray: But having all white creative teams with that doesn't make change. And I'm so glad that you are moving to include people everywhere.

[8:12] Gennean Scott: Yes, and you know, and that was really the purpose of starting the podcast, because it's called the Black Business of Broadway, because Broadway is a business, and you know, we can't just be performers in in order to be performers, we also need to know the business side.

[8:29] Gennean Scott: Um, but we are not monoliths. We we do more than perform. And we need to highlight that and we need to let young people know across the world, uh, not just in the tri-state area, but across globally, that um people of color, and obviously I'm speaking black when I'm talking to black Business of Broadway, but all people of color are all marginalized groups.

[8:52] Gennean Scott: So regardless of your gender identity or your um or disability, all people deserve an opportunity to be uh to be showcased and to be heard and to be in a power of position to make decisions.

[9:08] Mason Bray: Yes. And that's a perfect segue to um the topic of your podcast. So if you want to just promote that really quick and say where people can listen, um feel free.

[9:17] Gennean Scott: Sure. Uh so the Black Business of Broadway is um on Broadway Podcast Network, and it can be found at BPN.fm slash BBB.

[9:29] Gennean Scott: And it's bi-weekly. Uh so every other week we drop another episode.

[9:34] Gennean Scott: Uh we go from creatives to producers, and uh eventually you'll hear you'll hear some. We have like a stage manager, treasurer, and some of those other jobs that people forget that are part of this industry um um coming up soon on the podcast.

[9:50] Gennean Scott: So I'm really looking forward to that as well.

[9:52] Mason Bray: And to my audience, it is a wonderful show.

[9:55] Mason Bray: Um I try to listen as much as possible.

[9:58] Mason Bray: I admittedly don't listen to many podcasts as much as I should um being a podcaster, but I do try to catch up on that show every now and then because it is wonderful to see that happening.

[10:09] Gennean Scott: Oh, thank you so much.

[10:10] Gennean Scott: Thank you so much. I would say, you know, even though it's called the Black Business of Broadway, it's universal.

[10:16] Gennean Scott: Yeah. You know, the message is universal, and I like to instill hope.

[10:21] Gennean Scott: And it's like, yes, we this is happening, these have happened, these things have happened, but where do we go from here?

[10:29] Gennean Scott: And I I feel like sometimes I'm a constant optimist.

[10:33] Gennean Scott: But um, I hope that people find it yeah, encouraging because you know, I want everyone to succeed regardless.

[10:41] Mason Bray: And that so I'm I'm glad that you that you do listen.

[10:45] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[10:46] Mason Bray: Um and I love that succeeding because many times I think people can get caught up into the competition of like, oh, I didn't get this job, I need to do better next time and be better than this person.

[10:57] Mason Bray: But there's like jobs for all of us, and we can all succeed and be happy in this industry.

[11:02] Gennean Scott: Exactly. You know, I and if you've listened to the broadcast, you've heard me say this.

[11:06] Gennean Scott: Burger King and McDonald's coexist.

[11:09] Gennean Scott: You know, there is room for everyone.

[11:12] Gennean Scott: And so we need to continue to edify and to lift one another up and help one another to be our best selves.

[11:22] Gennean Scott: And there's no competition.

[11:24] Gennean Scott: I compete with myself.

[11:25] Gennean Scott: I don't compete with other people.

[11:27] Gennean Scott: I compete with myself every day.

[11:29] Gennean Scott: Every day I wake up, I ask myself, how can I be better? What can I do better? What can I do? What can I be? How? How can I go about it? How can I edify someone else?

[11:40] Gennean Scott: Uh, how can I help someone else to be better?

[11:43] Gennean Scott: Um, I just believe that that's that's who we are called to be as people.

[11:49] Gennean Scott: That's my belief.

[11:50] Gennean Scott: Uh people don't necessarily have to agree with that, but um, I only compete with myself and and and I feel like that's that's the way we should be with one another.

[12:01] Gennean Scott: We should just compete with ourselves and not each other.

[12:04] Mason Bray: Absolutely.

[12:05] Mason Bray: And you are speaking my language when you bring up the McDonald's and Burger King.

[12:12] Mason Bray: I love both of them.

[12:14] Mason Bray: Um I've learned to love Burger King.

[12:15] Mason Bray: I used to not.

[12:16] Mason Bray: Uh it's the chicken fries I that I'm like hooked.

[12:21] Gennean Scott: I love them.

[12:23] Mason Bray: Um someone a few years back posted about in our town at least, having a raw chicken sandwich.

[12:29] Mason Bray: And I was like, nope, not going there ever again.

[12:31] Gennean Scott: But I recently got a burger and it was not bad.

[12:33] Gennean Scott: Ah, yeah, they have very good burgers too.

[12:36] Mason Bray: You know, I I am definitely a Wendy's fan, also.

[12:39] Gennean Scott: So but there's room for this is good.

[12:42] Mason Bray: Oh, Wendy's is my favorite.

[12:44] Gennean Scott: Yeah, there's room for all of us though.

[12:46] Gennean Scott: And I and that's that's the message.

[12:48] Gennean Scott: There's room for all of us.

[12:50] Gennean Scott: And I and I think that's kind of the key to this EDI work that we that we have going on, is to know that no one is looking to take anyone's job.

[13:02] Gennean Scott: There's room for everybody, and we just need to make it.

[13:06] Mason Bray: And I just noted um on my paper that your new title is Chief Diversity Officer, which I will include.

[13:12] Mason Bray: And also I'll probably keep this part in just so my audience knows that um you are the chief diversity officer at Broadway.

[13:19] Gennean Scott: Well, thank you.

[13:20] Gennean Scott: Thank you.

[13:20] Gennean Scott: Yeah, we recently um we did an annual review, and we were just like the scope of the work that's being done is is more than that of a director, and so um we changed we changed the title.

[13:34] Mason Bray: Yes, new title work.

[13:37] Gennean Scott: Thank you.

[13:38] Mason Bray: I love it.

[13:40] Gennean Scott: Yeah.

[13:40] Gennean Scott: So your day-to-day at the Broadway League, what are some of your tasks that you have to do or how to fulfill your mission on a um day-to-day basis?

[13:50] Gennean Scott: Oh my gosh. Well, you know, no day is the same, and I think that's why I love my job so much.

[13:58] Gennean Scott: I sit on every task force because EDI is well, I should say every almost every committee, because EDI is an integral part of any business strategy.

[14:10] Gennean Scott: So marketing, audience engagement, education, research, labor, uh, negotiations.

[14:19] Gennean Scott: E I mean, and if you think about it now, um, and you look at some of the laws that are coming into play with with some states saying uh it's like what a drag law or a drag queen law.

[14:32] Gennean Scott: Um and so it looks like we may need to get involved a little bit more in in policy too because it I believe the law states and I and I'm not please don't quote me, but I believe the law states and this is my summary, any person dressed not as their birth sex is found in violation of the law.

[15:01] Gennean Scott: And yeah and and and it's it's passing or it's it's a bill in in some states out there. And um it could that could prove to be that well not that can prove it is real problematic regardless um of if you're looking at shows or not people should be able to be who they feel they were created to be.

[15:29] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[15:30] Gennean Scott: And there's so many industries who agree with that which I don't know how they go to work and carry themselves with those bills being passed or like agreeing with that. But I think our industry is has been the forefront of the change of gender equality LGBTQ rights and all of that and to still not have the correct equity and diversity is embarrassing. And I think that we need to definitely focus on that more and be included in those conversations of policy.

[16:00] Mason Bray: Absolutely.

[16:01] Gennean Scott: We need to be there.

[16:02] Mason Bray: We we definitely we need to be there.

[16:05] Gennean Scott: I mean beyond thinking Broadway and this role. Just as humans, we need to be there. For the sake of humanity, we need we need to be there and we need to advocate uh for one another because it's it's it's not right.

[16:23] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[16:24] Gennean Scott: And I think it's important to note that this isn't a new problem at all. It was just highlighted a lot in 2020 with the Black Lives Matter, but this problem has been going on for centuries.

[16:35] Mason Bray: Yes.

[16:37] Gennean Scott: Yeah.

[16:37] Mason Bray: Yeah, yes, yes.

[16:39] Gennean Scott: We just finally put a there's been a there's been a word put to it. I mean, I've been doing equity work for over 20 years back when I originally started in the area of education, working with Title I schools, uh finding ways to um create equity in the school system through the department of uh of education. Uh so yeah, uh this is unfortunately it's it's nothing new, and I like to think that in I don't know that in my time, I I kind of think of myself as preparing this world for your generation, um, and hoping that I'm doing a good job at laying a foundation for you all to to continue to run with that baton uh so that we can right some of these injustices of of the past.

[17:37] Mason Bray: And you absolutely are laying that foundation. And I know that um all the people that I've talked to uh that are my age wanting to get into the industry. We are so grateful for what you're doing to make performing art still welcome to everyone and be that family that like people got attracted to in high school theater where they feel welcome in theater as a family.

[17:56] Gennean Scott: Yeah, yeah.

[17:57] Mason Bray: Well, thank you.

[17:58] Gennean Scott: Thank you. And you know, I'm gonna keep going. You all you all really do motivate me. I mean, my daughter is a is a dancer and a lover of the arts, and I think about how do I make this better for her, you know, too. Because starting out there there weren't even tights that were my colours. So um, and just seeing those small changes, you know, that matters.

[18:27] Mason Bray: That's all right, growth. And with your daughter, she recently had a production of the Nutcracker, right?

[18:32] Gennean Scott: Yes, yes, she did.

[18:34] Mason Bray: How did that go?

[18:35] Gennean Scott: It went well. She uh she performed. Uh it was it's a the lead. I'm not gonna talk about the old school Nutcracker and the problems that I have with it. So it it is a it is a newer, modern rendition of the Nutcracker. Uh so all of those uh tropes are are no longer there. Uh but um yeah, she performed the lead as as Maria in the Nutcracker, and it it was nice. Um it was nice to see her in her environment and it was and I really appreciate you know the dance school that she attends um there in Jersey City. But it it was good. It was really good, and it was great to see the diversity that existed within that program of the Nutcracker and how they've modernized it.

[19:25] Mason Bray: Starting at such a young age like that is so powerful on where they can go from there.

[19:31] Gennean Scott: Yes, yes, and I tell her all the time you know, just like I said, you are your only competition, set that bar high, you know. Don't don't put limitations on yourself, you can do anything.

[19:44] Mason Bray: Absolutely. I saw a TikTok video, and of course, that's my source of all my information ever. Um, but it was when the Ariel, like the preview came out, um, with the new Ariel live action remake.

[19:58] Gennean Scott: Yes, yes.

[19:58] Mason Bray: And it was this little um girl, and she was black, I think, if I'm correct, but it her expression seeing herself represented on screen was so powerful, and your mission of making sure that that's everywhere around people is so amazing for not only your daughter, but um all the people around the country.

[20:19] Gennean Scott: I agree. I saw that video, a friend shared it with me, and I was just like, oh my gosh. And I thought about the little girl in me. I can't wait to see it, because the little girl in me so craved a princess or someone, you know, like that.

[20:37] Mason Bray: Yeah, and it's it's it's wild when you think about that because I saw it and I kind of started to get a little emotional myself, and I was just like, this is this is real change. And I heard, you know, people were speaking out, and I'm just like, first of all, I don't know a mermaid, so to say that a mermaid can't be a person of color, I don't even know a mermaid, so show me mermaid first.

[21:07] Gennean Scott: People that were mad about it because Ariel's white in the movie, okay, she's a mermaid.

[21:13] Mason Bray: Right.

[21:15] Gennean Scott: Exactly. And who's to say that hello, creative license?

[21:22] Mason Bray: Yeah.

[21:23] Gennean Scott: Mermaids aren't real, and talking fish aren't real. And there's no real Ursula, you know, underground either. So I don't know. I mean, and she's purple. So are we gonna get mad, you know, that we can't find purple people to play Ursula?

[21:43] Mason Bray: Just the targeting of our some of the audiences of these movies is alarming.

[21:49] Gennean Scott: Yeah, but you know, I but this again is how we normalize seeing people of color in different roles in our lives. So you have, you know, that you have the younger, the younger, not you, but like the younger ones who that's their normal, you know. And so when they get older, they're not gonna, they're not gonna be like some of those people who are in my generation saying those things, you know.

[22:20] Mason Bray: Yeah, well, she a little mermaid is white, they're not gonna say that because that's not gonna be their normal, and that's not gonna be their point of reference, and so that's how we change, unconsciously change those those systems at play, and um those racist, racist people who are mad about that, uh, are one person and can't change that for the future, but we can always include more and make it a normal thing, which is so wonderful.

[22:50] Gennean Scott: I agree, I agree. So, what else do I have? Uh oh, so for people wanting to get into the business, not only in inclusion and diversity, but just as a general, what advice do you have for navigating your way through the industry?

[23:06] Gennean Scott: You know it that's like my final question on every podcast. And I'm just gonna steal a little bit from everybody. Um is to believe in yourself, because you know, not everybody is gonna see your gift and not everybody's gonna recognize your talent. Uh, but if you know within you and your person and who you are that this is a work that you are called to do, then go for it. Unapologetically, go for it. And create a circle of people. Ideally it could be family, but sometimes not everyone has a support of family. So you create sometimes the f your family are the you know, the people you meet and not your blood. And you know, create a network of individuals who can help keep you encouraged and keep you honest.

There was something that Brian Moreland said early like the first episode, and it was, you know, to be true to who you are and to know that even if you're in your bedroom or on a stage, you're still creating art. So you don't necessarily have to be on Broadway to create art or to produce art or to direct art. You can be anywhere as long as you're fulfilling that purpose within yourself. And so I say go for it. There are all kinds of programs out there, whether you're you're in a marginalized group or not, there are lots of programs out there. I just saw that the theater producers of color have a session uh for um up and coming BIPOC individuals who want to produce, and the classes are free, you have to get your applications in.

Black Theater Coalition has fellowships and they are they extend more than just to um black individuals. Uh breaking the binary um with uh George Strauss has um focuses on LGBTQIA plus uh individuals and is doing a lot of work there. There are so many avenues uh for individuals to to get in. Um you just have to be you have to be um diligent and not get discouraged because it it is easy to get discouraged.

[25:29] Mason Bray: It absolutely is. And one of the selfish-ish reasons that I do my podcast is to figure out where I want to go with my life. So I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on whether you think education with like college and that type of degree is more important or the experience that you learn just working and um putting in efforts in a physical sense.

[25:52] Gennean Scott: Wow, you know, here's the thing. Oh both are so important, and so I think it really depends on what area you're looking for, because sometimes people have a lot of education and no actual skill and are um no um applicable, so they haven't done anything, they just have the education, and then there are sometimes people have just you know they they've done it, so they they have the hands-on experience, but they don't know the education, the history behind or the why, or the or the how to go about navigating certain things, and there are some things that education teaches you that on the job training cannot, and I know I'm not answering your question, and you're like Janine, just it one or the other.

[26:44] Mason Bray: No, I love it.

[26:45] Gennean Scott: I think you really need a good mix of both. Um, my son, my son is 27, and when he was in college, I said, Look, education is great, but you also have to have the skill, so you have to do internships, you have to do fellowships, you cannot just rely on your education. Because as a former HR professional, yes, I'm looking at your education, but I'm also looking at the years of applied ex actual hands-on experience that you have, and your resume, and you are that much more of a better applicant to me if you have both.

[27:23] Gennean Scott: Yeah, that doesn't mean you necessarily have to finish school, but I'm not saying don't finish school either.

[27:29] Mason Bray: Yeah, and um you uh mentioned that I might be mad with your answer, but I love hearing that mix of like you do need both because that certifies what I need to do to get where I want. I have it narrowed down to what a few things I would be interested in, but hearing that like it would make me a stronger applicant to have both is still so important to me, and I know that it will translate well to my audience as well.

[27:55] Gennean Scott: Awesome, yes, you you you must have both, and there are a lot of regional theaters and high school and college theaters that I'm sure have mentor programs. Um, I know in Omaha, Nebraska there are several, obviously, there are more than a few out here in the tri-state area, but it's like even if you're not taking that, you know, in school, or you're at a place where they don't have technical arts things or they don't have arts administration, find a mentor. There are people there are people out there who want to give back and who want to reach back.

[28:30] Mason Bray: And so finding a mentor, it doesn't have to be a structured program.

[28:34] Gennean Scott: Yeah, that's wonderful.

[28:36] Mason Bray: Yeah, good. I am so happy with all that we've talked about. And I think it could even inspire more conversations with other people off of podcasts and off of recordings to um talk about more about what they're doing with their programs to be diverse, be inclusive, and all that makes your job wonderful and needed. I hope that that translates well to people around the country and around the globe, even more than it already does.

[29:04] Gennean Scott: Great. You know, and I'm always here. I am always a resource. I if I meet you, then you are forever in my network. And so, Mason, you are forever in my network, and you can always reach out to me for anything. Um, and and your listeners too, because it really is about the future and creating creating a future for this industry. And any way that I can help, I I do. I I do and I will.

[29:33] Mason Bray: That's amazing. Thank you so so much. I really appreciate you being here and taking time to talk with me.

[29:40] Gennean Scott: Yes, you are welcome. Thank you.