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[0:00] Christine Shepard: A seed. Seedlings, ready for planting. But what soil will aid in their aging advancing? Not too rough, or soft, or dry, or damp. Not too big, or small, or long, or cramped. Pampered by Piper, hoping to pick the ripest one. Which is no fun, since the growing has just begun. Give them sunshine, and smiles, and carbon dioxide. Space, and time, and shade if they're fried. Don't pry, with tools to plow them away. Lay dirt, good foundation, and the seeds will stay. And grow.

[0:38] Christine Shepard: Ayo! Welcome, welcome, welcome to the first ever Chris Chats with yours truly. Call me Christine, Chris, Steen, Shep, C-Shep, I answer to them all. I'm super excited to be teaming up with the Ensemblist to be able to have a monthly discussion about all sorts of topics that affect the arts and entertainment community. This all started when I decided to put my money where my mouth is and reach out in hopes to make a difference. I asked for an inch, Mo gave me a mile, so I laced up my shoes and decided to join the race. So, today, our first topic of discussion is something many of us know and talk about regularly. Arts education. Broad topic, I know, but I want to focus on how it directly affects Broadway's demographics.

Education alone has been a hot topic in this country dating all the way back to LBJ and the creation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA for all you acronym lovers. Since then, the government has manufactured a laundry list of acts to try to define quality education and fund it. They took some wins, and some L's, like they always do.

[2:02] Christine Shepard: I remember being super young, hearing No Child Left Behind on the TV, thinking it was the title of a new gospel song. Could you imagine? No Child Left Behind on Dancing. Throughout the years, the three Rs have continued to be the foundation of measuring knowledge. It's only been in the past five years the definition of well-rounded education included the arts, which is laughable considering the amount of studies showing music, dance, singing, painting, etc. being extremely beneficial in early stages of brain development. It's the classic government move. They created the ESEA that technically incorporates arts in the core curriculum, but years of neglect require a new age definition. Think of the civil rights movement if this example is confusing.

[3:05] Christine Shepard: Growing up in Ohio, I went to public school. I was fortunate enough to have the resources inside and outside of school to express myself creatively. But we all know this is not the case for all children nationwide. In the 80s, there was a shift from federal to state power regarding funding. Schools must meet certain requirements to receive funding for arts programs, but it's different for each state. In New York, arts is part of a yearly assessment, therefore schools statewide are eligible for funding. In places like Florida, Texas, Utah, and Kansas, districts can apply for grants, and low-income areas are considered priority. Oklahoma is almost the exact opposite, making fine arts programs a priority in the grant application process.

In their funding plans, most states recognize the definition of well-rounded education, but many of them don't specify their evaluation criteria that determines whether districts receive funding. So basically, if you're not in a creative hub, you're gambling, hoping your school can qualify to get some money for things like instruments, costumes, rights to plays and musicals, art supplies, so on and so forth.

[4:18] Christine Shepard: Earlier this month, I went to a protest at Pace University for the students and alumni that have experienced racism, discrimination, and abuse in the musical theater program. See Our Truths is the name of the organization leading change in the community. If you haven't heard about them, you should check them out. It's really powerful stuff. There are several accounts of students being ostracized, ignored, hushed, victimized, you name it, specifically the students of color. After 15 years of the program's existence, there is finally a tangible fight happening against these injustices. Someone may ask, what took so long? Besides, you know, student fear, time for organization, and the school's impressive, suppressive legal team, students of color experience treatment like this throughout their entire educational process.

Unfortunately, this normalizes the treatment. Some less blatant or violent than what Pace students went through, but nevertheless, just as mentally deprecating. The only people wanting to be the token have never actually been one. All right, let's start with that. It's not enjoyable, nor is it motivating. Nine out of 10 times, being a person of color in the arts means you'll have to have thicker skin than your white counterparts. No wonder there's a lack of representation on stage. Some kids can't afford it or don't have access to it or feel alone when participating. The children of our future, yes, the children of, honestly, the children of our present and our future need to get rid of these stigmas and these stereotypes. I feel it is our obligation to pave a better, more inclusive way for them. So, you know, gotta start somewhere, so I feel like a conversation's a good place.

[6:00] Christine Shepard: All right, don't worry, I'm not the only one talking today. The show is going to be featuring two very special guests who will be able to give us firsthand experience about their relationship with arts education and how they're bettering it.

[6:25] Christine Shepard: So I'm excited to say that I have James T. Lane with me. So James T. Lane is a true triple threat who has graced numerous Broadway stages, most recently in the 2019 revival of Kiss Me, Kate. He studied musical theater at Carnegie Mellon and Penn State, and now influences the next generation of performers by teaching masterclasses. James, thank you so much for being on with me.

[6:47] James T. Lane: My pleasure, Christine. Thank you for having me.

[6:52] Christine Shepard: So, yeah, let's go ahead and get started. I got a couple questions for you. I'm really excited to talk. So how are you actively trying to spread accessible theater to underserved communities?

[7:04] James T. Lane: Well, it's been very interesting. I mean, as you know, Christine, we are in a time. Yeah. You know, that's a wonderful question because wherever I am in the country or in the world, I will go into the neighborhoods and places and spaces of people who look like me and will offer masterclasses at elementary schools, middle schools. And because it's so important for people to understand that, you know, there's more to performing than just like Beyoncé, you know, those big, big names. You know, there's like a theater world, there's television world. And it's accessible. You can get educated in that kind of discipline and that training. It's a different thing. You know, you got to put in some work and put in some time.

So I remember when professionals would come to my school, particularly the Urban Bush Women Company in Philadelphia come and we had a program called Young Audiences. Professionals would come and they would perform. And I'd be like, whoa, people make a living at this. In my own way, I try to do the same thing. And I literally do cold calls. You know, it's usually just like, you know, hey, I'll buy you lunch or hey, we don't got no money. It's always a bonus and it's always nice when there is money involved. Of course. But you know what? I'll take some lift fare. I'll take some like, hey, give you a cab. Lunch is in the lunch room. Everybody's having pizza, have a pizza, you know, like, so I'm cool with that, too.

[8:42] James T. Lane: Yeah. The humility of it. Just, you know, if you decided to be an artist, if you did it for money, you kind of chose the wrong profession, almost in a sense. But I what I am finding, Christine, is like the more that I give it away. Listen, I sound like I'm giving a secret. The more I do give it away, the more it just comes on in. If I really give it away in that spirit of just being glad to do it, I find that I'm well taken care of. And I learned it honest. Like I had a lot of people who gave me a lot of wonderful things, time and energy and rise and stuff like that. So I just feel like I'm a link in the chain, you know, and, you know, I get a slice of pepperoni pizza out of it. Pepperoni and mushroom and sausage is mine. Just.

[9:33] Christine Shepard: Yeah. OK. All right. So do you know of any options for aspiring artists who are not financially fortunate?

[9:38] James T. Lane: Definitely check out your community centers. You know, I know we're going through a time, obviously, but I would say reach out to folks that you admire. See if there are programs that they're offering scholarship programs at the major schools. I knew, you know, I knew that going to college, I needed a full scholarship. No other way around it. What I did my junior year into my senior year because I knew, you know, that I wouldn't have any money. I wrote letters to the colleges before I even said like I sent my applications in and then I sent letters to the admissions department saying like, hey, I'm James. You'll be seeing me, you know, auditioning for your school. Please really consider me. And so that when I walked into the door, they already knew who I was. Hey, that's that guy that sent the letter and got out my letter and stuff like that. And then after I left, I followed it up with a follow up letter.

[10:40] James T. Lane: Wow. OK. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So if you are underserved, you got to serve it. Yeah. You got to step up to the plate because the money's out there for you. Just look at it. You know, I got a lot of scholarship.

[10:54] Christine Shepard: Welcome to The Ensemblist. I’m Christine Shepard, and today I’m excited to chat with James T. Lane.

[11:24] James T. Lane: Thanks for having me, Chris. I’m thrilled to be here.

[11:49] Christine Shepard: So, let’s dive right in. We’re talking about arts education today, which is such an important topic.

[12:18] James T. Lane: Absolutely. Arts education has been a crucial part of my journey, and I think it’s vital for so many young performers.

[12:38] Christine Shepard: Right. It seems like there’s always a debate about the funding and support for arts programs in schools.

[12:58] James T. Lane: Yes, and it’s disheartening to see how often the arts are the first to be cut.

[13:18] Christine Shepard: Exactly. And it’s not just about funding; it’s about access and representation as well.

[13:38] James T. Lane: Definitely. The lack of representation in Broadway shows can often be traced back to the lack of access to arts education for diverse communities.

[13:58] Christine Shepard: That’s such a critical point. When we don’t have diverse voices in the classroom, we’re missing out on so many perspectives.

[14:18] James T. Lane: For sure. And it’s not just about performing; it’s about understanding the entire landscape of the arts.

[14:38] Christine Shepard: Right. So, what do you think are some ways we can improve arts education?

[14:48] James T. Lane: I think we need to advocate for more funding and create programs that specifically target underserved communities.

[15:08] Christine Shepard: That’s a great idea. It’s all about creating opportunities for everyone.

[15:28] James T. Lane: Exactly. And we also need to encourage schools to integrate arts into their core curriculum.

[15:48] Christine Shepard: Yes! Arts should be seen as essential, not just an extra.

[16:08] James T. Lane: Absolutely. When students engage with the arts, they develop critical thinking skills and creativity that benefit them in all areas of life.

[16:28] Christine Shepard: And those skills are so important in today’s world.

[16:48] James T. Lane: They really are. We need to prepare students not just for tests, but for life.

[17:08] Christine Shepard: So true. What was your experience with arts education growing up?

[17:28] James T. Lane: I was fortunate to have access to a variety of programs, but I know that’s not the case for everyone.

[17:48] Christine Shepard: It’s great that you had that support. It can make such a difference.

[18:08] James T. Lane: It really can. I think about how many talented individuals might not have had the same opportunities I did.

[18:28] Christine Shepard: That’s a sobering thought. We need to do better.

[18:48] James T. Lane: Yes, and it starts with conversations like this one.

[19:08] Christine Shepard: Absolutely. Let’s keep pushing for change.

[19:28] James T. Lane: I’m all in. Together, we can make a difference.

[19:48] Christine Shepard: Thank you so much for sharing your insights today, James.

[20:08] James T. Lane: Thank you for having me, Chris. It’s been a pleasure.

[20:28] Christine Shepard: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. We’ll see you next time on The Ensemblist.

[20:48] James T. Lane: Bye, everyone!

[21:08] Christine Shepard: Bye!

[21:48] James T. Lane: We need a way to like support women's organizations and support and go to shows and just go to food banks and just be supportive in that way as black men. So we're ready for it. We're here for it.

[22:03] Christine Shepard: I'm ready for it. It sounds so needed. And so I hate to use the word overdue, but like overdue. It's time, you know, and like, and it took a pandemic for us to be like, let's let's move it right along.

[22:21] James T. Lane: What kind of effect do you think the upcoming age of online education will have on arts education?

[22:27] James T. Lane: Well, here's, here's the thing. I have a student in London, over Zoom. I teach a dance class for singers and actors that I had in a brick and mortar kind of building. But like all I was working over in London for a year and a half. So I have ties over there. But all of my London friends or all of the people that I met in there, they could never come to take class. They see it, you know, Instagram and stuff like that. But now there's this whole world of arts education at your fingertips. You know, you can Zoom on in and you can get access. I saw Desmond Richardson, fabulous contemporary dancer from ALA. He's going to be working with the students at the Hart School. And I felt like, oh my goodness, like, it's probably happening because of Zoom.

You know, you just boom, right there. You know, I'm going to be doing a masterclass at Rowan College. And I've been doing masterclasses for arts organizations all throughout the summer. It's been a great, great thing. So it's really at your fingertips. And I'm so interested in seeing how, like all of the many, many ideas to kind of expand on what this medium could be. So I'm hoping some of that ingenuity goes into what Broadway is doing. Yeah. Because it's like, it's going to, it has to be a brave new world. You know, I know that theatres are the theatres and budgets are the budgets and all of that. But like, somebody's going to have to get creative. We are a creative business. Like, boo-boo. Like, we're going to have to do something.

[24:01] James T. Lane: Yeah, it feels very, very Walsh-Wentz repeat for the past. I don't know how long. I feel like I'm new to it and I can already see the like, didn't you already just do that? It's funny. I've been working on a one man show since 2015 called Triple Threat. It's been really hard because it's a one man show. What is it exactly? And hard to get funding and stuff like that. Flash forward to a pandemic. And it's like the perfect thing for a small theatre to do in a pandemic. So I'll be getting a run of that at the Zeter's Theatre at the end of January. And it's like, it's only because of this opportunity in time, one, that I had the time. And because of the way that it's built, it's perfect for social distancing.

We're going to have to get creative right now. Yep. Okay. And that's on that. Like, right, here I am, I'm ready. And it's going to be streams, you know, like it's going to be in Virginia Beach. So and that is another way that access to the world and figuring out what that is, what we can do with the medium there. So it's very exciting.

[25:17] Christine Shepard: Yeah, I hope, I feel like my greatest hope is that these people and children who maybe don't have a car to always get somewhere, Zoom can become a great equalizer, almost in a sense of like that opportunity can be able to spread, get a chance to at least figure out if they, give them enough tries to figure out even if they like it enough. You know, I feel like sometimes that's a big thing with kids is that you get one intramurals moment where you learn the cha-cha slide, maybe, and everybody watches West Side for somebody's birthday. And like, that's it. And you're supposed to base those two, you know, if you're fortunate enough to be a part of all these different artistic outlets, those are like your two things to be like, all right, well, like, do you want to do this for the rest of your life? And like, you're 13, like me, maybe, or I'll just be a doctor and like, no, I can pay my bills.

[26:05] James T. Lane: Right, right, right. There's a vastness of what we do and color and variety. That's beautifully put. This, this can be the great equalizer in access and like platforms like this. So you can just like peer into another world.

[26:18] Christine Shepard: Yeah, I, yeah, just yeah.

[26:23] Christine Shepard: Um, this should be a quick question, but actually, maybe not, because I feel like we can go into it. Um, how many long term teachers of color have you had? And I define long term as longer than six months.

[26:33] James T. Lane: Lots. I grew up, you know, like my Miss Shepherd was black, and I had her from first grade all the way up through eighth grade. And I went to her dance school, even outside. I guess she was my longest teacher. I went to a dance school called Koresh Dance Company in Philadelphia. It was like, it was, it wasn't really a dance school, but I used it as that, you know, and like, we've had members of like, Alvin Ailey in class, because they've come to Philadelphia, and that's where they took class. And, and I had a teacher there called named Rony Koresh, who is his company, and he's a Middle Eastern man. And, you know, so it was just beautiful to watch him move through, through the earth. When I got to college, there was a, there was a professor there named Dr. Anthony Leach, who at, at Penn State, who was very, very much influential.

Rony was all through high school, Dr. Leach was all through college, the two years that I was there before I left. So, so all around me, and I have a mentor named Robert Turner, who's in my life, who's an arts educator now. So, you know, all throughout my life, I've had, I've had that kind of connection. But, you know, here's the thing, and this is what I'll say. I never thought of myself as the minority in terms of like, what the word means, but I think a life lived in the United States in ways that are not so subtle, in subtle ways, you feel like the color of your skin isn't the tool that you can use to get ahead.

[28:16] James T. Lane: And this was, this was before, like, Jay-Z, or before, like, all of that kind of came in. Hip-hop has changed everything, changed the game. When I was coming up, it was really, really hard, you know, so you were kind of wishing away the culture that you grew up in, in some sense, for like something more. It was very, very confusing. And it was in college where I kind of like, got the reins back in that a bit. I realized that instead of being like, oh, no, I'm the only Black person in the room, it became like, oh, I'm the only Black person in the room.

[28:57] Christine Shepard: Yeah.

[28:58] James T. Lane: Eyes would be on me, and I've got something to offer. Showing up in those spaces and places, well-prepared, so that the face of excellence looked like this. I don't know how it happened, but it was like, oh, I am, I am the only person in the room, therefore, all eyes will be on me, I better use it.

[29:23] Christine Shepard: Totally, totally. I think it's really amazing that you have had so many educators of color. I actually didn't. I think my first, yeah, it was definitely more short-term educators, whether I went for an intensive for a week, maybe there would be a handful of people of color on the panel or something like that, but I grew up in Ohio, so it was pretty, like, I think I had one, no, I think they were all white women. I think I had, yeah, just about all white women. And then even getting to college, having, I had one hip-hop professor, she is Asian, and, like, we would have some guest teachers that would come in, then it would be people of color, but I'm so, it's almost like a bad comfortability, in a sense of, like, so used to being like, all right, so here comes the next white person who's gonna teach me.

[30:12] James T. Lane: Yeah, so I think that's really interesting that, because we're, you know, from two completely different generations.

[30:18] Christine Shepard: That is interesting. Have you ever done a, like, an all-black show?

[30:22] James T. Lane: No.

[30:23] James T. Lane: Woo, honey. You, you will never be the same. You will, you will never be the same. We laughed, cried, felt like going to, like, a spiritual place each and every night, you know, with your brothers. Or Dreamgirls, oh my goodness. Like, you know, you're just enwrapped, enveloped in, like, just a shorthand of emotion. Just, just a side eye. Everybody's on the same page. It's a really precious thing. And, you know, we just need more of it. We need more of it at the levels that we are at. Yeah. Yes, now we can feel the stage of color, but what is happening behind the stage? What's happening behind the scenes? And that is really what is the puppeteer that can start to make that more normal and less, ooh, like, it's a hot ticket because the director was black. It can just be like, this person is named so-and-so, and he directed it. And that can be just as powerful.

[31:25] Christine Shepard: Beautiful.

[31:26] James T. Lane: For sure. This has been really great. Thank you so much again.

[31:29] Christine Shepard: I've thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I feel like I'm learning a lot. I hope the audience learns a lot. Take notes, guys. Pies. Cool.

[31:44] Christine Shepard: Special thanks to James T. Lane for allowing us to share their stories this week.

[31:49] Christine Shepard: The Ensemblist was produced today by Mo Brady, Jackson Klein, and myself, Christine Shepard.

[31:57] Christine Shepard: There are two great ways you can help The Ensemblist right now. One is by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

[32:06] Christine Shepard: The second is by becoming a Patreon member at patreon.com slash The Ensemblist.

[32:14] Christine Shepard: Please follow The Ensemblist wherever you listen to podcasts, whether that be on Spotify, on Apple products, or at home on Broadway Podcast Network at bpn.fm.

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[32:30] Christine Shepard: Thanks for listening.

[32:32] Christine Shepard: Until next time.