WBW Brief: May 17, 2018

Cannes Do: Black actresses protest racism within the film industry in France. 16 women–including Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Mata Gabin, Maïmouna Gueye, Eye Haïdara–decried not being considered for prestigious roles. Read more about the protest at Dazed Digital.

Cannes Do, Part Two: 82 women locked arms on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival to protest the dearth of women filmmakers represented in the festival’s 71-year history. Led by Cate Blanchett and Agnés Varda, they stated, “Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of our industry says otherwise.” Read the full statement at Vox.

Terrific Profile: Check out this Village Voice profile of Obie Lifetime Achievement Award winner Kathleen Chalfant. Read more HERE.

Women Count: The League of Professional Theatre Women released the results of the third report, Women Count: Women Hired Off-Broadway, in early May. The report, compiled by Martha Wade Steketee and Judith Binus, demonstrates that women dominate the ranks of costume designers, production stage managers and assistant production managers, but don’t come close to 50% in all the other categories, including playwrights, directors, scenic designers, sound designers, and composers. Read the full report at LPTW’s website.

Progress: American Ballet Theater has announced a new initiative to support female-identified choreographers. Read the good news in The New York Times.

RIP: Leah Napolin, who adapted Yentl for the stage, has passed away. Yentl played 223 performances on Broadway in the 1970s. Read her obituary in the The New York Times.