WTF Happened – A new book that chronicles the legacy and lasting impact of the #WakingTheFeminists movement in Irish theatre

WTF Happened, edited by Sarah Durcan with Lian Bell, was born from a belief that the story of #WakingTheFeminists deserved to be preserved for future generations. The movement challenged gender inequality at the heart of Irish theatre and sparked lasting change across the arts. After four years of work, the book captures the voices of those who shaped that moment – writers, directors, designers, and technicians – creating both a record of progress and a powerful source of inspiration for those continuing the fight for equality, diversity and inclusion today.

I interviewed Lian Bell to find out more:

What is the origins behind writing your book with Sarah Durcan, ‘WTFHappened’ and what does it mean to you to see it go out into the world?

Throughout the campaign, it was a priority for us to keep account of what happened, in the hope that we would be able to share details with people in the future. We knew from experience that the stories of women’s movements, and the work of women theatre artists in particular, have been less documented and fade more quickly; we wanted to make sure that the details of how #WakingTheFeminists had such a significant impact on Irish theatre was kept for posterity. It’s been about four years in the making, but the book gives an account of what happened, as well as offering a compendium of many of the voices of theatre professionals who spoke at our public events, and who pitched in online to share their stories. Having a physical book published so beautifully by UCD Press means that that story and those voices have been captured for future activists and feminists to learn from and gain strength from.

How does ‘WTF Happened’ address exclusion beyond gender?

The campaign was specifically about gender – our tagline was ‘Equality for women in Irish theatre’. That was what we aimed for, and where we had our biggest wins. That said, we were aware that by pushing all of our major theatre organisations in Ireland to make practical changes to the way that they worked, there was also opportunity for them to think intersectional about those changes. This was always part of the conversation.

However, it was clear even then that Irish theatre needed a shakeup in terms of other kinds of representation too; there were disproportionately few black artists, or disabled artists, or Traveller artists, for example, being given the space to work in theatre at the time. While things have somewhat improved over the ten years since the start of the campaign and there is more of a diversity of artists making work now, there is a lot more still to be done. What ‘WTF Happened’ does is give an account of how real change is possible, how we can hold our public institutions to account, and gives a successful model of collective action. We hope that the book can serve as a model and inspiration for all those pushing forward now and in the future.

Should data on theatre representation expand beyond gender to ethnicity and identity?

Of course. But to be clear – there was no data even on gender balance in Irish theatre before #WakingTheFeminists commissioned it. And since the publication of our original baseline study, Gender Counts; there has been no follow up study. We would love to see more research into how things have changed since Gender Counts to see what has actually shifted, and for that research to be intersectional to capture information on other forms of discrimination. There should also be more studies into things like the kinds of characters portrayed in theatre, as well as details of pay for theatre workers of all kinds.

Does the book explore diversity in backstage roles as well as on stage?

Yes. The movement was started by women working in all areas of theatre speaking up and telling their personal stories. The book reflects a range of views, experiences, and expertise – from writers, directors, and producers, to designers, technicians, and of course actors. There is no job in theatre (or indeed in the world…) that gender doesn’t have an impact on in some way. One of the most demonstrable shifts (although still anecdotal until more formal research is done) has been to the number of women now working in technical theatre. This is partly thanks to an initiative called Women in Technical Theatre which started to hold workshops in second-level schools by women working in lighting, sound, production and stage management, as way for young women to see that having a career in these areas is feasible for them. This initiative is still run by the Abbey Theatre and the Lir Academy in Trinity College and was originally spearheaded by Kate Ferris, a key #WakingTheFeminists campaigner.

Has #WakingTheFeminists influenced DEI in film or other arts sectors?

Hugely. We knew that by pushing to make significant change in one small community – theatre – and being as visible and vocal about it as possible, what we did would have a ripple effect. And it did.

From the Irish Film Board publishing a six-point gender equality plan very soon after our first public meeting, to the then Minister for Arts asking all National Cultural Institutions to put gender policies in place by 2018, to the Arts Council publishing their Equality, Human Rights and Diversity Policy and Strategy in 2019. This is to name but a few ripple effects. The campaign also gave women working in other sectors – not just the arts – the encouragement to kick start conversations around gender. At our final event in November 2016, One Thing More, a selection of women working many different sectors – from business, media, academia, to the defence forces and more – gave short, powerful speeches about their experiences and their ambitions for change. All these speeches are compiled in the book and make for an inspiring read.

In bookshops nationwide and at http://www.ucdpress.ie