J. Michael Miller
“What’s in a name?” We are all called upon to reflect on that question from time to time. I remember struggling with that question from the time I was 5 to almost 25, for no good reason, like suppose my first name was “Lance”, etc. But this last week was particularly poignant. First, we were told that the Governor of Texas’s family held the lease to a 1000 acre shooting preserve named “Niggerhead.” In today’s (10/5/11) New York Times editorial page there is tasty little riff on “Gov. Perry’s Rock”, which opines “The name of a Texas hunting camp is a reminder that casual bigotry is still far too common.” Second, my wife was summoned to a meeting of Asian actors last Sunday evening (10/2/11) to discuss the maddening lack of opportunities for actors of Asian decent to work in theatre, film and television. When seeking employment they and all stripes of other actors are routinely told, “We are not going diverse in this production.” That is an odd statement in New York City where 67% of the population is made up of people of color. (See my interview with Ken Prewitt, head of the 2000 national census, below.) Third, in an interview with actress Marjan Neshat (see The Actor’s Voice below), she remembers early in her career when a commercial casting director asked her if she had ever thought of changing her name. She asked why? He said, “Because I can think of lots of ways to use you, BUT NOT WITH THAT NAME. The producers just won’t buy it.” And we thought we were long past the days of Hollywood name changes to suit public tastes, if there were public tastes? More and more apparently, the embedded factional differences, jealousies, prejudices, and instincts for self-preservation betray our true nature. The advertising and entertainment industries sell illusion and try to create certain tastes to sell products. When we work for them, we pretty much have to accept the fact that we are chattel in their business model. When we work in our own theatres or not-for-profit theatres, however, we need to see ourselves as artists who help translate for our audiences what it means to be human. That is our job, and it demands that we reach past our differences and prejudices to find truth as we know it and live it. In that context, our name means everything to us, because that is who we are and where our understanding of our humanity resides. To achieve that in any large way we need to reach way beyond “casual bigotry.” We need all manner of names on our stages, and we need those who would divide us by name to join us in this 21st Century reach for that beyond.
In that spirit, our Editor, Philip Carlson and I are on a track to broaden the views of this Journal. In our last issue, we announced the addition of an early 30′s actor, writer and producer, Zachary Fine, as a Contributing Editor. In the next issue, we will announce the addition of three, perhaps four, additional Contributing Editors, who will be asked to contribute at least two articles per year. They are being chosen to cover a wider age range, reflecting different perspectives, and a NAME range, reflecting personal and cultural perspectives on the issues raised in this Journal. I bristle at the notion of “adding diversity.” This is who we are now, and actually have always been. The changing of names was simply a ruse to disguise that fact.
We are also, as we build this structure of Contributing Editors, going to change our publication schedule. As soon as we have expanded our core of Contributing Editors sufficiently, say January 2012, we are going to shift to publishing on a weekly basis. We will still publish a somewhat streamlined, but full Journal every two months, but in between, we will publish weekly articles from our new Contributing Editors and other submissions. In short, we want to unpack a bit of what has become a dense read, and provide a more consistent and clearer spectrum of wider perspectives. We are entering our 3rd year of this Journal. Someday soon we are going to get it right, and someday we are going to be heard.
Keep the faith, Michael
