The Stage

A stronger voice for women working behind the scenes

Published Tuesday 27 April 2010 at 14:44 by Matthew Hemley

Industry support group Women in Lighting is to be relaunched next month under a new name, as part of an effort to open its membership to females working in other technical and backstage roles.

Founded last year by Paule Constable and Sarah Rushton-Read, Women in Lighting was initially set up to provide female lighting designers the opportunity to network and share experience, with more than 100 women from around the world signing up since it began.

Now, the organisation is to be relaunched as Women in Stage Entertainment, and will be opening its doors to females working in sound, video, stage engineering and theatre consultancy.

Constable, who has designed the lighting for shows such as Oliver! and Love Never Dies, said WISE will tackle the “under-representation of women” in many areas of the stage and entertainment industry.

“It seemed to us that so many of the conversations we were having are relevant to all of us working technically, women are in the minority on stage, in sound, in video, in lighting. Sarah and I have found the response amazing in our world of lighting, so why not open out the opportunity to create a community to other women working backstage?,” she said.

Constable said this should create “different conversations and raise different issues” and said women would be “stronger and more empowered as a group”.

She added that the initiative would promote career paths for women and offer “support, advice and mentorship” through a programme of internships and work experience placements.

One of the key areas the initiative hopes to address is why so many women leave the industry when they start a family.

In response, WISE is preparing to draw up a list of “family-friendly venues, employers and directors” in the UK.