Cole Chase

ENC 1102
Initial Research Proposal
Gender equality on Broadway
Broadway musicals date back to being performed as far back as
the early 1750s. Thousands of different musicals, from Shakespeares
Romeo and Juliet to Disneys The Lion King, have been performed on
many of Broadways theatres. Every musical has roles specifically cast
for males or females, but how exactly are genders being represented
on Broadway? Throughout the history of Broadway, thousands of plays
have had different casts of either all men, all women, or a mix of men
and women.
Thinking about the different casts for different shows got me
thinking, are both genders being equally represented on Broadway? If
not, which gender is not being represented as much? This topic
connects to the worldwide topic about gender equality in general. I will
be spending a large amount of time studying and researching about
gender representation on Broadway. I believe that this question is
worth more investigation because, from my research, no one has
deeply investigated this to see that genders are being equally
represented in Broadway shows. My research will be unique and give
good insight on whether genders are being equally represented on
Broadway or not. If my research finds that genders are not being

equally represented on Broadway, I will look into ways to help equalize

gender representation on Broadway.
With my initial research, I have noticed a few other theatre-lovers
who are researching the same topic that I have decided to research.
Jarrah Hodge wrote an insightful article called A Feminist Guide To
Broadway Musicals. This article talks about every musical where the
cast is mainly female oriented. This is a great article to start off with
because it gives me a starting point for my thinking. This article makes
me believe that mainly females are being represented on Broadway,
because no other article similar to this was released about men. I will
conduct more research to either back up this statement or contradict
it.
My research will take place in multiple fashions. I will first do
online research to find any information available to me. I will then
move on to see if I can find a book or two to find more information that
either agrees or disagrees with my online research. After this, I will
conduct an interview or two with future actors and/or actresses to see
how they view gender equality on Broadway, as the future is the most
important factor in maintaining gender equality in the future. Young
actors and actresses are extremely important to my conclusion about
this topic. I believe the information I receive from this research will be
sufficient enough to help me come to a conclusion on my topic.

So far, I have started to believe that females are being more

represented on Broadway, but I will continue my research to further
answer my question. One or two articles are not enough to fully
support this hypothesis of females being more represented. I will
continue my research and soon come to the conclusion of whether or
not genders are equally represented on Broadway.

Sources I Plan To Use

"Disney THE LION KING | Official Site for the Broadway Musical | Cast &
Creative Team." Disney THE LION KING | Official Site for the
Broadway Musical | Cast & Creative Team. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar.
2015.

Hodge, Jarrah. "A Feminist Guide to Broadway Musicals." Gender Focus

A Feminist Guide to Broadway Musicals Comments. N.p., 12 Nov.
2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Rusie, Robert. "Talkin' Broadway - Broadway 101." Talkin' Broadway Broadway 101. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Vraketta, Georgia. "The Representations of Gender, Sexuality and Race

in Disney's The Lion King." The Representations of Gender,

Sexuality and Race in Disney's The Lion King. University of

Brighton, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Wolf, Stacy Ellen. Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the

Broadway Musical. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.