Lin-Manuel Miranda launches R.I.S.E. Network to improve diversity on Broadway

By GLENN GAMBOA
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda hopes to increase diversity on Broadway and in theaters across the country with a new initiative announced Thursday. The Representation, Inclusion and Support for Employment Theater Network – or R.I.S.E. Network, for short – is launching a directory of diverse offstage theater professionals to make it easier for them to get hired for jobs ranging from stagehands to producers and general managers. According to a 2021 report from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, which studied Broadway shows in the 2018-2019 season, 100% of general managers and 94% of the producers were white. White actors were cast in 80% of the lead roles in musicals and 90% of the lead roles in plays.