My (not quite) successful pursuit of Robert Deniro | Phoebe Robinson | TEDxBroadway
The speaker, a stand-up comedian, argues that Broadway must become more inclusive and representative to reach a wider audience, proposing both increased casting diversity and a dedicated streaming service to make the art form accessible. She cites her own experience being an outsider to the industry and the current lack of visible representation for people of color in Broadway casts.
## Speakers & Context
- Stand-up comedian, who self-identifies as an outsider to the Broadway world.
- Moved to New York at age 17 to attend Pratt Institute as a writing major.
- First time seeing a Broadway show was *Rent*, which she instantly loved.
- Has been doing stand-up comedy for seven years at Caroline's on Broadway.
- Boyfriend is younger than her, causing her to question if she still qualifies as a Millennial.
## Theses & Positions
- Broadway has the potential to be much better by embracing more diverse stories and casting.
- The current state of Broadway is inaccessible, particularly to people who do not see themselves reflected on stage.
- The primary barrier keeping potential audiences (like herself, based in Ohio) from attending Broadway is the perceived lack of representation; if you don't see yourself reflected, you don't think it's a possibility.
- A more inclusive Broadway, embracing diversity, women, and transgender people, will ultimately lead to greater success for the institution ("you're going to make more money").
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Inclusiveness:** The central theme advocated for—going beyond simply "talking about diversity."
- **Universal Story:** The idea that personal, lived experiences (e.g., interracial relationship quirks, personal life stories) can form the basis of great, relatable, and marketable theater.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Mechanism of aspiration:** The comedian uses her stand-up career as a proxy for capturing the "energy" and feeling of being in a live room performance, contrasting it with the physical impossibility of an initial Broadway visit.
- **Proposed Solution Set:**
1. Increasing the casting of people of color in plays.
2. Developing a streaming service accessible from home (e.g., "I'll join McDonald's from your living room in Ohio").
3. Staging "fresher takes on stories" that haven't been told before.
## Timeline & Sequence
- Moved to New York: **Age 17**.
- First Broadway viewing: Saw *Rent* while attending Pratt Institute freshman year.
- Started stand-up comedy: Approximately **seven years ago**.
## Named Entities
- **Pratt Institute:** Attended as a writing major.
- **Broadway:** The subject of the talk; the industry she wishes to reform.
- **Robert De Niro:** Person used in an anecdotal opening to illustrate youthful obsession.
- **Michelle Williams:** Name mentioned in relation to income aspiration ("making black michelle williams money").
## Numbers & Data
- Age of first Broadway viewing: Freshman year at **Pratt Institute**.
- Years doing stand-up comedy: **Seven years**.
- Age in the talk: The comedian mentions she is likely a **Millennial** but is unsure due to her boyfriend's age.
## Examples & Cases
- **Personal Anecdote:** Teenage goal was to move to New York, marry Robert De Niro, and win all the Oscars.
- **Aspiration Check:** Comedian jokes that she can't afford Broadway tickets because she is "making black michelle williams money."
- **Inspiration Source:** Comparing the lack of representation to the necessity of seeing oneself reflected in art.
- **Successful Story Example:** *In the Heights* was cited as an incredible story that hadn't been told before.
- **Untapped Source Example:** The quirks of an interracial relationship moving in together, which she believes is "ripe for a broadway play."
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Streaming Service:** Proposed as a technological solution to overcome geographical and financial barriers to seeing Broadway.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The comedian acknowledges that the discussion around "diversity" is over-discussed ("we're so sick of hearing about diversity").
- The financial barrier is noted, referencing the struggle to afford tickets.
## Methodology
- Self-deprecating comedy routine mixed with sociological critique.
- Using personal narrative (childhood obsession, moving to NYC) to build credibility before launching into the critique of the industry structure.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Broadway needs to embrace diversity in casting, particularly showing more people of color and women.
- The industry must create avenues, like streaming, that allow non-local residents to experience the magic.
- The overall goal is to make the art form more universally reflective and therefore more commercially successful.
## Implications & Consequences
- Lack of visible representation creates a self-perpetuating cycle where audiences do not view the possibility of seeing their own stories on stage.
- Success in Broadway is implied to be directly correlated with its embrace of its full, diverse potential audience base.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"my number one goal in life was to move to new york marry robert de niro and win all the oscars that was the plan"*
- *"I'm making black michelle williams money not white with michelle williams money"*
- *"I think there's a way to make broadway less mysterious if i don't know if we you know offer some streaming service where you could like watch you know i'll join mcdonald's from your living room in ohio"*
- *"if you don't see yourself reflected you don't think it's a possibility"*
- *"I think there's a way for broadway to just kind of embrace diversity embrace women embrace you know everyone transgender people everyone in a more inclusive way"*
- *"go oh yeah i do exist in this world yeah my life story is universal"*