Harmony France of Firebrand Theatre
A major contributor to the evolving landscape of musical theatre in Chicago, this week's podcast introduces Harmony France, the artistic director and founder of the first feminist musical theatre company, Firebrand Theatre. This Chicago-based company primarily focuses on creating more opportunities and roles for women in various areas of artistic production. Harmony is also a casting director at Bailiwick Chicago, a teacher at Actor’s Training Center, and an actress that has traveled the world with the Broadway National/International Tour of Sister Act. As she progressed in her career and examined the male dominated industry of musical theatre, Harmony began to question why, despite women far outnumbering men in the industry, musicals were produced, directed, and cast by men and heavily focused around male stories. Being aware of the lack of diversity and inclusion in the industry, Harmony launched Firebrand Theatre to promote the empowerment of women and showcase talented female artists and their stories.