The newly elected president of the Orlando Shakes board of directors, A. Noni Holmes-Kidd, is a Black woman. So is the newly hired development director, Tanneka Guice. So is Roberta Emerson, the theater’s director of new play development and Cultural Coordinator.

It’s still a rarity on the Central Florida arts scene to have three Black women in such high-level positions in a single organization as arts groups grapple with opening their traditionally white power structure to others.

“For three years, I was the only Black director in the room, so it means something,” said Emerson.

“I’ve been in the position when I had a seat at the table but didn’t have a voice. It’s unusual to have both,” added Guice. It’s often either-or: a voice or a seat. This is highly unusual.”

The three arts leaders agreed to talk about their experiences with the Orlando Sentinel, while making it clear they didn’t want to be perceived as “poster children” for diversity or as speaking for all Black women in the arts or as a reason for the arts community to give itself a pat on the back — not when they see so much more work to be done.

“I’m not interested in being anyone’s press release,” Emerson said.

How did it happen?

Guice is taken aback when asked if she ever expected this situation of working with other Black female leaders.

“Oh, God, no,” she exclaimed, calling the circumstances “lightning in a bottle.”

She’s not exaggerating.

Nationally, although nonwhites have made gains in leadership roles in arts organizations, they still lag far behind proportional representation.

A 2019 National Endowment for the Arts study, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey, found that while 49.2% of managerial roles in performing arts companies were held by women, when looking at managers of any gender, 74.5% were white. Only 8.2% were Black.

That study, the most recent comprehensive one available, took place before George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police in May 2020 and amplified a national conversation about race — before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many arts organizations operate. However, even though progress has undoubtedly been made in the intervening years, Central Florida has not seen a dramatic shift.

Emerson, a longtime educator, was hired as director of new play development in 2021 through the University of Central Florida, a partner organization of Orlando Shakes. She remembers that post-George Floyd time well.

“We were finally having discussions of why do people like me not have access to positions,” she said. “Why does leadership all look the same — and it doesn’t look like me?”

In the case of Guice’s hiring, connections were key.

“I think it happened by a lot of talking. And more talking. It’s a continual education, a continual push for Black women as a whole,” Emerson said. “It’s saying each other’s names and making sure people are aware of our qualifications.”

Emerson and Guice had previously worked together at the Garden Theatre, where Guice was development director, a nonprofit position in charge of fundraising and donor relations, among other duties. When the same position opened at Orlando Shakes, Emerson mentioned her and connected Guice with the theater. She was hired in April.

Holmes-Kidd, who began her two-year term as board president in June, was recruited to the board.

She and her husband were drawn to Orlando Shakes when the theater presented “Les Miserables” in 2014. They realized they were easily spotted.

“We are tall, Black people. We stand out in the theater,” Holmes-Kidd said. “I quickly scanned the room and didn’t see anybody who looked like me.”

But they also drew the attention of a board member, who invited Holmes-Kidd to get involved. She did.

“I want the city to understand the incredible work the Shakes is doing,” Holmes-Kidd said. “I want to walk in our spaces and see a rainbow of people of all ages.”

Making change

In her role, Emerson is focused on artistic issues: Programming titles that appeal to a wider demographic and looking for plays that raise issues important to different segments of society, especially for the theater’s annual festival of new plays, which she oversees.

“We have shows we have put in front of audiences that have really challenged them,” she says, noting even a classic like “A Christmas Carol,” in which she plays the traditionally white role of Mrs. Cratchit, “doesn’t look like it did five years ago.”

She promotes Affinity Nights so that groups of Black theatergoers can attend shows together.

“We are committed to ‘You are welcome,'” she said of the theater company’s efforts to deepen relationships with patrons of all backgrounds. “And we are grappling with ‘How do you belong.'”

Guice recently created a public-recognition program, called the “Impact Initiative,” that saluted women making a difference in Central Florida before each performance of “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Based on a similar program she ran at the Garden Theatre, it’s designed to foster that sense of belonging to a wider community.

“Let’s look at the community and acknowledge people who might not necessarily get a nod or a wink,” she said.

Holmes-Kidd’s biggest contributions so far haven’t been seen by the public — but the results will be highly visible. A lawyer by profession, she has been crafting the various contracts leading to the Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s multimillion-dollar renovations. The refreshed facility is expected to debut in late November.

Challenges

While the women give credit to artistic director Jim Helsinger, managing director Larry Mabrey and other white colleagues, they say change doesn’t always come easy.

“It’s an uphill climb and battle every day,” Guice said. “That’s just being a Black woman in America. There’s still work to be done.”

Holmes-Kidd is a proponent of trying new ideas — ideas that may come from people with different perspectives than previous decision-makers.

“We don’t always have to do things the way things have been done,” she said. “We can honor the past and the people who have done great things. But we can look through a different lens.”

Emerson, who works closely with Helsinger, said learning is happening in both directions.

“I learn why things have worked here before,” she said. “We can talk about if we’re going to change things, how do we do that together. I am grateful to Jim; he’s allowing that to happen.”

The women agreed that colleagues are open to conversations, even if the ensuing talks are sometimes awkward. Occasionally, there’s a sense that the discussions are one-sided: “You say you want to know, but do you really?” Guice said. “Or will you get offended and start making excuses?”

But more often than not, the awkwardness comes from a well-meaning place.

“There’s a hesitation to offend, but the desire to learn,” said Guice, recalling how one “tentative conversation” led to a workshop on how best to work with Black hair when making costuming and other decisions. “I hope it continues to be as open.”

“It doesn’t make you a bad person; there’s no judgment,” Holmes-Kidd said of initiating a sensitive discussion. “If you didn’t know, let’s learn together.”

Audience members trigger conversation, as well. Emerson recalled a theatergoer objecting to the casting in “A Christmas Carol.”

“When someone writes and says, ‘the Black mother wouldn’t have had Asian kids and they wouldn’t be in London,’ I think those are opportunities to say what’s important to us,” she said. “Instead of proclaiming what we stand against, it’s about loudly and boldly announcing what we stand for.”

While acknowledging that presenting oneself in a professional setting comes with self-reflection for anyone, they say Black women have extra factors to consider because of the history of “angry” or “difficult” stereotypes.

“We have to think about our packaging, our facial expressions, our body language, everything,” Holmes-Kidd said.

And there can be frustration at the pace of change.

“Some of the shift is slow, slower than I would like it to be,” Emerson said.

At the board level, Holmes-Kidd can feel the same: “Even though I’m a lawyer, I don’t like a lot of words. I like action.”

All three say they fight preconceptions — including the idea they will march in lock-step.

“We share a lot of common experiences as Black women in America, but we don’t necessarily think alike,” Guice said. “We have people who think because we’re all Black, we agree on everything. No.”

Emerson said there have been times she and Guice had to reach compromises because of their different approaches.

“I’m like, ‘I want to do this,” and she has said, ‘You can’t do it that way,'” Emerson recalled. “Even if that stings a bit, I know she has my back.”

Strength, pride, hope

The occasional difference of opinion doesn’t stop the women from pulling strength from one another.

“I respect these women so much,” Holmes-Kidd said.

“I feel a mentorship from both of them,” Emerson added.

“We balance each other out with our backgrounds,” said Guice. “To have this support system, a sisterhood within the organization, it’s comforting.”

They also share pride in what they bring to the table as leaders.

“Because we weren’t listened to, we make sure to listen to everyone else,” Emerson said.

“I think that makes us exceptional leaders, exceptional educators,” added Holmes-Kidd. “We are the ones saying, ‘Did you get that? Are you comfortable?'”

And they share hope that their work is making a difference.

“The page is turning slowly, but it’s turning,” Guice said. “It shows the shift that Orlando Shakes is trying to accomplish. It’s not easy. But to be empowered to make change makes all the difference.”

Emerson says the experience of Orlando Shakes could inspire similar local nonprofits.

“For other arts organizations, once you push through [the difficult conversations], it’s so much better, so much more rewarding,” she said.

Holmes-Kidd believes not only is diversifying arts leadership the right thing to do, but it’s also essential.

“We have to do this for the longevity of the theater. And the work we are doing needs to be seen by everyone,” Holmes-Kidd said. “It feels really impactful to have us here at this moment and think about where the arts should be going.”

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