The Nightingale Casting
The Nightingale Casting
masterwolfie
Chorus Member Joined: 1/4/12
#1The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:01pm
So, I'm not sure if there's already another topic on this or whether this should even be at this board, considering it's off-broadway, but I wanted to share this blog post on the casting of Duncan Sheik's "The Nightingale":
http://fairyprincessdiaries.com/2012/07/07/moises-kaufman-can-kiss-my-ass-heres-why/
and its casting of Asian American actors/actresses, or rather the lack of it. Personally, I'm disappointed and angered by this, and I'd love to know how I can let the creative team know this.
#2The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:28pm
God, I love Erin Quill.
This has also been mentioned on Angry Asian Man: http://blog.angryasianman.com/2012/07/so-where-heck-are-all-chinese-people-in.html
(BTW, this is La Jolla, not "off-Broadway.")
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Updated On: 7/10/12 at 04:28 PM
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#2The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:31pmI read this the other day but vowed to myself I was not going to be the one to post it on BWW.
masterwolfie
Chorus Member Joined: 1/4/12
#3The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:33pm
^Why not? I actually don't frequent this board - I only recently discovered it, actually. Is it some kind of faux pas? xD or does it just result in a lot of flaming?
Updated On: 7/10/12 at 04:33 PM
#4The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:33pm
I read this the other day and meant to post it here! Thank you for having more initiative than me, because I do think it's a really legitimate grievance, against this production in particular and against a lot of American theatre.
But in this instance, it really is absurd. The idea of the cast being a "rainbow" is laughable- considering it's a very selective rainbow. If a theatre company isn't doing Flower Drum Song, Miss Saigon, or Pacific Overtures, Asian performers are very often out of luck.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#5The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:37pm
Not a faux pas at all, masterwolfie. It's just a topic that a lot of people feel very strongly about.
I think it's ridiculous, too. Asian actors have a hard enough time getting seen for ANY roles. To not have a single Asian actor in a show set in China is . . . Well, words fail me.
Yes, this is, strictly speaking, color-blind casting. But should that really mean casting white actors as often as possible?
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#6The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:42pm
Pretty much, masterwolfie. My own experience has taught me that trying to have a an actual discussion about race and theatre (or even race in general) on this board is usually pretty futile.
Updated On: 7/10/12 at 04:42 PM
#7The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 4:52pm
There's one Asian actress in the cast. She's Japanese.
But what a stupidly missed opportunity.
#8The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:08pm
I would understand the conceit for a play by Brecht,say, where the settings are pretty much arbitrary and it's arguably better to go with casting that doesn't reflect the setting since the point is to make the theatricality obvious to enhance the moral and sociopolitical point.
Perhaps that's what they're going for here, since lord knows Duncan Sheik loves the whole music-as-commentary and bastardized Brechtian thing. It's hard to say, as no one has seen this thing yet. It sounds, however, like a straightforward adaptation of the Anderson story.
But really, would it have been so hard to make it an unspecified land that just happens to have an emperor? Why keep the incredibly specific time and place, then disregard it in terms of casting? The only color that they seem blind to is yellow.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#9The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:10pmI saw an all Asian PHANTOM OF THE OPELA that was great.
#10The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:14pmSchenectady is practically China-adjacent, isn't it?
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#12The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:17pmDon't even, Jordan.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#14The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:18pmSchenectady is almost as close to China as a region on the Pacific coast with a rich history of immigration from Asian countries that features a theatre doing a show set in China yet casts only one Asian actor in an ensemble role.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#15The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:18pm
You disappoint me, Jordan.
Seriously.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#17The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:22pm
I'd really rather not.
I'm just going to post a nice compilation Danny Bernardo made: https://bailiwickchicago.com/colorblind-casting-catch-22/
But has the La Jolla Playhouse weighed in at ALL? Has anyone tried to contact them? Hm.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
sally1112
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/13/04
#18The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:23pmI'm headed to San Diego next week to visit a friend and go to Pride. We are also seeing this while I am out there. I will let you know my thoughts.
#19The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:26pm
AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Coalition) Responds to "The Nightingale":
Though AAPAC is primarily concerned with Asian American representation on New York City stages, we felt the current Page to Stage production of "The Nightingale" at La Jolla Playhouse is relevant to our mission and warrants our attention.
The story of "The Nightingale" is set in China. Of 11 cast members, however, only 2 are Asian American; the rest of the cast is made up of other races. We are deeply disappointed that in the rare instance of a new musical set in an Asian country, the creative team (Moises Kaufman, director; Duncan Sheik, composer; Steven Sater, lyrics) did not decide to cast all or mostly Asian actors. We do not in any way blame or begrudge the actors currently cast for their involvement - this is not about them. We simply find it baffling and frustrating that unlike "The Lion King" or "Bombay Dreams", musicals where the majorities of their multicultural casts have been comprised primarily of African- and Indian-American actors respectively, the creative team would not consider it an artistic or social priority to find and cast Asian Americans in the majority of roles for a story set in Asia. That Moises Kaufman was a part of this decision - an artist who has long been concerned with giving voice to an oppressed minority and speaking their truth - is even more disappointing.
We want to know: Why was this decision made? Was there a perception on the part of the creative team that the Asian American talent pool was inadequate? Was it based on fear that there wasn't enough of a box office draw with an all Asian cast? Was there not even that much thought given to telling the story with an Asian American cast in the first place?
This is Harvard, not a stripper bar...
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#20The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:28pm
We simply find it baffling and frustrating that unlike "The Lion King" or "Bombay Dreams", musicals where the majorities of their multicultural casts have been comprised primarily of African- and Indian-American actors respectively, the creative team would not consider it an artistic or social priority to find and cast Asian Americans in the majority of roles for a story set in Asia
This.
#21The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:31pm(Just so everyone knows, Jordan stooped to the level of yellow peril cartoons, dozens of racist movies throughout the years, including "16 Candles," and made some asinine Asian r/l mixup jokes, then PMed me an apology. I am still pondering its honesty, but since he deleted his posts I wanted to fill in the gaps.)
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#23The Nightingale Casting
Posted: 7/10/12 at 5:32pmI wanted to say to Lizzie (and anyone else I might have offended) that I was sorry. I didn't mean to offend anyone honestly.
