Can a white person be cast as Hamilton or Angelica?- Page 5

[lite2shine]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:28pm

This article is in today's American Theatre web page. 1300 theatre professionals (mostly directors/playwrights) signatures are attached.

 

Standing Up for Playwrights and Against ‘Colorblind’ Casting

http://www.americantheatre.org/2016/01/07/standing-up-for-playwrights-and-against-colorblind-casting/

 

"What’s required now is a color-conscious, not colorblind, casting approach. Color-conscious casting intentionally considers the race and ethnicity of actors and the characters they play in order to oppose racism, honor and respect cultures, foster stronger productions, and contribute to a more equitable world. Without it, we risk perpetuating a system that privileges whiteness with greater access and opportunity, and appropriates the cultures of communities of color."

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 03:28 PM

[Dave19]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:38pm

FindingNamo said: "I feel bad for people who see Hamilton who "don't see race."  I guess they just see a bunch of blobs or something."

 

Exactly.

This whole "colorblind thing" is just plain rude.

Like it is not a good thing to see certain races or colors. We should see them, notice them and celebrate them.

These casting directors may feel noble but in fact they are the problem. They can't force the audience to not see race in one show and force the audience to focus on race in another, just like it suits them on that particular day.

 

[Dave19]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:52pm

lite2shine said: "What’s required now is a color-conscious, not colorblind, casting approach. "

 

Of course casting needs to be color-conscious. It is a huge part of a person. Just like gender, age, type.

That is what casting is all about. Not every role is for everyone.

You can't make audiences force to focus on race in one show and force them to be blind in another.

 

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 03:52 PM

[JayG 2]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 4:31pm

I don't think a white person should ever play a white character again.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 4:51pm

Dave19 said: "You can't make audiences foce to focus on race in one show and force them to be blind in another."

You can't force an audience to do anything, but you can certainly ask an audience to focus on race in one show and to be blind to it in another. As I am fond of saying, there are no rules, and certainly no one size fits all rules. 

Race is a loaded subject in this country and what I usually do is suggest that people think in some other channel that is not so heavily loaded. E.g., tall people vs short people. 

The majority of roles are not very specific unless we go out of our way to treat them that way. And when it comes to race, we way too frequently go out of our way.

Are there times a minority should be cast in a role because of the role? Yes. Are there times a minority should not be cast? Yes. Are there times a role can and should be color blind? Yes. Are there times a role should be color-conscious? Yes. 

Doing away with color-blind casting means not only no white MLK but also no John Douglas Thompson as any but one Shakespearean leading role, and certainly he need not apply for Chekhov or Ibsen. 

We cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater with stupid rules. Let's be smart about all this. 

PS I agree about playwright control and much of the rest of the stuff in that silly petition. So do most of the other theatre professionals who didn't sign.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 6:02pm

Regarding Galinda in Wicked, I don't think she can, or should, be cast as a POC, simply because in the play's allegorical take on reactionary American politics from McCarthy through Nixon, Reagan and W. Bush, Galinda represents the figurehead of unenlightened privilege foisted on the people as not only their ideal but their unquestioned leader, when the true power, both magically and mentally, rests in the hands of Elphaba, a socially-conscious left-leaning LITERAL person of color.

[Dave19]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 6:17pm

HogansHero said: "The majority of roles are not very specific "

 

I think the majority of roles are very specific. Casting out of it often feels very forced and takes me out of the story. That includes a very tall Kim in Miss Saigon, a very gay Phantom, a very young bird lady in Mary Poppins and yes, a black Christine in Phantom.

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:00pm

Dave19 said: "I think the majority of roles are very specific. Casting out of it often feels very forced and takes me out of the story. That includes a very tall Kim in Miss Saigon, a very gay Phantom, a very young bird lady in Mary Poppins and yes, a black Christine in Phantom."

Although I don't necessarily agree with your examples, I didn't say that NO roles are very specific. MOST roles are not. But really my essential point is that, if you leave the obsession with race (especially but alas not exclusively American) out of the equation, there are not all that many in the life of a casting director. To put a sharper point on that: we can imagine someone saying "that family would never have a black person over for dinner" but no one would say "they would never have a family of red heads over for dinner."

 

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 2:17pm

The West End has just announced their three new girls who will portray Matilda - starting in March. Two are white, one is black. Good for them.

Updated On: 1/26/16 at 02:17 PM

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 2:31pm

What if the person is half hispanic/half white, or half white/half black?

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 3:12pm

only half as good

[pickles2]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 3:31pm

TerrenceIsTheMann said: "What if the person is half hispanic/half white, or half white/half black?

 

"

Daveed Diggs is half white, I believe.

 

I've been curious about the casting in Wicked, since Fiyero is dark skinned in the book and it is pointed out how many of the other students form an initial prejudice against him because of it. I've only seen it on Broadway once, but when I did Fiyero was white and became the school heartthrob type character. I'm sure a POC actor has played the role at some point, but it was still an extreme departure from the source material. (Boq though was played by one of the original In The Heights cast members)

Updated On: 1/26/16 at 03:31 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 4:12pm

Derrick Williams, the original 1NT Fiyero, is African-American.  Taye Diggs also did a Fiyero stint, so while most Fiyeros on tour and on Broadway have been Caucasian, the role breakdown does not specify a race or ethnicity.

Updated On: 1/26/16 at 04:12 PM

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 4:35pm

TerrenceIsTheMann said: "What if the person is half hispanic/half white, or half white/half black?"

 

Phillipa Soo is half Chinese.

[UkePlayingPrincess]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 10:14pm

The casting call asks for Non-White actors. I think the reasoning behind this is that the music styles used in the show (rap and hip-hop) were majorly cultivated by People of Color, and its paying homage to the people who formed the music form. And lets be honest, white people just couldn't do it as well. The casting of POC is also supposed to represent Lin's idea of "America then told by America now." America now isn't white. New York City today is so hugely diverse, having a white person in the lead of an Rap/Hip Hop show wouldn't make sense. I think characters like Eliza and King George should be open to any race though, as the music done by them is much more classical, Eliza has a bit of a pop vibe and King George is very classic Broadway, and it wouldn't be appropriation for a white person to sing those roles. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/26/16 at 10:25pm

@UkePlayingPrincess-read the thread. The rationale for the casting is very clear, and it is not what you suggest. And BTW King George's music is not classic Broadway; it is Brit invasion pop music.