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

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

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

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.

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.

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

only half as good

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

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.