Equity and Equality on Broadway

In the hopes we might get the Maybe Happy Ending thread back to discussing that show specifically, perhaps those who wish to further discuss the equality and equity in auditions, casting, creative teams et al, might move share those thoughts here. This may end up being a futile attempt, but hey, I tried.

Below is what I originally posted to the MHE thread in response to some of Seb28's thinking, but doing so was taking that thread further afield, so I deleted it, started this thread, and moved it here.

Equity is not a designation arrived at one-time and then the journey is complete.

Equity requires constant assessment, attention, and adjustment of its current state to ensure policies and practices, as well as beliefs and behaviors, do not unjustly favor, oppress, discriminate.

History is littered with examples of hard-fought progress being reversed, and one only needs to look to the current news to see the same happening.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 08:42 AM

BorisTomashevsky said: "How about just “the best person for the jobgets the job”? And only in cases where it’s factually necessary (like when someone plays BD Wong in the Wayman Wong-penned biopic) does race even get considered?


Constant hypervigilance and micromanagement is going to result in some pretty terrible art and diminished audiences, and then less work available, period."

Well said. That should be all that matters. The problem is that the dazed "woke" mob does not want true equity. That's where the unhealthy idea comes from that we must constantly count and assess. The problem is that all the countings and percentages of work opportunities per race now actually work against them.

Because now that we have passed the factual, measurable point of equity, now that we've completely shot past the finish line, what is their plan to reverse that, to level it out again so we can have actual equity? For example, in this show with a 90%+ asian cast, why do they not celebrate that but instead go after the last white person with an axe? This is about the amount of work opportunities, not about vanity and role types. Now they are desperately trying to change the narrative. "Equity" must remain a one-way street for them. No matter how skewed the percentages are. Because white. Because revenge. Because hate. They start to scream and attack as soon as "equity" stops becoming a one-way street and tends to grow into real equity, a two-way street. The role in MHE was a good example of that.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 10:11 AM

“lack of roles specifically written for minority (race, disability, etc.) actors”

A lack of roles in relation to what? In relation to the show itself? And what is a minority, and where? Whites are a minority on the planet, so could it be said that Hamilton has a lack of roles written for a minority?

Or a lack of roles in relation to what else is onstage at that moment? If so, what if a predominantly white show closes, so whites are suddenly not proportionally employed on Broadway? How will that imbalance be addressed? Who will calculate these numbers? Or will it be a “Let’s just eyeball it!” situation?

Apologies for all the question marks, but to me they just indicate the number of holes in the argument.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 10:56 AM

Seb, on the other thread I asked you (for a second time):

So, what are you doing again to rectify the fact that white people have been significantly over-represented in every congressional election since 1788?

And this was your non-response:

What a rotten mindset. This is not about revenge. Your desire to kick the last white person out of a Broadway show in a 90%+ asian cast is not "rectifying".

Please answer the question. It's a question about you, not about me. You spend a great deal of time here arguing (dubiously) that white people are under-represented on Broadway. Do you spend equal effort fighting white peoples' perpetual over-representation in a much more important and powerful institution?

John Adams said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "“lack of roles specifically written for minority (race, disability, etc.) actors”

A lack of roles in relation to what? "

The title of the thread is: “Equity and Equality on Broadway”.

Does that help you to find the answers to your own questions, as well as to understand why statements like, “Whites are a minority on the planet” have no bearing on the conversation?
"

Yes but it still has to be in relation to something. In the other thread people were talking about comparing the number of Asian actors employed on Broadway with the number of Asian actors in New York. Others were talking about the number of Asian actors in the country.

🎵I still believe (don’t @ me, Wayman!) that keeping an eye on races in your script or your cast or company is the true racism in the industry.

What’s next? Stopping ticket sales to white people once a certain number have been sold? Of course not. They want their munty, hunty! I sure have never heard complaints about “too many white people in the crowd”. Why doesn’t anyone b!tch about them being the majority race that keeps the industry alive through their patronage and investment?

BorisTomashevsky said: "What’s next? Stopping ticket sales to white people once a certain number have been sold? Of course not. They want their munty, hunty! I sure have never heard complaints about “too many white people in the crowd”. Why doesn’t anyone b!tch about them being the majority race that keeps the industry alive through their patronage and investment?"

They... absolutely 100% do. Just because you don't care to engage with this matter in good faith doesn't mean its discussions that aren't happening. Accessibility to underserved audiences is a conversation that happens all of the time, just not one that Broadway Producers are really interested in dealing with because it hurts their bottom line. TDF and TDF Passport are programs specifically designed to bring a broader audiences to the theatre. PAC's 30 under 30 is a means to bring younger people who do not have the funds to pay for full priced tickets.

TheatreFan4 said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "What’s next? Stopping ticket sales to white people once a certain number have been sold? Of course not. They want their munty, hunty! I sure have never heard complaints about “too many white people in the crowd”. Why doesn’t anyone b!tch about them being the majority race that keeps the industry alive through their patronage and investment?"

They... absolutely 100% do. Just because you don't care to engage with this matter in good faith doesn't mean its discussions that aren't happening. Accessibility to underserved audiences is a conversation that happens all of the time, just not one that Broadway Producers are really interested in dealing with because it hurts their bottom line. TDF and TDF Passport are programs specifically designed to bring a broader audiences to the theatre. PAC's 30 under 30 is a means to bring younger people who do not have the funds to pay for full priced tickets."

There’s a difference between getting tickets to people who can’t afford it, and those who can afford it not buying tickets.

I’ve been in mansions owned by black people that would make your head spin. And as I wrote above, there’s more wealth in the Asian household than any other. BD Wong ain’t slumming it. Did he see the show with a purchased ticket, I wonder? If not, he should put his money where his complaining is.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 12:39 PM

TheatreFan4 said: "Ohh well if there are rich Black people I guess that solves it. Why didn't you just mention that Obama was president and that racism is over if you want to give the most Fox News answer possible."

It actually would solve it. Come to a street corner above the GWB and you’ll see wads (heh) of thousands of dollars being held like Monopoly money. If every drug dealer in Manhattan sponsored a pair of tickets for the underserved of their community, we might get somewhere. Maybe it’s time to redistribute some of THAT wealth.

And racism has never been ‘less’ over than since the white saviors rode in with their strategies and statistics to eradicate racism.

Matt Rogers said: "I never thought I'd see the day when a couple of white supremacists would be proudly prancing all over broadwayworld.com spewing garbage at every turn, but here we are."

We’re articulating sense, but you just call us names.

BorisTomashevsky said: "TheatreFan4 said: "Ohh well if there are rich Black people I guess that solves it. Why didn't you just mention that Obama was president and that racism is over if you want to give the most Fox News answer possible."

It actually would solve it. Come to a street corner above the GWB and you’ll see wads (heh) of thousands of dollars being held like Monopoly money. If every drug dealer in Manhattan sponsored a pair of tickets for the underserved of their community, we might get somewhere. Maybe it’s time to redistribute some of THAT wealth.

And racism has never been ‘less’ over than since the white saviors rode in with their strategies and statistics to eradicateracism."

BorisTomashevsky said: "So because the theatre industry was established and developedin this country by some white people, they’re somehow “privileged”? Because some white people worked hard for their wealth, they’re “privileged”?


Ummm... Yes? Literally yes? Like what even is this question? "Some white people who worked hard for their wealth" Black people were their owned property less than 200 years ago! They have only been able to vote for 70 years! Yellow Face was common place until only the last few decades! It was established by white people because it was built on the back of exploitation of everyone not white! Holly hell! Who built the railway that allowed this country to go west and establish business there? The Chinese! Who was then banned from entering the US for a decade because of Anti-Chinese sentiment!?


And besides, the heir to an Asian fortune is entirely privileged.

Wait until I tell you about the the legacy acceptance into Harvard and Princeton, your brain is gonna go insane!
If this country was developed by Asians, would all other races who live here and have opportunists here complain about “Asian privilege”?"

Ummm yeah?

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 04:25 PM

John Adams said: "Guidelines for inclusivity were established to compensate for situations where actors were unfairly/disproportionately dismissed out-of-hand because of characteristics that have no bearing on their talent."

In any case, these guidelines are being abused by the dazed "woke" mob currently attacking MHE. It is very dangerous when these rules stay a one-way street, even when the percentages of work opportunities per race are skewded (in their favor) already. A 90%+ asian cast in this example. And still attacking the only white person job opportunity. Equity/equality should always be a two-way street.

kdogg36 said: "Do you spend equal effort fighting white peoples' perpetual over-representation in a much more important and powerful institution?"

You are missing the point here. I spend absolutely zero time complaining and stomping my feet when a poc gets a job opportunity in your example, like the dazed woke mob does in the example of the Broadway show MHE when a white person gets a job opportunity. Our request to stop complaining about 1 white role in a 90%+ asian cast has absolutely nothing to do with fighting against overrepresentation. Where do you see me fighting against the fact that 90% of the cast is Asian? I am not complaining about that. The reason I mention the fact that it is skewed is to show them how unreasonable and evil their behaviour is. You need to learn to accept that equity/equality is a two-way street.

Matt Rogers said: "I never thought I'd see the day when a couple of white supremacists would be proudly prancing all over broadwayworld.com spewing garbage at every turn, but here we are."

In any case, your posts show that you think that Asian people are inferior. Like I explained in my previous post. That we need your help. That a 90% asian cast instead of a 100% asian cast would somehow "not be good enough" for us. Let me tell you this, we are not victims. We are perfectly overrepresented in work opportunities on Broadway. The Asian people with good intentions just don't want to stab white people in the back by engaging in this racist act, like the mob with bad intentions does in the MHE situation. Equity should always be a two-way street.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 05:53 PM

Well, this NEW thread sure didn't take long to go completely off the rails and into Batsh*t Crazyland!