Susan in company — Page 2

"It’s not about feeding a certain quota. It’s about making the show realistic to today’s standards. But hey, if you think surrounding yourself in whiteness in 2020 NYC with 2 blacks sprinkled in is “diversity” then that’s your problem, fam.

I don’t know maybe it’s because I’m a millennial,But my friend groups don’t look like this in NYC."

I think you mean your standards. I am half Dominican half Caucasian, and I went to a private college that was pretty white. But, it never mattered to me, and I made life long friends that are good humans, which is all I care about. I am a millennial too, but I have noticed there is a huge difference between young and older millennials. I don't have a problem with some shows casting more white people than people of color., I don't view it as some kind of insulting or offensive thing.

Most industries are overwhelmingly something. The tech industry is overwhelmingly male. The finance industry is overwhelmingly white. The nursing industry is overwhelmingly female. The entertainment industry is one of the most diverse industries we have, and in theater specifically, there is a lot more diversity than there was even 10 years ago, and I think it will keep getting better and improving year after year.

Sometimes friend groups are all the same race, sometimes not. People tend to hang out with people that are like them, perhaps that means of the same race, the same socioeconomic status, they are all members of the LBGTQ community, etc. And I understand that this is a Broadway show, and they can do whatever they want, but perhaps these people were all the best suited for their parts.

Expecting the world should look like your friend group (in one of the most diverse cities in America) just isn't realistic and not most people's realities. Company has always attracted a very white audience, and I'm not really expecting that to change, regardless of who they cast.

The majority of broadway shows attract a very white audience, but the representation is still very important.

IF Company had a majority cast that was of ethnic background, it WOULD attract more minorities to theatre. Periodt.

This ain’t Hamilton, the ain’t The Color Purple. It’s a show about real people in nyc going through real problems in present day, and I don’t think it’s too far reaching to ask for a diverse cast to represent that

I guess I’m lucky enough to have a friend group of diverse backgrounds. Because no, I don’t want to surround myself in whiteness. No matter how beautiful, smart, and talented the people may be.. they still share commonalities that I can’t relate to.

it wouldn’t kill Company to cast ONE more minority. And to be honest, the majority of y’all wouldn’t care regardless. But to the people who do, it would be an impact.

You call it idealistic, I don’t.

Updated On: 11/24/19 at 11:11 PM

YvanEhtNioj said: "...Because no, I don’t want to surround myself in whiteness. No matter how beautiful, smart, and talented the people may be.. they still share commonalities that I can’t relate to.

it wouldn’t kill Company to cast ONE more minority. And to be honest, the majority of y’all wouldn’t care regardless. But to the people who do, it would be an impact.

You call it idealistic, I don’t."

(Emphasis added.) I suspect you are right that none of us would care if there were more POC in the cast (or even an all-black COMPANY, if someone could conjure a contextual reason for such a production). I certainly would not. I was objecting to your implication that there is some scandal here.

But if the passage I highlighted above is true, if indeed black people and white people are so essentially different as you suggest, then NO black people should have been cast because the roles weren't written for blacks and I doubt the show has been rewritten enough to justify the "alien" POC.

You might want to rethink some of your arguments. I seriously doubt the claim I did not quote above that if another POC were cast, more black people would certainly attend the show. I think the POC who like Stephen Sondheim musicals will attend, regardless, the rest will not; the same may be said of white people.

With you in spirit, but seeing yourself represented literally is not the same as seeing yourself represented in the stories. I'm not sure the latter would happen for the audience merely by casting actors of color. I think that likely requires a complete revamp as you suggest and not just a few casting choices ... and this production does its revamp with a focus on gender.

Yeah, no.

And I'm just wondering why it's taking them so much longer to cast this ONE role in the show...

I'm lit.

(that's millennial for "yay!)