I am currently wrestling with this situation on a couple different fronts. I am casting Sound of Music soon, and I have assured the many actors of all races interested in auditioning that I plan to cast "race-blind" so that there is a place in the show for non-white actors, even if it's set in Austria. My little Gretl is likely to be Hispanic, unless an unexpected younger sister shows up at auditions. I confess, this was easier to do with Julius Caesar (African-American and female Brutus) because I didn't need official permission from the licensing house.
Despite saying that, however, I believe that casting non-white students as the Nazi soldiers would dilute the horror and the guilt of their presence in a way that would be damaging to the play as a whole.
You have to do it thoughtfully, in short, and with permission, but I think you're more likely to gain from casting minority actors in traditionally white roles than to lose.
On a potentially lighter note, we're an all-girl school that shares actors with an all-boy school, and the other director and I are currently competing over an actress whom we both think would make a good Maria (he is doing West Side Story). A friend of mine commented when I told her that, "If she's Hispanic, you should let him win. I'm tired of seeing white Marias in that show." She is, and he was always going to win anyway, but now I feel a little better about it.
I think it's frustrating to see minority roles going to white actors of any age because there are fewer even before you take them away. As the director at an all-girls' school, I've got almost immune to the pleas to do shows I know we shouldn't -- usually because of the dearth of female characters in anything but the lead role. I'm used to telling students that I'm sorry they've always wanted to play Aldonza, but we CAN'T do Man From La Mancha. Or at least we really shouldn't.
I know it feels stifling sometimes and we want them to do shows they find interesting and the conversations we provoke can be important -- but in my experience, casting white actors in explicitly non-white roles has had more of a silencing effect than it has provoked important conversations.
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Katy Mulvaney
Houston TX
Original Message:
Sent: 11-23-2015 09:44
From: Howard Sherman
Subject: When Shows Require Diversity but the School is Not Diverse
I have a number of responses to this thread, as someone who works on behalf of the inclusion of artists of color and artists with disabilities (at Inclusion in the Arts in NYC) and artists' rights (as director of the Arts Integrity Initiative at The New School College of Performing Arts). I have been prominently involved in recent controversies over THE MIKADO at the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, THE MOUNTAINTOP at Kent State University and JESUS IN INDIA at Clarion University. However, I should note that these were, respectively, professional, community theatre and college productions.
When you consider shows for your school, you usually think in advance about whether you believe you have the talent in any given year to pull it off. That same consideration should be given to racial representation generally, according to the directives in the script – the directives of the authors. The licensing houses have heard countless requests to allow variances for gender and for race and they can guide you as to what is and is not permitted. This is especially true when it comes to making any changes in a script, for any reason at all; no one has the right to alter work at their discretion, regardless of the reason. But just because you don’t have significant numbers of black or Latino or Asian or Native American students in your school is not a carte blanche to ignore the racial implications of casting. The recommendation above about partnering with schools that may add diversity is an excellent one and I applaud it, but in some communities even that is not an option.
Because he is cited in this comment chain, I can tell you that Lin-Manuel Miranda is OK with predominantly white high schools doing IN THE HEIGHTS, because he believes that high school is the last opportunity students will have to perform before they are “typed,” limiting roles they can play in the future. However has asked that drama groups take the time to truly learn about the community they’re portraying, and that they not use false accents or make up to make them look Latin. Lin also notes that he directed WEST SIDE STORY when he was in a predominantly white high school, and brought in his dad to coach the students. But again, it came from a place of respect and learning.
I have heard tell of the authors granting rights to HAIRSPRAY to schools with no black students, though I find it hard to imagine such a production. However, I have also heard of a case in Massachusetts where a high school did THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and came under fire for its portrayal of Asian characters – in a community where nearly 1 in 5 residents were Asian-American. This was not because roles weren’t cast authentically (they were) but because of the Asian roles themselves. In this day and age, I personally am hard-pressed to rationalize producing THE FOREIGNER in any high school, given that the KKK is a plot device in the show, even if they are ultimately to be the subject of ridicule.
In recent weeks, many have pointed to HAMILTON as the justification for casting anyone of any race in any role. I think that’s misleading. The casting of HAMILTON is purposeful and, again, a decision of the author. While he has made comments about looking forward to seeing women in some of the male roles someday, that doesn’t mean Lin has, as of yet, had anything to say about whether white actors may play the leads. And that remains his right to determine, not just on Broadway, but in any future production.
I continue to explore these issues at the academic, community and professional level at the Arts Integrity Initiative. When it comes to high schools, there isn’t necessarily a one size fits all solution. However, as we work to model a better, more inclusive world through theatre, I urge drama teachers and directors to consult multiple sources when addressing race on stage – the licensing houses, resources in your community, and feel free to reach out to me as well.
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Howard Sherman
New York NY
Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2015 23:34
From: Jared Grigsby
Subject: When Shows Require Diversity but the School is Not Diverse
Hi community.
As my drama program continues to grow, I'm excited for all the possibilities. One thing that has me stymied is this - there are many great shows that require students of color but my school is seriously lacking in that area. We have 366 students in grades 9 - 12.
The kid would like to do Hairspray, but there are only two African American males, and we have few Hispanic students. I'd like to do the first musical I ever saw that changed my life by introducing me to theater - West Side Story, but again, lacking in the area of students who could be the Sharks.
Has anyone found a way to work through predicaments like this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Jared Grigsby
English and Journalism Teacher / Drama Director
MSD of Boone Township
Hebron IN
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