Open Forum

I am sooo excited to have gotten the rights to do the amazing play The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe!!!! BUT ... my head just wrote me an email asking me to reconsider bc he thinks some of the incoming 9th grade boys (and their parents) will feel bummed not to be in a show. He says it doesn't feel fair, that it feels exclusive to cast only girls.

I think this is fine! Not everyone gets to be in a show. The boys can be in other shows! What a great opportunity for girls to take on some bad-ass parts written for and about high school girls.

What do you think? 

(Btw I want to be open to our trans or non-binary kids so my casting call says "actors who would be eligible to play in women's division soccer.")

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Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
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Do you only do 1 play a year?
Why is your Head only worried about 9th grade boys?
Whenever I scheduled a play with an excess of male or female characters, I balanced it with the opposite arrangement: The Hairy Ape/Steel Magnolias, etc, etc. There are lots of plays that don't get considered in educational theatre because they're too male-heavy.
Treat this like an opportunity. You're going to have a great year.

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Billy Houck
Retired Theatre Teacher
Carmichael, CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-17-2019 17:17
From: Arden Thomas
Subject: casting all girls: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe

I am sooo excited to have gotten the rights to do the amazing play The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe!!!! BUT ... my head just wrote me an email asking me to reconsider bc he thinks some of the incoming 9th grade boys (and their parents) will feel bummed not to be in a show. He says it doesn't feel fair, that it feels exclusive to cast only girls.

I think this is fine! Not everyone gets to be in a show. The boys can be in other shows! What a great opportunity for girls to take on some bad-ass parts written for and about high school girls.

What do you think?

(Btw I want to be open to our trans or non-binary kids so my casting call says "actors who would be eligible to play in women's division soccer.")

------------------------------
Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
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I think if you demonstrate how nearly every play is skewed towards male characters that it will be easy to convince him that just this once is really not going to limit your male actors. I don’t know about you, but we always have proportionally way more females that want to act

Roberta Lakavage


Original Message------

I am sooo excited to have gotten the rights to do the amazing play The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe!!!! BUT ... my head just wrote me an email asking me to reconsider bc he thinks some of the incoming 9th grade boys (and their parents) will feel bummed not to be in a show. He says it doesn't feel fair, that it feels exclusive to cast only girls.

I think this is fine! Not everyone gets to be in a show. The boys can be in other shows! What a great opportunity for girls to take on some bad-ass parts written for and about high school girls.

What do you think? 

(Btw I want to be open to our trans or non-binary kids so my casting call says "actors who would be eligible to play in women's division soccer.")

------------------------------
Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
------------------------------