I'm trying to say this as politely as possible because I know you feel very strongly about this, but sometimes community and high school theatre programs that use ticket sales from one show to fund the next and are heavily influenced by their frequent actors, patrons, and board members really don't have any choice but to do a show they don't have the diversity for. My theatre, for example, takes community input into huge account. We've never done Hairspray because we know we don't have the (1/5)
black people to do it any justice. However, so many board members, patrons, and even recurring actors were pushing our Artistic Director to do the show that we will be doing it next February with no black actors as part of our theatre. In our conservatory program, so many of the kids were pushing to do Fame for so many years that we had to do it last summer with no black guy to play Tyrone (our only MOC who could actually sing couldn’t dance so he played Schlomo) and a black girl playing Carmen (a very famously Hispanic role). As horrible as this sounds, if we didn’t do these shows, we might not have gotten enough funding from community sponsors (many of whom demand certain shows be done in exchange for funding) and ticket sales to continue doing shows of the quality we want. It’s a sad truth in the world of non-profits that popular demand has to dictate what shows you do, regardless of the diversity you have to do it. Additionally, (and this is going to be a much weaker argument) sometimes you do have a turnout of POC that might be able to fill those POC roles but they aren’t good enough. When we did Fame, we did have Hispanic girls audition and perform in the ensemble, but they didn’t have the stage presence and vocal ability to do that role any justice. Sometimes it comes down to, do I cast this role with someone who fits the race but won’t bring the talent/ability necessary to make the show good or do I cast someone who isn’t of that race but will be able to understand the character and give a great performance. Obviously, I think the diversity specified in the script should be kept to as much as possible, but I also believe directors have an obligation to put on the best show possible and sometimes that requires some fudging. I hope this makes sense some sort of sense. I can explain better if needed. Sorry for this being so long, I just really wanted to give a different side to the argument that maybe explains some of it. (5/5)
I’m going to quote what I actually just reblogged--I reblogged it literally as you were finishing up this, so obviously I know you hadn’t seen it yet! “I respect your opinion, but I simply don’t agree. There are thousands of musicals available to license, and so many that will draw a crowd, draw ticket sales, all while respecting the story. The King and I is by no means the only golden age musical out there that will draw audiences, and there are SO many others that will do equally well, if not better. I just don’t buy that there is such high pressure to pick shows that community theatres and high school theatres can’t actually cast appropriately. In fact, I’ll argue that by ignoring the race of characters and detracting from the story by casting white actors in POC roles, I would think ticket sales and theatre reputation would actually diminish. So I will have to respectfully disagree here.”
I will add on some more as well. I think it is a disservice to “fudge” the casting like this. It is the jobs of theatre boards and directors and actors to take a stand and say, no, we will not take a story and diminish it because we’re “forced” into doing it. It is important to our community, it’s important to art, it’s important to people of color and people as a whole. Those stories matter, and it’s not acceptable to sweep them under the rug because of a funding or persistent audiences asking for a show. If we stand up and say that it’s not okay, change can happen. But if we sit by and say that it’s just the way it is, then...Well, it will just be what it is. There won’t be change, and we will continue on the same path. I want change. I don’t want complacence.
