The ‘token’ minority in a cast. Michael, I think your point about encouraging and enabling more POC to write and direct and produce is very true and important.
That’s awesome! Considered to be one of the most important figures in all of American musical theatre, his contributions to Broadway are undeniable. I know its one Lin Manuel Miranda really cares about too. But that’s my point – we’re the ones who need to make the change.
Post was not sent - check your email addresses! You are clearly a white aggitated person trying to conceal your ignorance. Let me say at the outset – this post is not about these people specifically. I’m not slamming actors who join the union, or the union itself. ArtsBoston is a leading force behind Greater Boston's arts and cultural sector. As a fellow ally, I am sick of having to hear my good minority actor friends having to deal with this in the industry.
For example, if I were to tell stories from my suburban childhood, they could be either [a] essentially white [b] essentially African-American [c] essentially about race [d] essentially inauthentic in a way that will take anyone over 40 out of the story. Rank and file actors trying to catch a break? It’s a complex issue that requires complex addressing. Brett: thank you for this. It’s the theatre company’s responsibility, when picking a season, to ensure that their selections foster a spirit of diversity. Creative teams here are not faced with the challenges you face in your area in finding POC. James Hammerstein, the son of the playwright and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, became his friend and the latter his mentor when Sondheim was around 10 years old. I believe a good story has the power to change the way people feel, think, and act. Actor / Writer / Idealist What happens here more often than not, is that the call goes out and we go in and find no diversity in the final cast. Thanks for sharing all that. Because if we just diversify our stage, but have a white audience it turns performers of color and their stories into an exotic spectacle much too reminiscent of the power dynamics of vaudeville shows & circus slideshows. The more I think about this issue, the clearer it becomes that the writers are the least to blame in any of this, it’s the limited vision of those who choose repertory and casts. Thanks for coming and sharing your support.
PS. Some of her famous work includes, Fancy watching a musical? I think part of the issue comes from the “write what you know” mentality of writers who are largely white, upper-middle class, and male. Themes that are not necessarily new to musical theatre, though perhaps very poignant nonetheless. And often, these new writers have to use casts based on who they know. @chandadancy, Pamela Z is an experimental composer, performer, and musician, who is known for her live sound manipulations mid-performance. There are many actors of color taking over “traditionally white” roles, as well as revivals and new works featuring actors of any and all races. The HAMILTON problem: The casting of HAMILTON is a brilliant enrichment of this specific story, it’s not a general solution. Some of his famous work includes lyric writing for West Side Story (1957), Sweeney Todd (1979), and Assassins (1990). It requires children in school being exposed to an expanse of art, ideas, history and culture. If I wind up with a predominantly white cast for a show where I’ve actively worked to encourage POC to audition, who is at fault? People of color are not identical. Nobody should cast THE KING & I with no Asians. In a word, no. She’ll next be seen with the String Orchestra of Brooklyn on February 17. Some of her famous work includes, (1923) in which he collaborated with Otto Harbach. I appreciate your comments, and as a writer of new musical theatre I share and support your enthusiasm for new works that are not based on pre-existing source material. Thank you for contacting ArtsBoston. The son of a preacher, born and raised in Georgia, Sneed began playing piano at age three and was the music director of the church choir at age eight. Tyler, you’re absolutely right that the best critique of a work of art is another work of art. Let me tell you something, no POC would ever deny anything that Brett is saying in this article. Mumford is one to keep an eye out for because if his track record indicates anything, there’s a whole lot more music where that came from. The point Brett is making is if we’re telling a story where race isn’t playing a major factor (such as HAIRSPRAY, MISS SAIGON, THE COLOR PURPLE) POC should have equal opportunities for roles. ” Funny you mention that because a large percentage of TV/FILM/Theater IS catering to a demographic. Smart (yet cowardly) of you to use a pseudonym. I have no personal beef with them. Copyright © 2015 ArtsBoston. Keep voicing your words, you don’t stand alone. An evolution that Hamilton has taken. With Castle, Green has performed and given lectures on the work of black composers, including some of his own work. We make suggestions — to change the race or gender of certain characters and bring in an array of choices — and hope that our voices are heard.”, She closes her article with a fantastic point.
Composers: Their Lives and Works (DK, 320 pages) is a richly illustrated coffee table book in which eight authors profile some 160 composers over a thousand years of Western music, starting with Guido d’Arezzo (c. 991- c. 1033); the Benedictine monk was “not, strictly speaking, a significant composer” but he developed a system for writing down… I am a 42 year old Puerto Rican woman who sat through this production and could easily see a part of my younger self and to a smaller degree my current self in the show’s namesake. He is a part of the Kronos Quartet’s 50 for the Future commissioning project. His NEA-funded commission “Forged Sanctuaries” was written to celebrate the National Park Service centennial, as well as the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NEA. “You look like an actress, not a writer.” Barf! Being conscious of what drives creative decisions is very different from blind ignorance. And thanks to him for saying it with a sense of humor because I wasn’t going to. Look up Ahmed Alabaca! This hurts non-union companies, because the question then becomes: do you cast the actor who had the best callback, or do you cast diversely? The idea that when we connect on that level the diversity of experience that comes from being female, black, Asian, Latino, gay, straight, wealthy, poor, etc. What about a market that is oversaturated with theatre? Green is currently working at the Create to Escape Residency in Seaside, Florida, which will culminate in a performance of a new song cycle and a solo piano concert of pieces by black composers to celebrate Black History Month. It’s not as simple as saying – well, Connor could have been black or the parents could have been an interacial couple. I can be moved by an August Wilson play that tells the story of a situation that I have never been in. The landscape will continue to reflect this until we address this issue too: so often, I think, we wind up with situations where the “best” actor for a role winds up being affluent (and often white) because they’ve got money behind them: family money to have attended expensive training programs, money to have done summer stock for free instead of working during college, and money to perfect audition material with a coach. If he can do it with a piece of historical non-fiction, why don’t other writers do it when they’re creating something original from scratch? English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has had musical in the West End for more than a decade. Brett, thank you for this. You argue that Evan Hansen transcends race, and yet you also say that class (and whiteness) play an integral part of the story, such that removing it would “change the dynamic and motivations of the story and its characters” and would “potentially compromise the vision of this creative team.”. The story Pasek and Paul have created works on multiple levels because of it’s baseline touching into a human experience that is universal. The same can be said for communities surrounding the Washington, DC area where I live today. Some of his famous work includes, English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has had musical in the West End for more than a decade. Just because the majority of creators aren’t women, minorities or members of the LGBT community doesn’t mean they can’t tell those stories well, successfully and loudly.”.
It opens up and explores questions of how we are more connected than ever but arguably more isolated. So much talent! Still, there are glimmers of hope. In addition, the entire tone of your response is nasty, mean spirited and filled with negative energy…all while making assumptions you can’t back up. The isolation of being invisible within our own lives. But don’t respond to a “cunty” article (and if you read it in the spirit in which it was meant, you’d see it’s not at all “cunty”) with a “cunty” response. Disagreement is always allowed, of course. The “Lakisha” story is a great point about how racism shows up systematically, in ways that people don’t recognize. Is it possible to be both shocked and unsurprised? I think it’s important we talk about this one too. Great post. Penning a project from a unique point of view that isn’t getting enough coverage at the time is a fantastic way of bringing something fresh and new to the scene.
), The first article was written by Tony Goldwyn who plays the President on ABC’s Scandal. Assuming those two comparisons are the same is “color blindness” and is simply not seeing that there is still a race issue in this country- even in the arts, and especially in musical theater. whoops *HAIRSPRAY, MISS SAIGON, THE COLOR PURPLE are shows where race IS a major factor, but you get my point. Please, we ARE trying and we are out here and want to make a difference!!! For this story those changes have real implications around identity in a coming of age story and how one is perceieved and seen.