How to Cast Actors of Color

6/3/2013

How to Cast Actors of Color: a Helpful Guide

This is a two-part guide to casting actors of color, or any underrepresented group, really. Part One is a snarky yet sanguine list of guidelines for how to find actors of color when race is integral to the role. Part Two is an impassioned plea for why casting actors of color in non-ethnic-specific roles will save the theater.

Now get out there and cast that play!

Part One

*If a role calls for a character of a particular ethnicity, you should cast an actor of that ethnicity. Stop doing stuff like this. If the play is set in a place where all logic dictates that the characters would be of a particular ethnicity, you should cast actors of that ethnicity. Stop doing stuff like this. Quit hiding behind some vague artistic vision. No lame excuses of “we couldn’t find any.” No re-appropriations of the term “color-blind.” Find an actor of that ethnicity. If you can’t find one, look harder.

* A too-small pool of auditioners is no excuse for changing a character’s ethnicity. Allot more time for casting hard-to-cast roles. Bring in far, far more people than you think you will need. Don’t put yourself in the bind of seeing too few people, then being discontented with your options. If that does happen, gather enough people to do another round of auditions.

*If you need to rely on the expertise of an ethnic-specific theater company, let’s bear in mind here that casting directors get paid good money to do this kind of work. Offer to compensate the theater for their time. Short of that, don’t just go in there all panicked and demand immediate casting suggestions. Casting your play is not their job, the theater is not operating on your timeline or in any way beholden to your agenda, and honestly given how under-staffed they are you’d be lucky if they even respond to your emails. If the theater does end up helping you, thank them profusely, put their name in the special thanks of the program, mail them a copy of the program, and since it looks like your interests align so well why not advertise their next show on your eblast. Most importantly, remember the suggestions they gave you for next time. Don’t just storm in there two years later with the exact same breakdown.

*See more plays by companies that produce ethnic-specific work, and more plays that feature artists of color. I’m shocked that more casting directors don’t do this religiously, just as a cover-your-ass thing. Do your homework. Don’t put yourself in a bind where you’re at the mercy of a couple of friends’ random suggestions. The best way of building your rolodex of actors is seeing more plays.

*If you want help from me specifically (or a minority artist friend), let’s bear in mind here that I was not put on this planet to help you with your math homework. Even though I’m really good at math! As much as I love giving a shot to undersung actors, I’ve got my own problems. As a show of good faith, list for me all the people you’ve already contacted so that I know you’ve undergone best efforts. Respect the value of my opinion and time.

Part Two

Whenever I go to talkbacks and artist chats for my plays, I’ll frequently hear at least one or two audience members expressing pleasant surprise about the ethnic diversity of my casts. But the makeup of my plays is not happenstance: there is racial diversity built into the DNA of most of my scripts, even as most of my scripts are not specifically tackling race. We live in a complex, pluralistic society and I believe that the worlds I create onstage should reflect that – not just in terms of race but in terms of age, sexual orientation, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and all that.

But beyond the diverse backgrounds of my characters, I get inspired by a diverse group of actors. I get drawn to specific actors because of their peculiar talents, and sometimes my plays are inspired by wanting to see particular actors in combination, and oftentimes that chemistry is non-race-specific. I write a lot of comedies, and it turns out that the funniest people come from all backgrounds (and genders!). I imagine that the same holds true for dramas; pathos is non-race-specific.

Yet right now the majority of the theater I see in New York fails to reflect the prismatic nature of my city, or the US, or the world. If theater is meant to be a window on society, then based on the demographics I’m seeing onstage it would appear that the New York of the stage is a lot more racially homogenous (and wealthy!) than the New York I see in front of my face. We keep saying “I want a theater that looks like the subway car” but the only way to do that is to present a world that is relevant to a subway audience – more integrated along class and race lines, more accessible to the people.

Casting directors: EVERY TIME a role is non-race-specific, I urge you to throw a diverse mix of artists into the casting pool and just see what happens. I know that there are so so many actors vying for your attention and that categorization is necessary, but too often I hear of talented minority actors who’d be perfect for a role but they can’t even get seen for the part. I don’t mean to in any way single you out, but the reason I focus attention on casting directors specifically is because casting is – as you know – a numbers game. The fewer artists of color the director and playwright even see in the first place, the fewer that will make it to the stage. So as a policy I urge you to just think a little wider when you’re thinking of who'd be perfect for a role. When an actor loses a plum role to somebody else, that’s hard. But when they never even had a shot to begin with, that’s devastating.

Directors and playwrights: EVERY TIME a role is non-race-specific, I urge you to actively agitate to see actors of color in the role. It’ll expand the perspectives being aired in the room, which is good for the art. Don’t hide behind excuses like, “If I cast a minority in this role it will change the meaning of the role itself,” or “This is a historical drama and there were no ethnic minorities in existence at that time.” Strive to create a world onstage that reflects the nuances and vitality of the world we live in today.

I promise you, this will be good for our audiences. As an industry we cater to the narrowest possible demographics in terms of our audience, and that audience is drying up. I keep hearing “we need to get more people of color into the theater” but you can’t do that by programming “the ethnic slot” play. It’s too fragmented and half-hearted an effort, plus it’s condescending to even think that ethnic audiences will solely choose art based on race. I couldn’t bring in an all-Asian audience if I tried.

But if we create art that is relevant to more people, more people will see it. Which means that we have to stop thinking of race as a checkbox on a headshot, or a slot for one play a season, or a niche audience to target with niche art.

More Americans will come to see theater if the America depicted onstage looks more like the America we actually live in.

42 Comments

david yee link

6/3/2013 07:37:07 am

well said. same is true in canada.

Gary Anderson

6/3/2013 07:58:24 am

i'm sorry, but you can't have both ways. Actors that happen to be black, Latino, Asian or some other ethnicity can't demand that they be the only choice to play a character of some specific ethnicity AND be considered for white roles as well. Why don't you play who you are and ask directors to cast you as such?/

Tanja

6/3/2013 02:44:02 pm

Gary, you should perhaps read it again. In no part of this article did the writer ever state that minorities should be used for race specific as well as white roles. The writer specially said for race specific roles as well as for a mix of races for non race specific roles. Which means that whites would be included in that mix of people as it is a "mix" and not a "minority".

Gary Anderson

6/3/2013 04:21:03 pm

Tanja,

The reality is that most plays, films and TV shows feature a white male protagonist. That's the real issue. So why not you your energies to fix that problem??

Gary

Kenzo Lee link

6/3/2013 02:50:59 pm

Gary,
The point is to NOT be excluded from multi/any ethnicity casting while still being true to the script. If the show calls for the Emperor of China, the casting should find someone Chinese. If its for Lawyer #1 and the cast is predominantly Caucasian with a show taking place in New York, shouldn't it be logical to have a minority of some kind of form? Why not Lawyer #1? Its not about having it "both" ways... its about equal representation and representation on stage and screen. Asian Americans make up for over 11% of the US population yet still account for less than 3% of the roles on stage. With the largest disposable income per household, don't you think it would benefit shows/marketing/advertising to begin catering more ti this section of the population by bringing in characters that specific audience can relate to? Look at Hawaii 5-0, the most popular show on CBS and also the most ethnically diverse cast.

We are not trying to "take" white roles as much as being realistically considered for ones that don't "need" to be white.

Gary Anderson

6/3/2013 04:04:02 pm

Kenzo,

First, Hawaii 5-0 is not the most CBS popular show in the US. It's NCIS. Hawaii 5-0 may be popular overseas, but not in the country of origin, so your point is not supported by it. Here's my point: you and other actors of color want more opportunities to practice your craft. Fine. I get that. I just don't think it will happen by asking the world to ignore your ethnicity and put you in any role. To get a role because race doesn't matter is inviting you to not use your ethnicity to develop the character.

Brian

6/4/2013 07:41:20 am

Gary,
The point is WHEN THE RACE IS NOT SPECIFIED it is important to consider any race and not just cast with a white guy. There are plenty of plays/films/tv shows when THE WHITE GUY is specified and should be cast with a white guy. I think the author of this article is saying any race should be considered when the race itself is not indicated as crucial. It seems like more often than not, when race isn't specified it, by default due to socialization, goes to the white guy. We need to expand our thinking. That's what I'm reading in this article.

-A white guy

Megan W

6/3/2013 03:54:20 pm

Gary, I hear what you're saying, but one of the bigger problems here is that most "white" roles aren't defined as white, per se. They just aren't defined -- and sadly, given a lack of guidance, casting directors and director-directors default to the idea that "white" is standard, and everything else is "other."
Mike's simply asking that we respect the playwright's intent in writing diverse characters, and that if a playwright fails to declare a race, that instead of defaulting to "the majority," we see it as an opportunity to consider a broader range of actors than we might otherwise -- especially when considering plays from a time when racial diversity was much more limited than it is in our present society. (In other words, I'm not suggesting that, if you're doing 1776, the Founding Fathers should be considered for minority casting...but Sophocles didn't define his characters' racial identities because it was so far outside the conventions of the time...Reading it with a modern eye, there's no reason Oedipus has to be an actor of the melanin-deficient kind.)
Ironically, the more audiences are offered opportunities to see more diverse casts, the less remarkable those experiences will be. And that's all to the good, for all of us.

Gary Anderson

6/4/2013 04:58:09 am

Megan,

The roles you speak of don't have to be stated as white roles because it is implied. You only need to identify the race or gender to differentiate it from white and male. It is a default because it is so prevalent. That's why the real solution is to increase the roles for women and minorities and not ask to be shoehorned into someone else's story as long as you don't play it like a person of color or a woman.

danielle

6/7/2013 10:14:10 am

Race isn't specified, but it's "implied"? In what respect is it "implied" when there's e.g., a male role for John, a lawyer, mid-30s? Explain to me how that "implies" a particular race. No easy outs for the Anglicized name; a lot of people have them, regardless of skin color.

Your only argument therefore isn't about what's implied; it's based in stereotypes.

(And yeah, I'm white.)

Sandra Yee link

6/3/2013 10:22:10 am

I'm sorry but who made you the ethical judge if who can have it both ways and who can't?
So how come white actors can yellow face? Answer me that!

Gary Anderson

6/3/2013 04:04:15 pm

Sandra,

I find it offensive when white actors portray minorities. They do that because white producers and directors don't see the uniqueness an actor of color brings to interpreting an ethnic role. By arguing for a color-blind casting policy, the advocates of that approach are devaluing that uniqueness as well. Don't ask to be seen as the same as a white actor, but rather as to be seen for what makes you unique.

Kenzo Lee link

6/3/2013 05:58:52 pm

My apologies for earlier on, Gary, you're right... hawaii 5-0 is not the most popular show on CBS, however that doesn't devalue the point that it is extremely popular in its time slot and on all of national network television. Take The Walking Dead as well, and it's multiethnic cast. To be honest, you seem like you're misunderstanding the debate and coming from a perspective of someone who believes we are claiming we are "owed" roles. This is not the case. We are asking to be invited to the table as an equal partner. If someone from a different ethnicity is better than us, that'll be fine. However, the bias associated with casting a majority of Caucasian faces across the board in roles that could easily be played by women, minorities, etc. is something that does not consistently get addressed. Is network television an actual reflection of the demographic of society? No it's not. Sorry Gary, but with the number of people disagreeing with your comment, I hope that you can see that you are clearly in the minority.

Howard Ho

6/3/2013 12:47:48 pm

Sorry, but being considered for non-race specific roles is not "having it both ways." What Mike and others are saying is that since minorities are not being considered for mainstream American roles, AT THE VERY LEAST they should be cast in roles that represent their ethnicity. That's the tip of the iceberg.

Onto the ideal....If you read carefully, Mike did not use the term "white" roles. He said non-race specific roles. In other words, if a character is an American and speaks without an accent and has full cultural fluency in America, he is NOT by definition white. I don't know you personally, but many people make that the default even though the great thing with America and other pluralistic socities is that there is no one race for American.

To be relegated only to playing "yourself," i.e. roles that specify a particular race, is severely limiting to the types of plays an actor can play and also to the relevance of many plays to the world we actually live in. That would basically exclude many of our great actors from developing through the iconic roles in the Western canon, which would be a shame.

Erin Merritt

6/3/2013 01:05:14 pm

Gary is of course totally wrong. When Asian people are getting all the "white-people" roles, then we can talk about white people getting to play Asian roles. The world is not equal, so turnabout is not fair play. I can not agree more with this post, so thank you Mike. As a producer who is committed to ethnically mixed casts for non-ethnically-specific shows, I want to say loudly and clearly that anyone who is hiding behind the "ooh it's too HARD to cast an ethnically diverse cast," you are just being lazy. Not enough trained actors of different ethnicities? Train them. But much more likely you are not taking the trouble to go see them in shows, and your friends aren't bothering to either, so you just don't know them, and every time you cast the same white actor, you build his resume (which is great for him and may very well be justified), but you could just as easily be building another actor's resume, someone who is just as inherently talented and just needs a chance to shine. Yes you can be part of the solution, you could be the person who discovers that awesome Latino actor who everyone wants for "The M with the Hat" or all the great black actors that are needed for Suzan-Lori Parks' plays. And guess what, audiences effin' love it. They really do like seeing a wide range of people and stories on stage. We don't go to theater to see exactly what we see every day—we go to theater to dream big, and there is no better way to create an equitable world off stage than to do it on-stage, which, hey,a t the same time, creates one off-stage for those actors. This goes for women too. No more all-white, all-male seasons. That is not our world, that is not our country, and that is not our century.

Gary Anderson

6/3/2013 04:27:48 pm

Erin,

I don't want exclusive, all-white seasons to be an issue any longer. So why don't we get more Asian, Black and Hispanic/Latino roles produced? Why don't we create more Asian theatres that will provide the opportunities for these Asian actors that you demand. That's how it is done. Why do we have to continue accepting the premise that white is the standard? I don't think we should any longer, but for minority actors to ask to be considered for white roles is just playing into the notion that white is the standard.

Roger Tang

6/4/2013 08:06:17 am

You sound a tad condescending, Gary. It's not as if we don't know how it's done, and it's not as if we haven't been producing Asian theatre for decades.

And you're saying something that I don't think you mean. It sounds like you're saying WHITE actors are owed these roles which are, in fact, not race specific.

Lily Tung Crystal link

6/4/2013 08:09:24 am

Gary,
No one is saying that minority actors should be considered for "white" roles. They're just saying that minority actors should be considered for NON-RACIALLY SPECIFIC roles, as in roles that in character breakdowns could be played by ANY ethnicity - white, black, Asian, Latino, Native American. Unfortunately more than 90% of these roles are by default cast with white actors. Yes, we should try to get more Asian, Black, Latino roles produced, but casting directors should also consider minority actors for NON-RACIALLY SPECIFIC roles. That opens minority actors to all kinds of roles that are quintessentially AMERICAN, not just ethnically-driven. Despite our color, white, black, Asian, Latino, we are all at our core American.

Mark Gore

6/4/2013 09:08:48 am

Gary, you talk a nice theory about getting more Asian, Black, and Hispanic/Latino roles produced. Sure it would be nice if Asians, Blacks and Latinos all had the same economic power (and cultural privilege) to be able produce theatres or films that were financially successful and well attended by people of all races and colors. And could get financed, etc...

Somehow, though, I think if some did succeed, the powers that be might call those plays or films too narrow-focused, or even racist. Would white people attend, buy, or rent films and theaters that had a specific ethnic or racial bent? I don't know.

Actually, some Asian (North) American actors and entertainers HAVE focused on Asian theater and film by going to Hong Kong and Korea (maybe Bollywood too?) and pursuing careers there. I wonder why?

Erin Merritt

6/4/2013 07:38:28 pm

White still *is* the standard. It shouldn't be. People *are* creating Asian theater companies—there are several in the Bay Area for example. People *are* doing a lot. But we do not have equity, and we're nowhere near it. Now quit whining and get out there to be part of the solution.

Jana Monji link

6/4/2013 06:09:28 am

There are times when multicultural casting makes no sense such as in the sailors and nurses in the musical "South Pacific" because the theme is racism and there was still segregation. If Nelly is working with black nurses and there are no confrontations between her and the black nurses, then just what is the point?

What should be avoided is blinding Americans and indeed the world with the glare of whiteness which causes pain, discomfort and intense tears and may lead to permanent damage to the viewers who might be misled into believing the the world is blindingly white. We could call this Social Darwinism's photokeratitis or white imperialism's snow blindness.

Tyler Moss link

6/4/2013 10:34:47 am

Mike - I couldn't agree more. Come see our cast of Love's Labour's Lost this summer. We spent a lot of time doing exactly what you're talking about.

Howard Ho

6/4/2013 10:45:02 am

It's more complicated than that, Gary. It just so happens that most of the great roles in the Western theatrical tradition are roles for white people. Other than Othello, I don't think that means minorities should be barred from doing Shakespeare, which has been a great proving ground for actors of all races to tackle.

Similarly, roles for minorities are typically written to be secondary to white characters and without the same level of complexity and depth. If those roles do eventually get written and are viable artistically and commercially, perhaps this would truly be a different conversation.

Kenzo Lee link

6/4/2013 02:14:57 pm

The roles you speak of don't have to be stated as white roles because it is implied. You only need to identify the race or gender to differentiate it from white and male - Gary

Wow. Just wow, Gary. So a role is basically written for a white actor; it's intrinsically valued as a role for a white actor, and only if the author intentionally puts "black" or "asian" or "woman" as a part of the character description then it should be "allowed" to be given to a minority or woman? I think that your perspective is askew and narrow. Your opinion is just the type that Minority Activists are trying to fight, and even though we've made some headway, it is obvious from your comments that you're not going to change your narrow view any time soon.

EWP and El Teatro Campesino have been making amazing theater for Asians and Latinos for almost 50 years. Some of their projects have gone to Broadway, been made into feature films, etc. actors trained there have gone on to win Tonys, Drama Desk Awards, even Academy Awards. We are trained. We are here. We are relevant. Anyone who says they can't find someone experienced enough, talented enough, etc, for a role that is specific to a minority or type isn't looking hard enough. That's the point that needs to be changed.

Gary Anderson

6/5/2013 12:50:59 am

Kenzo,

I wish you well. I hope your passions and effort prove me wrong. If I am in the minority on this position in this one Blog post, I don't take it personally because, quite frankly, this is a very small corner of the world we both live in. It isn't exactly representative of the nation at large. This is a country that is still not comfortable with race in any topic. Also, I understand that people of color from different ethnicities see the issue of racial integration differently. Asian Americans are not a monolith and do not hold a single point of view on racial politics. I fear your desire for a more equitable workplace on American stages will be disappointed by a reality wherein Artistic Directors are more concerned with satisfying the audience they already got - which is overwhelmingly white across this country - and keeping current donors happy, than they are in expanding that audience. Your desire for more artistic freedom and adventure in casting comes in conflict with the reality of fewer federal dollars for the arts, fewer private foundation dollars for the arts, fewer local government and donor dollars for the arts. You may not believe it, but I wish we lived in a more adventurous artistic time, but we don't and won't as long as the very economic survival of the art form is as tenuous as it is currently. I wish you well. I would love to talk about these ideas in 15 or 20 years to see how things came out.

Gary Anderson

6/5/2013 01:11:50 am

Kenzo,

Both of your examples, East West Players and Teatro Campesino are wonderful organizations and culturally-specific. I know their leadership. But where is the Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep or ACT as an example of this policy? I know the leadership of those theaters as well. Their primary concern is to keep the lights on in their institutions. I wish you well but fear your desires are just going to run into a brick wall that is economic reality. No large regional theater in this country is going to do anything that will jeopardize the satisfaction of their current patron and donor base.

Kenzo Lee link

6/5/2013 06:26:03 am

Well then Gary, you are in luck...

- ACT will be hosting Tony Award winner BD Wong in the Orphan of Zhao next June, in what I'm sure will be a standout performance.
- South Coast Rep just finished a highly popular run of David Henry Hwang's Chinglish, in February.
- south Coast Rep will ALSO be performing the work premiere of Asian American writer Carla Chings new play, Fast Company.

Your matter of factness is appreciated but is shown to be wholly outdated. Theater is changing. After their Nightengale debacle, leading theater La Jolla Playhouse churned in 2 wonderful examples of casting against type with their rendition of Glengarry Glen Ross (a typically Caucasian cast Pulitzer Prize winning show) with 2 Asian descent actors in lead roles. The show was highly popular and has been nominated for many awards from the season. Also, Kimiko Glenn played the title role in the technical achievement "Yoshimi Vs The Pink Robots" with music by The Flaming Lips, directed by Tony winner Des McAnuff.

Leading theaters ARE making changes, Gary. And keeping their doors open and the lots on.

Kevin Dow

6/4/2013 02:17:22 pm

Gary, it's time to listen and learn. You're just fighting to be right. It's the wrong fight, brah.

Amy link

6/5/2013 03:04:42 am

Thanks so much for engaging with these topics, Mike! As an Asian-American who lived in London during the time of the Zhao debacle, I couldn't have been more saddened and disgusted by their double standard.
I write about this issue as well on my blog, mostly to remind the industry and acting schools that they are not nearly as progressive as they would like to think they are.
Check out my post for an awesome quote about casting by Chuck Mee:

http://vocalcontext.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/there-is-not-a-single-role-in-any-one-of-my-plays-that-must-be-played-by-a-physically-intact-white-person/

Howard Ho

6/5/2013 07:21:56 am

Ironically, it's because the major regional theatres are not opening up to new and emerging audiences that they have been hit so hard by this economic reality. This is especially true in cities like LA and NY where they are home to extremely diverse populations, and to shun their talents and their stories are more than just ignorant and elitist, it is financial suicide.

Paul Dinh-McCrillis, CSA

6/5/2013 09:38:12 am

I agree it sucks as far as diversity goes in all mediums of entertainment. As a Casting Director, I always ask if we can mix it up as far as ethnicities go. The producer/director usually says yes, but inevitably chooses the caucasian actor no matter how much color I show them. Any Casting Director who doesn't push it, isn't a real CD, no matter how often they get hired. I just signed on to cast a union webseries and the producer is open to even casting different ethnicities to play siblings. I hope he sticks to that idea and one day no one thinks twice about having all ethnicities represented equally. Bring on those scripts!

Kenzo Lee link

6/9/2013 09:08:01 am

Paul,
This is exactly the outlook that we wish more CDs would express directly to us. At the end of the day, it truly is up to production, no matter how amazing the CD works to get people in the door. Every once in a while, it works. Thank you for being an inspiration!

Richard

6/5/2013 09:45:01 am

Here in Chicago (the best theatre town in the country), we have the same awful problem. It's just down right terrible. Too many white companies, too many white actors, too many white directors - just too much WHITE in general. Just judging by the recent Jeff Awards this past Monday night, the room was filled with WHITE artists and very few minority actors to be found. I think that sums up what I call an enourmous epidemic problem that exists around the nation as a whole. Theatres are sorely lacking behind when it comes to a clear representation of other cultures and ethnicities on American stages. Even Hollywood seems to be further along than the theatre industry is when it comes to seeing different faces on the screen. I think the problem lies with the people in charge - the directors, artistic directors, casting directors and anyone who is making or influencing decisions. They have to be the ones to shoulder the change and the catch 22 of all of this is that too many of them are WHITE and too many of them just seem oblivious to it all. There is a sea change approaching in terms of the demographics of this country and if these people don't get their act together, the theatres across this country will experience what newspapers are experiencing now - crashing subscription retention and empty seats. This article from Howl Round I think hits it on the head: http://www.howlround.com/does-the-american-theater-have-the-same-problem-as-the-gop

Chas Belov link

6/5/2013 12:28:24 pm

Re: If I cast a minority in this role it will change the meaning of the role itself

Actually, I'm thrilled by that possibility.

Jon Rosen

6/10/2013 04:21:33 am

Chas, as much as it seems appealing to say that, it is treading on VERY dangerous artistic ground, especially if you are recreating someone else's play. If you wrote the work, it is totally within your rights to consider "changing the meaning of the role" but if you are performing someone else's play or musical, you CAN'T LEGALLY DO THAT without getting permission, especially if changing the meaning of the role can also change the meaning of the play. One interesting play that comes to mind, for instance, is Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. The character of Glas is a German shopkeeper (masquerading as a Jew). If you decided to cast that character "color-blind" you would RADICALLY change the meaning of the play. Glas simply can't be an Asian or black and have any of William Hanley's words mean anything like what they were meant to mean, simply because that would defy any sense of reality (how could an Asian or black man in Nazi Germany been permitted to work and act like a German, let alone to later on attempt to impersonate a former Jewish prisoner of a concentration camp?) If you even attempted such a casting, you would run a serious risk of distorting the entire meaning of the play and I believe you would be in violation of any license you have to produce the play.

Chas Belov link

6/10/2013 07:21:18 pm

First, I don't believe in color-blind, but rather in color-aware. That is, the color of the actor affects the subtext. I just don't think there's something wrong with that for most plays.

Yes, I agree it wouldn't work for the play you give as an example, but I think it wouldn't be an issue for most plays where a specific identity is not a key plot point.

Anna

6/7/2013 11:39:35 am

Great article. In the ideal, I totally support it. However, the one problem, purely selfish, with the casting of non-white actors in racially non-specific roles, is that these roles are frequently smaller, supporting roles. And as a white actor trying to climb the experience ladder, it becomes extremely frustrating to be aced out time and again, to lose the opportunity to add to the resume just because they decided the secretary should be Latina, or the assistant DA should be Asian-American, or the schoolteacher should be Middle Eastern or African-American. I hope I live long enough (and have enough of a career) to get to the point where the quality of the performance and not the ethnicity of the actor is THE most important thing. I understand the current situation; in the ideal, I support it. but is IS frustrating. Our turn, I guess!

danielle

6/8/2013 05:50:13 am

Anna,

As a fellow white woman among thousands and thousands out there, let me tell you something; do the math. At every single audition or call-back you have, DO THE MATH. Chances are, you're not going to get that role. It doesn't matter if you're reading with other white actresses or a mix of ethnic/racial backgrounds. The deck is always stacked against you because there are x number of other choices vying for the same role.

The good news of that is, you can take a load of pressure off yourself. Work hard, prepare your butt off, go in there and knock their socks off. Then, let it go. Seriously, you have no way of knowing what's in a casting director's mind or "what they want" beyond you showing up, being professional, and doing great work.

Daniel Olson

6/7/2013 01:21:13 pm

I think there is one sentence early on in this article that supports Gary Anderson's "can't have it both ways" remark. It is:

"If the play is set in a place where all logic dictates that the characters would be of a particular ethnicity, you should cast actors of that ethnicity."

And that is where many of us might say, "even if all logic dictates that the character would be a white male, let's consider that bit of logic to be less important than the opportunity to open up roles to others so long as race isn't a thematic issue. But if all logic dictates that the role would be non-white or non-male, then we must cast according to the logical race and gender even if race isn't part of the theme." Now even as a white male, I love seeing productions of the Music Man defy logic as to who would be living in Iowa at that point in history, but it does create an "except if the characters would logically be white" allowance that goes like this:

If the character is specific, cast specifically.
If the character isn't specific, be inclusive.
If the character is logically a non-white man, cast specifically.
But if the character is logically a white male, it's OK to cast non-white or non-male because white men are over-represented in casting. Remember, I'm not arguing against this, but it is "having it both ways."

danielle

6/8/2013 05:54:20 am

Well, not necessarily. Consider your talent pool first; who would be a good fit for the role? If all you're getting is "a bunch of white guys", fine. The point is that you shouldn't limit your options based on skin color, not that there aren't times when, no matter what you're looking for, in a given situation you might very well just have a bunch of white males getting called in (based on who you've got on file/get recommended to you/would be available).

Jon Rosen

6/10/2013 04:09:09 am

Well, last night's Tony awards were at least an interesting counterpoint to this discussion. Four of the eight acting awards went to actors of color, including Leading Actresses in a Musical (Patina Miller - Pippin) and and Play (Cicely Tyson - Trip to Bountiful) as well as Leading Actor in a Musical (Billy Porter - Kinky Boots) and Featured Actor in a Play (Courtney Vance - Lucky Guy). And both Best Director awards went to women (Diane Paulus for Pippin and Pam MacKinnon for Virginia Wolf). So there is obviously movement in the bedrock, no question. But one interesting issue still remains (and its funny, this is the same issue that is seen in sports when dealing with ethnicity). Although the actors (players) are becoming more multi-racial/ethnic, the power structure is STILL predominantly white male. How many black or Asian or even female producers were there? Not many (okay, Fran Weissler? but let's face it, that's really Barry who did all the speaking anyway, never let his wife say a word). And not many ethnic or female designers, writers, etc. Broadway is STILL dominated in most aspects by the same people who have dominated it for a century. Sigh...

Novelty Lighting link

9/30/2013 06:35:48 pm

This is a great blog. I am totally impressed! Keep stuff like this coming.

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How to Cast Actors of Color

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