Color Differences In Theatre

Theatre is a very competitive business. Hundreds of actors can show up to an audition and half of them may not even get seen by the casting team. Out of the people who are seen, only a few may get a job. Auditioning is a difficult process and not only your skill is judged but also your appearance. Some roles are written for specific ethnicities but the casting team doesn’t always honor the writers’ intentions. Many roles written for non-caucasian actors are given to caucasian actors. Actors of color have a hard enough time getting cast because of the “white by default” picture the casting team has, they should be able to get roles written for their ethnicity. Though some may deny it, racism is an issue in theatre.

Though the world of theatre
From West Side Story to Miss Saigon to The Color Purple, there are shows where many, if not all, of the lead roles are specifically for people of color to portray. On some occasions, white actors are given roles that are written specifically for actors of color. In November of 2015, a university in Pennsylvania was forced to cancel its production of Lloyd Suh’s Jesus in India. The reason for the cancellation was casting. Two of three roles written for Indians were cast with white actors and the other a “mixed-race” actor at this predominantly white school. In a Kent State production of The Mountaintop, Martin Luther King Jr. was played by a white actor. The author’s, Katori Hall, reaction to this casting was less than happy, ”The casting of a white King is committing yet another erasure of the black body. Sure, it might be in the world of pretend, but it is disrespectful nonetheless, especially to a community that has rare moments of witnessing itself, both creatively and literally, in the world.” Even though she was unable to stop this production, she officially stated that the characters in the play must be played by Black actors unless special permission was
A casting call for the hit musical Hamilton asked for “non-white” actors in almost every principal role. This has caused massive uproar because some feel that this is “reverse racism”. This issue was brought up in a CBS interview with the show’s creator, Lin Manuel Miranda, and he answered,

“That was the original language we used to get the cast we have now and it was meant to be inclusive. It’s to tell performers of color ’I know it’s about the founding fathers but there’s work here for you.’... We changed the language to make sure everyone knew we’ve never turned anyone away from auditioning from our show and it was never the case. That being said, this a story where I think the diversity of what’s onstage is essential to it’s success.”
This puts down the belief that white actors would not be allowed to audition. The white actors currently in the cast are proof as well.

Racism has been an issue for many years and will probably continue for years to come. Some plays and musicals are making steps forward against racism. These steps forward against racism are steps backwards when casting is unfaithful to author’s intent. The world of theatre can be diverse without sacrificing the integrity of the