HowlRound: I made an error in the last article I wrote on color blind/conscience casting. Not in the position that I took that the practice is antithetical to full inclusion. I stand by that assertion. The error was in not reiterating the framework in which I am attempting to have this conversation about diversity in the American theater. So let’s go back to the beginning of the conversation…the definition of the word diversity.
5 comments:
I think its very cool that props and costume makers have this crossover into the world of cosplay. It's a whole different world of people of similar interests and talents that may have nothing to do with the theatrical world. The cosplay construction of props and costumes (as detailed here) is often as or more intricate as it is in the entertainment industry, and its very interesting that people like these two can get together over a hobby that uses so many of the same techniques.
First of all, Chris, wrong post.
Second of all, Diversity is good. There is no mistaking that, but there are some shows in existence that need certain genders or races. A white, female Seaweed in Hairspray wouldn't have the same effect. Most shows can be made to be diverse in the casting even if it would have been weird for that time period for that color person to do that job. In my community theatre, we have had African American rich people and poor white people in the 1920s. For us, it isn't about gender or race, it is about talent. If only the white community comes to auditions, then that is who is cast in the show for that year.
I agree that diversity isn't something that you do, but it can also not be forced.
While the topic of diversity in the theatre is interesting and worth talking about, I am more interested in what the title of this article asks: "What's Is Your Mission?" Recently, in Technical Management, we discussed mission statements, and we analyzed the effectiveness of different mission statements. This article provides an interesting perspective to the discussion we had in class because the writer of the article is analyzing his theatre's mission, and reevaluating it. I think that many theaters and organizations in general do not always act with their mission or goals in mind. It is nice to see that some people do, in fact, keep their mission statements in mind not only before and during a production or season, but also after. This article shows that it is important to reflect on past projects, compare them with your organization's mission, and either learn from where you fell short, or consider altering what your organization's mission is in the first place.
I have to agree with Jess. I too looked at this article because the title called my interest after our Tech Management class. I think mission statements are often left out of the picture. Sure, an organization keeps one, but I feel as though most of the time it is pushed to the back of all the things they use to show who they really are. I see great diversity in the different shows we at Carnegie Mellon produce and I think this lends to our mission of creating innovators because it is only when we are faced with diversity that we are forced to think outside our realm of comfort.
"One of the ways in which I believe we can achieve this parity on our stages is if we all take a step back and look at our mission statements in their broadest construct." I just wanted to emphasize how important this is in any scenario as this struck me as just so simple yet so often neglected. We tend to get so caught up in the little details and forget to look at the broader scope of things. Sometimes we think we are totally on track but if we take a moment to step back, process things a bit…maybe we're not always as close as we think we are. This should not only be applied to mission statements and diversity, but to any aspect of ones work and life. As students especially, I think it is important to take a moment to process the bigger picture and really make sure we're making the connections and achieving our own missions by seeing what's going on. I think this just on it's own would help with many of the issues we face in art and culture today.
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