Arts in Color: I have been very lucky to have been working consistently in theater for the past 5 years. I have faced many struggles as an actor of Middle Eastern descent but I am happy to say that I have found a way to make it work. I am not normally the kind of person who makes a stink about things, but something has recently happened in the Broadway community, and I feel so strongly that something has to be done. Unfortunately, I haven’t posted any of my thoughts about it, because I am trying to protect my own career. I fear that if I do speak up, I will be blacklisted by the producers, casting director, etc. I also don’t feel like I have a big community of minority actors that would have my back if I did raise awareness about this issue.
7 comments:
While I agree with this concerned actor in that Aladdin is a Middle Eastern show and should be represented as such, I feel that it is also possible that actors of different decent can naturally play and look the part of a middle eastern character. I can see why casting a pure caucasian cast can be astounding but I feel like as long as the actor and directors can stay true to the style of cast then it is ok not to cast middle easterns.
This is an interesting dilemma, but I think that the author of this post was right to say something, if nothing else but for the fact that this is a valuable conversation to be having. Race plays an interesting role in casting. Some productions are done color blind. For example, the regional theatre where I am from, Trinity Repertory Company, does shows color blind. In many shows, it isn't something that would even be noticed. In others, its noticeable but a non-issue. In a production of A Christmas Carol that they did the child who played Scrooge in a flashback was a different race from the adult Scrooge. It is different however when race is an important thematic aspect of the play. This all makes it hard to say how race should have played a role in Aladdin's casting. While it is clearly taking place in the Middle East and the culture is important, the show itself is not focused on race. But I think this actor's frustation with the complete lack of Middle Eastern actors is justified.
So I agree with the gentlemen writing the article. What else can you say. I would really be intrigued to see the breakdown of ethnicity for the casting of Aladdin, but I think the article is calm and well written. He just expresses his concern about diversity in casting. Praying sir that something changes.
Side note I am excited about Aladdin!!
I definitely see the authors point of view in feeling that there should be some actual middle-easterners cast in the play. However, this is not a play that is affected greatly by the race of the actor if they can portray the character correctly. Additionally, there could have been Middle Eastern actors who auditioned, but ultimately did not make it. However, the authors feelings are justified since they could have just as easily cast some Middle Easterners in the ensemble/chorus if they wanted to.
This article is intriguing because I feel that this is a dilemma that comes up with Disney characters and attractions a lot of the time. In this case, I think that it was obvious that Disney was not going to cast Middle Eastern characters. Even in the movie, although the setting is very middle eastern, the main characters do not have middle eastern characteristics and are very "white-washed". It would be nice and accurate for Disney to actually cast actors who are true to their race, but Disney historically curves their movies and attractions in order to better attract a certain demographic.
I am very conflicted about this issue. I think that yes, Middle Eastern actors should be cast in Aladdin. If someone tried to cast white people in Fences, the entire theater community would be up in arms,and rightfully so. Characters are (generally) written as a specific race or ethnicity, and that should be reflected in the performance.
On the other hand, most shows are written by white people for white people. Which means that minority actors do not have nearly as many opportunities, and that is clearly a problem. That is why colorblind casting exists.
I'm all for colorblind casting, I think it's often necessary in order to give the right people the right chances. However, for a show like Aladdin that is written with parts that give minority actors a chance they wouldn't otherwise have gotten, there should be as little colorblind casting as possible.
It is interesting to note that when I read the comments on the original article, many people replied saying that there ARE Middle Eastern actors cast in Aladdin. Which somewhat discredits the writer of the article, but does make the issue any less important.
I understand the frustration of the actor who is voicing the concern here but i also understand where disney theatricals is coming from. They are spending large sums of money to mount a new broadway musical and they want the best production team and cast that they can find. for the cast that might mean that not everyone is the "right" ethnicity but thats the magic of hair and makeup! if i was a director, i know that i would choose a talented actor who can play the part over just someone who can look the part any day. I do however feel bad that there is such an under represented group of middle eastern actors on broadway though.
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