Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Color-Blind Casting vs. the Playwright’s Intent
OnStage: The topic of race in theatre is certainly not a new topic of discussion in theatre. However, there has recently been a lot of talk about the need for a color-conscious approach to casting in theatre. This is opposed to the idea of color-blind casting, which calls for actors to be cast in any role regardless of his or her race. This topic has especially gotten attention after recent controversies such as those highlighted in the American Theatre Magazine’s article Standing Up for Playwrights and Against ‘Colorblind’ Casting that surrounded productions of plays by Katori Hall and Lloyd Suh.
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Colorblind casting has always been an illusory concept, as while you want to do the material justice, sometimes the best actor for the part might not necessarily be the exact race called for in the script. This dilemma goes back to the article from last semester about the public casting it's new show about transgender people using solely transgender actors. However, this article brings a point of view into the mix that we often take for granted: that of the playwright. The August Wilson example is one that is particularly affecting, since he was such a distinct writer who had a clear visualization for the ways in which his plays would be performed. Granted, it is nigh impossible to imagine the lead in Fences being played by a white man, as it would directly do the dialogue a disservice. The thoughts of the playwright, especially if the playwright has passed away, is this ethereal idea that I've never seen anyone particularly address. Would you colorblind cast a Streetcar named Desire simply because Tennessee Williams never said NOT to? There's a genuine debate to be had here, and it calls into question the exact fad I mentioned above. Just because an actor isn't particularly phenomenal, if they will bring the necessary gravitas and background to the part, does it matter that it COULD have been Brad Pitt? Personally, I'm inclined to think not.
In all honesty it is upsetting to me when white people are cast in roles that are clearly not for white people, especially since it so rarely goes the other way. It just seems that white people always get precedent, and if a young person of color goes to see a show where race isn’t explicit in the script they are already almost guaranteed to see white people onstage, so imagine how detrimental it would be for his child to see exclusively white people in a show about race. It is erasure, and in a society where representation is so important to the up bringing of our children I do take offense when white people play roles that are specifically for people of color, more so than when it is vice versa. White people already have so many shows they can do inoffensively, all with an extremely wide array of characters, so when they take these shows its kind of like a slap in the face, a power play. It shows they can play any role they want. In regards to the people that say that sometimes the actor of the specified race just isn’t as good as other people who auditioned of different races, I reject that notion. There is talent in all races, if you want to do a show involving race, you agree to look for that talent, it is there. And for educational productions, like the one featured in this article, you can only do the shows that you can do. The author of the article said that show about Hiroshima had 0 Japanese actors. At that point you have to pick another show. And there are so many great shows that aren’t about race!
I believe color-blind casting works best when it is applied to plays that do not specify any particular race for their characters, because what often occurs in such situations is that the cast ends up primarily white. A play like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, for example, is based on source material where very few characters are given specific races, which allowed the directors to cast Hermione as a woman of color while still doing justice to the source material (and as mentioned, JK Rowling was very supportive of this and additionally cited the fact that in her source material, she did not, in fact, state Hermione's skin color). The issue the author brings up here, however, is a situation where the race of the characters in the source material of the play is directly specified, and when it has a direct impact on the story and characterization of the play. The goal in such a situation should be to find the best possible actor of the specified race, not just the best possible actor. Too often what ends up happening is that the supposed "best possible actor" ends up not being the race specified in the source material, and that does an injustice not only to the character and the production as a whole, but to the playwright and the original source material.
I agree that color conscious casting is the right way to go. Color conscious casting is the idea of thinking about when race matters in a script and when it doesn't. Color blind casting can take away author's intent, even and especially with a white actor. Imagine A Raisin in the Sun with a cast of white and Asian actors. The intent, and story of a black family is taken away with color blind casting.
I disagree with the author on their sort of defense of their own production of a play intended for Japanese actors to tell a Japanese story. They simply should not have put it on if they did not have the cast for it. When race is specified and matters, cast it in the way it was intended. However, if the race of the man is specified but it really doesn't affect intent, such as with the casting of Hermione, then cast it as you please. Hermione's race does not affect any lines in the script, I'm sure and does not affect her character as a whole. It seems simple enough. Why not cast black Jean ValJean or a Hispanic George Milton. Those that are just human stories and human characters with no emphasis on race deserve to be played by all races.
I think it is VERY important while casting a production to understand and abide by the difference of color-blind casting versus color conscious casting.
Colorblinding casting serves a purpose in many productions that I see and can prove very effective when a play does not comment on a character's race, or is not set in a time where certain races would not interact at the level being portrayed in the script. Nowadays I feel it is important especially in modern texts for productions that do not specify or imply race in the script to feature many different races and ethnicities.
Places where I feel colorblind casting is inappropriate are in circumstances where a script calls or speaks upon topics that not all races are subjected to. Plays that focus on race or a group of people should not be produced if there are not appropriate actors to play such roles. To further my point, most plays that focus on race and or a specific group of people would only prove effective for an audience if the actors are believable as the character. It is a waste of time, and uncomfortable for all parties to produce shows that call for specific ethnicities to be produced with the wrong casting.
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