Friday, July 22, 2016
Horrific Casting Notice Proof that Body Shaming Still Exists in Broadway Casting
OnStage: Recently New York City Center Encores! released their audition notices for their 2016-17 season. In addition to the show information, character descriptions and vocal ranges they were looking for, they also included the types of actresses they wanted to see. And when I say "type", I'm talking about their size.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I find it appalling that this sort of treatment is still acceptable in theaters across the country. When you are casting a character if you want to turn away actors because their personality doesn't match the character you are casting for that is fine, that's the entire point of casting, but when you turn away an actor for their weight you are insinuating that their weight has something to do with their personality when it should not considering in many cases they have no control over it. A heavier actress can still play a temptress and a skinny actor can still play a nerdy high schooler, the weight of an actor does not reflect their skill, their personality, or the way you should view them.
Something still needs to be done to eradicate body shaming in our society. It should not be easier for someone with a thinner waist to find a job in the show business. Casting should be all about finding the best personality/voice fit for the character, not about picking apart someone's physical body. Body size if often something that can't be controlled, and to turn away an actor for their body size is just like turning someone away for their race, which I guess happens often too. Broadway has a history of being extremely exclusive, but I though with all these new, diversely cast shows, that casting directors would get the message and start not only looking for actors of all races but of all body types as well. It makes me even more sad that this company only specified body size to female parts, as if saying that any men auditioning could be any weight, but the women need to fit exactly into conventional beauty standards.
He fact that body shaming is still a thing, especially in the theatrical world is disgusting. There is no such thing as the perfect or ideal body and the fact that casting think so is completely unjust. Just because you're heavier than the next person means that you have a slightly worse chance of getting casted? When will it ever come down to if you're a good actor or actress or not. For most people, what body type or size you are is something that you can't change or at least not easily. It's practically the same as you gender or race; which Broadway still discriminates against. Unless it is a role that requires a specific body type, people in the casting position need to be more aware of how they cast, because not only are you saying that you don't have the "right" body type, but you're also saying that you'll have a hard time doing something you love because of how you're born. We need to cast people based on talent and not how they look.
Post a Comment