HowlRound: The 2016 Tony Awards Ceremony was a historic night when four actors of color won all of the best performance awards in a musical category. That, along with the slew of wins for Hamilton, reinforced the notion that “Diversity is the theme of the entire season.” Well, for musicals that is.
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It’s no secret that plays tend to not get as much attention as musicals, and I will admit, the diversity problem this article brought up completely escaped my notice. But that doesn’t mean it should go unaddressed. I think part of the reason as to why plays face less pressure to cast diversely in comparison to musicals is the perception of diversity as a modern, hip concept. Typically, musicals try to market themselves as ‘fun’ or ‘modern’, and plays not so much. The problem comes when the theatre industry starts treating diversity as a fad, and not a basic expectation. Musicals are expected to ‘follow the fad’, whereas plays are expected to remain more traditional (read white). We as an industry need to begin treating diversity as an expectation. It isn’t cool or modern to do a show where someone of color plays a major role, it’s expected. There’s no reason why a cast of 8 should be entirely white, and why all 13 casts of 8 happen to be all white. If we as theatre makers and audiences start demanding change, it will happen eventually. I think it’s good we stop turning a blind eye towards Broadway plays.
This article raises a lot of good, interesting points that are often ignored by the theatre community. Watching the Tonys I remember how many of the actors nominated for the play acting awards were Caucasian. I didn't notice their age, but that is kind of crazy. But even though I did notice, the Tonys were still a time of celebration. This is the first time that all of the winners in any category have been people of color. And that is something to be proud of. It is important that we don't gloss that over because the sad truth is that people of color have to prove that their stories are marketable before owners and producer types will put them on.
So hats off to progress that has been made in the Broadway world, and let's hope that in the next season after this one that Broadway plays follow suit.
I’ve always have thought about what is considered diversity and what is considered a token or a drop in. This article raises up the question if having 4 black persons each win a Tony should be acknowledged as diversity or progression of thereof. And I say yes, but to an extent, and no, to an extent. I know I just contradicted myself, but let me explain. Black persons winning Tonys is fantastic, a testament to the possibility of racial inclusion and recognition. However, if more years go by, and we only see a few amount of only black Tony award winners win each year, I couldn’t consider that growth, but simple token used to trick people into thinking that things are getting better, when it really is not. Now going back to what the article was saying about the play categories not being diverse like the musical categories, and like the article said, I would have to say that is due to plays not getting the same amount of racial awareness attention as musicals. But as diversity becomes more and more of a spotlight, I believe all categories of the Tonys will be looked at.
It's interesting that I'm reading this now, because since the Tony's aired, I've had this question nagging in the back of my mind; Why is it that there is so much attention on the Musicals, but whatever happens in the news of Broadway plays falls by the way side? Both are tremendously important art forms and should be respected and treated equally. However, I'm constantly finding an emphasis on Musicals. Is that because they're more flashy? Or captivating? I worry we are loosing our roots with the older, more traditional form of theatre. That being said, all accomplishments, concerns, and matters of production should ALSO be treated equally. As an African-American young woman, I rejoiced in the triumphs and diversity of musicals category, but there is still a long way to go in terms of equality for all races and cultures. Personally, I feel that musicals are more diverse because they're new, they push limits, and break boundaries. Plays, may appear to be more traditional, and possibly this is what they playwrights are thinking. In this mindset, they design characters based on the old, white veterans. In order to make strides forward, we must acknowledge that we have a problem, and get to the source, and find out how these people think and why. I believe all will come with time, just as with time we are seeing more diversity in America's Musicals.
Broadway musicals have received more recognition for many years.. to be honest, they draw more audiences and make more money. Therefore, we focus more on their accomplishments, while most plays don't receive as much recognition. This season on Broadway was a step in the right direction. Many more people, of all different ethnicities were showcased and on stage. My hope is that because musicals have become more diverse the rest of the Broadway community will also strive to move in that direction. August Wilson's quote about each ethnicity being specific and not just "people of color" really stuck out. I look forward to hearing stories about specific and different types of people who walk different paths. It is my goal, along with my generation of theater makers goal (I feel) to tell stories about all types of people. Though it is unfortunate, those who hold the cards need to also feel this way. The new generation is coming...
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