The character of Esmerelda is a Romani gypsy whose origins are described as "Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Sindh regions of modern-day India and Pakistan."
Friday, February 16, 2018
Speaking Up: How Five Ithaca High School Students Protesting School Musical Became Targets of Hate and How They're Rising Above It
The character of Esmerelda is a Romani gypsy whose origins are described as "Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Sindh regions of modern-day India and Pakistan."
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Growing up in and near DC, I had a lot of opportunities to be an activist in my own right. There were marches and protests downtown nearly every weekend that I could go to if I so chose. I am excited that now more people are being outspoken about social issues that matter to them, more people are finding their voice as activists even in communities far removed from large protests and marches. Casting with a racially conscious mind is something I am very passionate about. I believe that it is important to not only keep the integrity of racial identity of characters, but to cast people of color in leading roles (while keeping in mind that many leading roles were written for white actors and that while we wait for more roles written with POC leads in mind, we still must increase the diversity of people on stage. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney's more historically accurate musicals, and to whitewash the character of Esmeralda would rid the musical of that rich history.
Having gone through a similar experience in high school, reading this article was extremely uplifting. This is such a common issue in high school theatre, mostly due to lack of directors of color choosing to do diverse plays that challenge notions within the community and give young actors of color a change to portray characters that share their identity, along with preventing whitewashing. It is incredibly brave for those students to stand up to the entire school board and strangers they didn't even know to speak out against an issue they believed was wrong. This direct action not only helps solve the problem but opens up an avenue for other young actors and theatermakers to use their voice against discrimination when the situation arises. It is also important to have directors who understand how to put on plays that are diverse and contain narratives that would not only impact the actors performing them but the audience viewing each show.
I think this article identifies a lot of issues with casting in high school productions, that not only these students faced within there high school, but students across the country face. Schools so often claim “color blind casting” but their definition of color blind casting seems to be white washing roles rather than incorporating people of color into historically white roles (or even roles that were meant to be portrayed a person of color). I think it is incredible that these students took a stand against their theatre company, school, and school district. It can be incredibly hard to make this stance in an environment that could potentially jeopardize your future in high school and beyond. The support they are receiving most definitely out weighs the hate, and (as mentioned), emphasizes the reasons that raising awareness of situations like this is so important- to educate the unaware and create change within communities, even on the most fundamental level.
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