Arts & Entertainment | denvergazette.com: Three things everyone seems to agree on after a small theater company in Evergreen decided to pull the plug on its production of “Ragtime” just two weeks before its opening night: 1. It’s heartbreaking for everyone involved. 2. If a show can’t be done right, it shouldn’t be done at all. 3. And in the end, it was probably best for this troubled production not to go forward.
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Without even fully diving into the article, I had suspicion that this company canceled their production of Ragtime because they didn’t have enough actors of color. After reading into it, my hypothesis was right. I am in support of them canceling the show because they don’t have the right people to represent the story. I think it is imperative that we have only POC filling POC roles. But, in order for that to happen, you need to take the right steps beforehand. It seems like this theatre did a little bit, but not a lot. It doesn’t help being in an area with little black population. Also, questioning if Ragtime should be a story that’s told because the story of it is still taking place today is a valid question. Should we be using POC trauma to educate non-POC? Or should we tell the story to raise even more awareness? It’s been a question that I’ve been wrestling with as a POC. I think this situation for this theatre will raise awareness for other theatre companies and for young theatre artists, as we emerge into this industry striving to bring more diversity. -Hailey Garza
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