Non-Traditional Casting (an Open Letter)

Abstract

Dear Members of the American Theater Community, can continue to publish articles and special editions of magazines and write books; continue to have panel discussions, symposia, Colloquial and conferences; continue to air radio and television programs; continue to defend theses and doctoral dissertations; continue to debate and participate in one-on-one encounters; continue examining the and varied complexities of race, diversity, and inclusion in the arts in America. But at some point we have to stop talking. At some point we have to realize that the issue ain't that deep. When will that time occur? When? Either you actively participate in changing the American artistic landscape or you don't. Either you come out of the closet of your own racism and face it, or you wait for it to trip you up in yet another embarrassing moment, followed by media attention, controversy, and tacky apology, I'm sorry that revealed to you just how racist am--an apology everyone knows is less than sincere. no longer desire to lunch and discuss the possibilities of working in theaters that have for years excluded me and other ethnic artists. have been wined and dined from Maine to California, Washington to Florida. How much white wine can one drink? Why do artistic and managing directors, educators, producers, and other decision makers love to talk about the changes they are making in their theaters and institutions? Isn't it action that we have come to accept as the driving force of good theater--action, not talk? Why has it taken so long for these so-called artistic leaders to identify and implement the actions they should take? Stubbornness? Lack of creativity? Unconscious racism? Lack of dedication to their public expressions of commitment to change? Fear? Why is it certain theater companies can only identify one or two ethnic directors and designers to work in their theaters? Usually one per season! Why does the hiring of this ethnic director preclude the hiring of others? Why is s/he hired to direct or design only the ethnically specific work? Is it a question of willful ignorance of the talent pool or finding one's level of comfort with an ethnic artist? Is it a belief that ethnic artists are not capable of creating beyond their own ethnicity? Is the black artist, the ethnic artist still being perceived monolithically--under the assumption that the one that is hired knows, and can express, the desires and urges of and for the entire race? Or are we being blacklisted because we continue to ask difficult, uncomfortable questions, to name names? We have our black/ethnic director that we work with; we know his/her work. have been told this by many artistic directors or their representatives from the Denver Theatre Center and Berkeley Rep to the American Conservatory Theater and far too many theaters in between. Why has the Roundabout Theatre hired one African American director in the last ten years--Hal Scott, director of the critically acclaimed twenty-fifth anniversary production of A Raisin in the Sun? Did Charles Fuller truly have his finger on the pulse and thoughts of white America when he wrote in the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Solider's Play the unforgettable truth expressed by the liberal-thinking, sincere, non-racist white Captain, I just can't used to it .... being in charge just doesn't look right on Negroes? Surely artistic directors can take time to get to know, the work of the black and ethnic directors, playwrights, designers, and stage managers they consistently overlook. It seems that they do take the time for white artists. Many young white theater artists are immediately offered inclusion and acceptance (and, later, promotions) no matter how limited their experience--a practice most egregious on Broadway. Black and ethnic stage managers, for example, are rarely hired; and if they are, it is usually for black or ethnic productions. …