Considering Race When Casting A Play Essay

1509 Words7 Pages

Considering Race when Casting a Play

Plays have been a part of the theater industry for a very long time. We start out by

explaining what a play is exactly. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a play

is the stage representation of an action or story. A play often begins as a written script

where characters and dialogues are developed and made into a performance for

entertainment in a theater setting. Many African-American actors and actresses, like

husband and wife team, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Sydney Poitier, Phylicia Rashad and

even rap mogul, P. Diddy, who got their start in theater productions before moving on to

the big screen or television shows which allowed them all to go on to be megastars in the

entertainment …show more content…

Another example with color-blind casting was

expressed in an article written by Lisa Respers France for CNN Entertainment, The

problem with color blind casting in ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Harry Potter’. The article focused

on the casting of others of different races for a part that played a particular race and

expressed great displeasure for the idea to do so. The article explained that the choice is

often a complicated decision like any issue related to the subject of race. Minority actors

and actresses are not represented to their full capacity and they want to know why this is

such a problem that is being overlooked time and time again. The question has yet to be

addressed with a satisfying answer. France wrote at the end of the article, “color bling

casting might land a few promising actors prestigious roles, but it isn’t a sustainable

strategy’. (The problem with color blind casting in ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Harry Potter’, CNN

Entertainment). She also stated, “Creating interesting roles for actors of color is a multi-

layered challenge that can’t be solved by colorblind casting alone, but it’s