Amateur Drama Group Finds It Hard To Fill Some Cast Positions.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271694/Amateur-drama-group-finally-prepares-stage-musical-racial-prejudice-black-actor-search.html

Why in the circumstances would it have been inappropriate for white actors to 'black-up'?

If they had been forced to advertise for the said positions, would it have been racist to state in the advert, "only black persons need apply"?

[FredPuli43]

Do you not feel that the production has more authenticity, a better look and feel to it, as well as being a lot cheaper on the Leichner, if black actors are available to play these roles ?

It cannot be racist to advertise that only black people need apply. Our racial discrimination law allows for such rules when the job is uniquely suited to someone of a given race, sex or religion. Advertising for a black actor to play a black man would fall within that.

[andy-hughes]

Socioety has moved on from the days of 'blackface' in theatre - when it was seen as appropriate for white men to caricature *** minstrels - because in those days, the views and opinions of black people didn't matter.

Now, we live in more enlightened times, where theatres portraying black roles will use black actors, because in instances like this, the fact that the characters are black is a central plank of the story.

Would it have been raicist to say in a poster 'Only black persons need apply'? Yes it would, but it would not have been racist to choose a black actor from the auditions as the most suitable person for the role, assuming that their skills were comensurate with the role being played.

I would prefer not to have a performance of a work requiring black actors as a cental tennent of the production, if it meant that white actors wore blackface, which has demeaning and out-dated connotations in our modern society.

[ludwig]

I was going to say all that but it got confusing when I started thinking about the Mikado. Should that only be staged with a japanese cast?

[Mamyalynne]

I don't think the Mikado ever had a Japanese cast (stand to be corrected) unlike 'Ragtime'.

[sandyRoe]

Even Olivier couldn't carry it off.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://shakespeare.berkeley.edu/gallery2/main.php%3Fg2_view%3Dcore.DownloadItem%26g2_itemId%3D15658%26g2_serialNumber%3D2&imgrefurl=http://shakespearestaging.berkeley.edu/index.php?option%3Dcom_g2bridge%26view%3Dgallery%26Itemid%3D256%26g2_itemId%3D15658&h=500&w=454&sz=36&tbnid=OE5abrHjlahHaM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=82&prev=/search%3Fq%3DOlivier%2Bas%2BOthello%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=Olivier+as+Othello&usg=__p6ybccn2_0H1CNtmCnAomFBtfJQ=&docid=64JwQ8aNxzabeM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jskLUcupNM6QhQfmnIGgBg&ved=0CEYQ9QEwBQ&dur=2615

[ludwig]

// I don't think the Mikado ever had a Japanese cast //

No, but should it have? that's the question. Why is 'japping up' acceptable and blacking up not?

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43 & andy-hughes

I think you are both missing the point, by failing to notice that I made a point of adding these four words "why in the circumstances".

Obviously it would be preferential to get black persons to take black roles, but the point was that this particularity dramatic group were finding it extremely difficult to find black actors to take these parts.

[anotheoldgit]

ludwig

/// No, but should it have? that's the question. Why is 'japping up' acceptable and blacking up not? ///

Good point, but why stop there what about children taking the parts of Dwarfs, when there are plenty of 'persons of particularly short stature' adult actors?

[boxtops]

As someone involved in amateur drama, what I don't understand is why they picked a play which had such obvious casting difficulties. When we read for future productions, we have an idea as to which actors available to us might fit the parts in the play!

[ludwig]

// Perhaps because a little bit of make up to the eyes is not a big impairment to the authenticity of the play //

Is that all one needs to look authentically japanese then? ok I see.

[anotheoldgit]

/// Also children look like children and hence cannot play adult dwarf characters. ///

Really, even with false bushy eyebrows, a wig and a long flowing beard complete with moustache?

[sp1814]

Really, even with false bushy eyebrows, a wig and a long flowing beard complete with moustache?

No - because dwafism is a condition whereby limbs aren't in proportion.

Although as I write this, I realise there was an implied wink in your last post.

[FredPuli43]

"In these circumstances" aog, amounts to being determined to put on a show about immigration, wherein there are ten black characters, in a part of the country where black people are not numerous. You appear to ignore the determination of this company to have black actors. They are not being forced to have them, it is their design. A more sensible approach would have been to put Othello, or The Cherry Orchard or The Ghost Train on ! But they had to wait a couple of years to achieve their ambition, as nearly as possible, with less than ten.

[neil42]

I dont see a problem with an amature dramatic society putting on a play/show that has black characters played by white people blacked up,if you have actors then fine,but in my experiance most members are white.Its not as if the society is taking the pee out of a particular race,they just love putting on shows and entertaining people.I was in showboat where we had both black actors and white actors made up,and a great time was had by all.

[joko]

i do think its better to have genuine black people but only for authenticity.
it is always better to have the real thing.

but i dont think there is anything wrong with blacking up - the whole of theatre and tv and film is about 'faking things' - about changing the way actors look to suit a role.

people put on weight, lose it, are aged, are made to look ill, or injured, have hair shaved or changed etc. some make fake chinese/japanese eye parts.

if they were blacking up to take on a stupid cliched minstrel type part, a figure of ridicule, then yes its innappropriate (unless thats what the film is about)

its different in films as theres no need to do it, there are plenty of actors, but in small budget local theatres they often have no other option - as happened in this one.

it would absolutely not be racist to say that in the ad either - all ads for actors are very specific ... they have to fit the character - and will say things like, must be fat, skinny, dowdy, tall, young old etc etc.
it is not like a job in a bank or something.

[DaisyNonna]

How do you advertise for someone to play Sweeney Todd?