What is color-blind casting and why is it a problem?

Color-conscious casting considers the complexities of race and ethnicity and acknowledges these topics in the film, series, or production. The practice involves creators and CDs meaningfully engaging with race and ethnicity, their roles within a given narrative, and how that relates to socio-historical hierarchies of oppression and power. 

According to Playbill editor-in-chief Diep Tran, color-conscious casting means that “we’re aware of the historic discrimination in the entertainment industry, and we’re also aware of what it means to put a body of color onstage.“

BACKSTAGE by Suzy Woltmann

Most educational theater programs have a culturally diverse body of students, some of whom are part of the drama program and others who are the audience members. Color-blind casting means that you, as a director, choose the best actor for the role, regardless of the actor’s ethnic background. While this works for some plays, it is the kiss of death for others.

In a comedy like The Odd Couple, it doesn’t matter if Felix and Oscar are racially diverse. Try to perform a play where race matters, like Raisin in the Sun, however, and the concept of color-blind casting bites the dust.

The answer seems obvious. Find plays that are written with a diverse cast. Clybourne Park comes to mind. However, this may not be as simple as it seems. The issue is not limited to educational theater either. In American Theatre, a publication of Theatre Communication Group (TCG) Janice C. Simpson states:

“You’d be hard-pressed to find an artistic director who doesn’t talk about wanting to do more inclusive casting. But wanting and doing are different things. In almost the same breath as they’ve expressed the desire for more diversity, many artistic leaders begin to list obstacles that prevent them from reaching that goal: It’s hard to find actors of color or different physical abilities, it’s inauthentic to put them in the classic plays audiences know and love, it’s too easy to make mistakes and appear politically tone deaf.”

Making a Difference

Some professional and semi-professional theaters are beginning to make an adjustment in this area. Bill Rauch started as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2007 with an acting company that included 22 percent actors of color. It’s now more than 70 percent. That change was very intentional, because Rauch wanted to produce more diverse stories onstage, and he wanted the company to match that vision.

Okay, I get it. You don’t have a chance to change or impact the ethnicity of your students. What you can do, however, is find those plays that allow diverse casting without straining the bounds of credulity. Even better, you can seek out those scripts that reflect a diversity that reflects your school’s ethnic representation.

Easier said than done. There are two main obstacles here. The first is the number of scripts available. Traditionally, it has been difficult for a playwright to get a major production of a script with a diverse cast. (For more about this, see my blog on Crossing the Racial Divide in Theater on the Great White Way. Plays with diverse casts may be slim pickings at first, but they are out there. Google “plays with diverse roles” and see what you discover.

You may find yourself instrumental in bringing more diverse-cast plays to the market, if the supply and demand axiom is correct. Ask and ye shall receive. The trend has already begun at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as well as other theaters around the country.

Looking Forward

Another obstacle may be that some of these plays are not yet be well known. You can work that to your advantage by establishing yourself as the school theater program interested in premiering new works. (And develop your own student playwrights as an adjunct to that.)

Because there are limited opportunities available for mixed casts, there are a number of really good plays out there going begging for a premier. Check out two large-cast shows, Angel Band by Robert P. Arthur or Humans Remain by Robin Rice and Refraction of Light by J. H. Klein. The latter has a smaller cast but represents historical Southern, Jewish, and African American communities.

If you feel your administration might not be ready for this adventure, you might try them out by presenting a new show as a Readers Theater production. A new blog entry on Readers Theater: Why and How? will be coming shortly.