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| I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Are you honestly trying to tell us that there were only two black or brown people who were talented enough to join the ensemble? One guy, one girl? It's 2017. Done with this. - GMB, who can't believe this is still a thing |
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| Link | ANASTASIA | Meet the cast |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: schlepper 12:36 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Shit stirrer ---- party of one? Your table is ready. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: dlevy 12:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - schlepper 12:36 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| He is hardly a party of one. There are many of us (of all races and background) who want to see more kinds of faces -- and more kinds of stories -- on our stages. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: huskyital (huskyital@yahoo.com) 05:32 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - dlevy 12:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| What I think people in the theater should be more concerned about is a theater audience that is almost totally devoid of minority theatergoers. You can go to a Broadway show and see virtually a sea of white. What is the black and Hispanic community doing about fostering a love of theater in their children? Often there are more minority people on the stage than in the audience. This is something that is much more serious than the token number of minority actors on the stage. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: RelaxnNYC 11:20 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - huskyital 05:32 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I rarely post - mainly a lurker, but I'd like to respond to this. I don't mean to sound harsh, but you're obviously not a POC (and I apologize if you are, you may have grown up in a similar situation as I). I'm a non-black POC. I was lucky. One parent was a classical musician (the other a scientist) and had the means and inclination to take us to the theatre, opera, and orchestra. My (mostly white) HS had a very active and popular theatre program - the football team would regularly participate in the ensemble of the shows "for fun." But this isn't the case for most POC. If the parents don't have a love of theater, why the heck would they foster it in their children (I'm talking about any color parent here LOL)? If you want more diverse audiences, you have to find a way to get them to the theatre, have them fall in love with it, and then have them foster that love in their children. The correlation I'd make is with sports. My parents did not follow sports at all. They made us participate in team sport to be "well-rounded." That was it. We didn't sit around the TV together and watch it. They didn't take us to games. We didn't have favorite teams and we didn't discuss it. Thus, I was not instilled with a love of sports. I grew to enjoy it through friends, conversation, and wanting to be able to join in on the "water cooler" chat. We are lucky to now have HAMILTON making theatre a national topic of interest. Everyone in my office knows what HAMILTON is even if they don't go to the theatre. Everyone wants to see it and everyone has an opinion on it. We need build on this momentum in order to grow minority audiences who will in turn foster an interest in their children. Incidentally, according to the last census, 50.2 percent of children under 5 are minorities (link below for reference). In 15 years there will be a "minority-majority" in America yet the stories we are telling and the stages don't reflect that. We need to start telling more diverse stories and the audiences will come. That, combined with more affordable ticketing and marketing to minority groups. It's kind of a chicken/egg thing as well. If you have more diverse offerings, you'll naturally attract more diverse audiences. If you cultivate more diverse audiences, you'll be able sustain and produce more diverse offerings. It's a two way street. |
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| Link | Minority-Majority |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 12:07 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - RelaxnNYC 11:20 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| snap snap snap I also would toss out that ticket prices are another barrier. When I go to see a show at Signature on a night when all the seats are $30, I see a much more diverse audience than I see at higher priced theater... especially when the casting on stage is truly diverse, and even more so when the play is written by a POC. "Effin' A" was one of the most diverse audiences I've sat in in a long time. |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 08:11 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - huskyital 05:32 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| "What I think people in the theater should be more concerned about is a theater audience that is almost totally devoid of minority theatergoers. " This is the best reason there is to feature more minority actors on our stages. |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 06:23 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - huskyital 05:32 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| "What is the black and Hispanic community doing about fostering a love of theater in their children?" What is the white theater community doing to create shows that appeal to these communities and then ensuring that these communities are invited and can afford tickets? What is the white theater going audience doing to support shows by and about black amd brown people that don't speak to or from the white experience? I recently worked on a show by and for black theater goers that was warmly received and brought in the black audience, but it was the hardest work the theater had done to get people to come, and most of the white people on staff didn't have the first clue how to do it. And, because the show wasn't about white people and yet was reviewed by mostly middle-aged white people, the reviews by and large didn't understand the show, which left the theater at a loss for how to market to their white base audience. We need more black and brown stories, more black and brown people on staff at major theaters, and more black and brown culture writers. We need theaters that are comfortable having black and brown people sitting in their theater, and we need white people who are comfortable sharing a space with black and brown audiences (which means no shushing or policing reactions). There is hard work to be done to diversify our theater, and it starts with us. |
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| Well said, Singapore/Fling (n/m) | |
| Posted by: dreambaby 06:38 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - Singapore/Fling 06:23 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| n/m | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: teka21 08:59 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - Singapore/Fling 06:23 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| BRAVO! Yes, Singapore/Fling it starts with us. Thank you for the comprehensive assessment of the work to be done. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 08:13 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - Singapore/Fling 06:23 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Thanks, Singapore/Fling. I couldn't agree more. There is much hard work that needs to be done in ALL areas, and on both sides of the footlights. | |
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| ^^^ THIS. (nm) | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 07:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - Singapore/Fling 06:23 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| nm means no mangoes | |
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| re: ^^^ THIS. (nm) | |
| Posted by: jeffef 05:07 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: ^^^ THIS. (nm) - GrumpyMorningBoy 07:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| What does ^^^ THIS mean? | |
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| re: ^^^ THIS. (nm) | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 06:09 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: ^^^ THIS. (nm) - jeffef 05:07 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| It's an Internet saying for "this is what I think too." | |
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| Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - dlevy 12:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| ... are currently waiting tables or busting their asses in theme parks and cruise ships because apparently there aren't enough road companies of THE LION KING, HAMILTON, THE BOOK OF MORMON or THE KING & I to employ them all. The Broadway cast of MOTOWN can't even do their tour; it's now Non-Equity. I'm sure any number of those Broadway performers are gainfully employed in regional theaters. Or paying the rent with TV and film work. But you can't tell me that the insanely talented ensemble of SHUFFLE ALONG isn't talented enough to be booking Broadway shows. The directors and casting directors of Broadway clearly prefer to fill their stages with white people. Tell me that isn't true? It's obvious. I'm just a rando bitcher on a message board. But yes. A social movement should happen. At the very least, a gumshoe reporter should track down the out of work people from those casts and ask them how things have been going since their shows closed. That would make for a sparkly news story. - GMB |
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| Want diverse casts? Go to Ashland, Oregon | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 01:29 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Under Bill Rauch’s leadership, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has probably hit a high water mark for diverse casting, with a 100-person, mostly Equity, company playing 11 shows in repertory across a ten-month season. And, the company gives its actors unique work to perform, including this past (almost) season’s musical made from August Wilson’s poetry and a wildly popular take on Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” performed against a backdrop of a school designed to “beat the Indian” out of its Native students. (Very funny and surprisingly upbeat.) The only thing that OSF is still missing is a diverse audience (though, you have to give its audience credit for supporting a company located halfway between San Francisco and Portland). Next season, OSF stages “Oklahoma,” and they’ve got R&H’s permission for Curly and Laurie to be a lesbian couple and Will Parker and Ado Andy to be a gay male couple. Bill, in San Diego |
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| re: Want diverse casts? Go to Ashland, Oregon | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 02:37 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:36 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: Want diverse casts? Go to Ashland, Oregon - BillEadie 01:29 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| Sounds like the Lynn Riggs' gay subtext coming to fruition. Will OSF then make Ali Hakim bisexual or will Gertie just be his beard? Does Will Parker really go to a Kansas City "burleeque" or was it actually a gogo boy club? It's hard to imagine them pulling off their version unless they are going for some kind of farce or satire. In Chicago, there's a small theatre group called Hell in a Handbag which specializes in drag spoofing of well known old movies and plays that lend themselves to it. Isn't there a line in Zanna, Don't about one of the guys being an Okla homo or is that from a different show? |
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| Here is what the director has to say about it... | |
| Last Edit: garyd 07:49 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| Posted by: garyd 07:48 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Want diverse casts? Go to Ashland, Oregon - BroadwayTonyJ 02:36 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| interesting. Scroll a little way down to "interviews". |
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| Link | https://www.osfashland.org/on-stage/2018-season-playbill.aspx#lightbox |
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| re: Here is what the director has to say about it... | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 10:47 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: Here is what the director has to say about it... - garyd 07:48 pm EDT 10/26/17 | |
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| First of all, I am gay. I love musical theatre. This director is gay and has a fantasy about Oklahoma! and wants to stage his fantasy. He's friends with Chapin so Chapin says OK. What the hell, it's Oregon. Who cares? Everything else he says is bullshit. I have no doubt there were same sex couples back in 1906 Oklahoma. But they lived closeted lives. To do otherwise, would have meant shame, non-acceptance, perhaps violence, even death. If this guy wants to direct a musical about two same-sex couples in 1906 Oklahoma, he should write his own play. | |
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| SHUFFLE ALONG: Where are they now? | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Because I've apparently got a bee in my bonnet today, I just spent a bit looking to see what the cast of SHUFFLE ALONG is up to. I'm choosing this show, frankly, because it was one of the most fucking talented group of performers I've ever seen on Broadway. Those people could DANCE their asses off. And they could SING. They deserve to be booking Broadway shows. By and large, the leads are doing pretty well. Most of them are working on big projects. But for the most part, the ensemble hasn't booked other Broadway shows after it closed. There are a few exceptions, but playbill.com makes it easy to see who's joined other Broadway casts. Here's what I found. Audra McDonald - Naturally, Audra always has work. Lately, TV/Film work, concerts, "Beauty and the Beast" & "Hello Again," West End limited run this summer of of LADY DAY Billy Porter - went back into B'way company of KINKY BOOTS a few weeks ago Brandon Victor Dixon - starred on Bway in HAMILTON, now series regular on Starz' tv show "Power" Joshua Henry - went on the road with HAMILTON, about to open on Bway as Billy in CAROUSEL Adrienne Warren - a bit of TV work, recently announced to star as Tina Turner in the new TINA bio-musical on the West End Darius de Haas - concert work Brian Stokes Mitchell - concert work, some TV work, "The Path" Brooks Ashmanskas*: SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Broadway) Note, *Mr. Ashmanskas was the 'token white guy' in this particular cast. ENSEMBLE Phillip Attmore - Ensemble of HELLO, DOLLY! Recently left to play Billy in 42ND STREET at Drury Lane Chicago Arbender Robinson - went into THE LION KING, then did IN TRANSIT, currently rehearsing AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE at Yale Rep Christian Dante White - booked the u/s for Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! This dude can SING. Richard Riaz Yoder - ensemble of HELLO, DOLLY! According to Playbill, the following ensemble members have not joined another Broadway show since SHUFFLE ALONG closed in July of 2016: Felicia Boswell Amber Iman C.K. Edwards Afra Hines Curtis Holland Adrienne Howard Kendrick Jones Lisa LaTouche Alicia Lundgren J.C. Montgomery Erin N. Moore Janelle Neal Brittany Parks Karissa Royster Britton Smith Zurin Villanueva J.L. Williams Pamela Yasutake Those are some incredibly talented people right there. ^^^ ----------- Can we please get over our tokenism and stop imagining that Broadway shows need no more than the absolute bare minimum of non-white performers??? Please??? - GMB |
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| re: SHUFFLE ALONG: Where are they now? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 01:51 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: SHUFFLE ALONG: Where are they now? - GrumpyMorningBoy 02:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Jesus Christ. Just because you're insanely talented, you are not entitled to work on Broadway regardless of race. If you don't want what you call tokenism, would you be okay with all white casts? The fact that there is an effort to keep a cast diverse is a good thing. But you set the number and then it's a quota which would be just as bad as tokenism to you, I think. | |
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| To compare, TUCK EVERLASTING | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:38 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: SHUFFLE ALONG: Where are they now? - GrumpyMorningBoy 02:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| To be fair, most of the ensemble cast of the nearly all-white TUCK EVERLASTING has also not booked another Broadway show since it closed in 2016. So... perhaps the ensemble of SHUFFLE ALONG is not an anomaly. I'd love to know where they've been working since the show closed. TUCK EVERLASTING did have one black guy in the cast. And he can kick his face. He booked CATS. - GMB |
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| Link | Playbill | TUCK EVERLASTING |
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| re: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 01:17 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Check where they are now yourself before making such broad, unfounded statements. And compare to the proportion currently working out of the cast of other shows that closed a year and two and three ago. Plenty of them are currently working on Broadway, in shows on their way to Broadway, or in shows that have just left Broadway. | |
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| WHY DIDN'T 'ON YOUR FEET' RUN LONGER? | |
| Posted by: Genealley 02:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - sirpupnyc 01:17 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| It was a great, entertaining, flashy fun musical. where was the audience for that? | |
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| it played almost two years without a star | |
| Posted by: dramedy 02:08 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: WHY DIDN'T 'ON YOUR FEET' RUN LONGER? - Genealley 02:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| 746 performances is good for any show, but I don't think it recouped. | |
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| re: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of any show that has closed | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 01:10 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 01:07 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| How about filling the audiences with more non-white people too? There might be a need for audience cultivation. Of course, the prices are outrageous for everybody nowadays, so that's a problem. If a steady stream of customers were projected to be buying tickets for months and months ahead for "Shufflin' Along" like the financial projections for whoever does the accounting for "The Lion King" or "The Phantom of the Opera", "Shufflin' Along" would still be playing. Also, there are some Actors Equity auditions (EPA - Equity Principal auditions) for shows that specifically call for various specific non-Caucasian ethnicities; many times--not for "Hamilton" or "Lion King" usually-- though auditions have plenty of times available to sign up to be seen (i.e. they are sparsely attended). |
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| re: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... | |
| Last Edit: dreambaby 01:00 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: dreambaby 12:59 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Reality check: the out-of-work Broadway casts of SHUFFLE ALONG, THE COLOR PURPLE, MOTOWN, PORGY & BESS, ALLEGIANCE... - GrumpyMorningBoy 12:52 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I find myself thinking about this so often seeing Broadway (and off-Broadway) productions. We've got a long way to go to free theater from our history of white supremacy. It feels like such a harsh phrase to use, but I've been increasingly understanding the objective reality of it. | |
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| If only there were more shows as diverse as GREAT COMET, eh? | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 12:22 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Oh, the irony. | |
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| re: If only there were more shows as diverse as GREAT COMET, eh? | |
| Posted by: FrankF 11:10 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: If only there were more shows as diverse as GREAT COMET, eh? - MockingbirdGirl 12:22 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Well, played. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: young-walsingham 11:55 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Is any analysis done of the "black or brown people" as a percentage of a Broadway audience? (I am not implying any "defence" of casting) | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: dlevy 12:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - young-walsingham 11:55 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| The Broadway League produced a study in 2016, but it will cost you $25 to read it. | |
| Link | The Broadway League Research Reports |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 09:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 09:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - dlevy 12:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Seventy-seven percent of all tickets were purchased by Caucasian theatregoers. Thanks for the link. I'm curious as to what the methodology for this study was... where did the Broadway League get the statistics for which audience members were Caucasian and which were not, I wonder. Was this data collected from online sales profiles or a visual count by theater staff or a survey that was filled out by audience members...? |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 10:42 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - singleticket 09:01 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| The League uses paper surveys taped to random seats at performances during the survey period. | |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: dlevy 12:06 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - dlevy 12:02 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I did a quick Google search, and while I didn't see anyone reporting on the most recent study, apparently the study from the previous season revealed "79.8% of attendees during the 2014-2015 season were Caucasian, which follows a similar pattern in ethnic attendance since 1998." As I'm sure you know, there's a big chicken-or-the-egg discussion about whether producers don't produce more kinds of stories with more kinds of casts because the audience isn't there, or whether the audience isn't there because they aren't seeing themselves reflected on stage (and producers often don't know how to reach them). |
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| Link | TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NEWEST BROADWAY DEMOGRAPHICS REPORT |
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| re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 12:14 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - dlevy 12:06 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Hmm...Gold Mountain, a musical by Jason Ma about the Chinese building the railroad in California, was given a concert version last Saturday at the Times Center. I've seldom seen so many people of Asian descent in a theater in NYC. | |
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| You didn't see Allegiance? (nm) | |
| Posted by: skier74 09:59 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - lowwriter 12:14 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| nm | |
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| re: You didn't see Allegiance? (nm) | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 02:00 am EDT 10/26/17 | |
| In reply to: You didn't see Allegiance? (nm) - skier74 09:59 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| The word was "seldom." Allegiance and Miss Saigon are exceptions. | |
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| and... | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:02 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: I'm tired of 'token' minority performers in the ensembles of Broadway musicals. - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:01 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Link below. | |
| Link | HELLO DOLLY | Meet the cast |
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| and... | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:05 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: and... - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:02 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Link below. | |
| Link | WICKED | Meet the cast |
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| and... | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:08 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: and... - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:05 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Link below. | |
| Link | THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA | Meet the cast |
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| Just for the record about 'Phantom' ... and the irony of 'Aladdin' | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 01:32 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:26 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: and... - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:08 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Last year, Ali Ewoldt made history as the first Asian-American to star in ''Phantom'' on Broadway. (Her mom's Filipino; her dad's Caucasian.) And browsing thru the cast headshots, there are Asian-American gals in the ensemble: Satomi Hofmann, Jolina Javier, Courtney Kristen Liu. Meantime, to give credit where credit is due, the Broadway and touring casts of Disney's ''Aladdin'' look quite diverse indeed. You see Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Latinos ... but, ironically, why don't we see more performers of Mideastern/Arabic descent? Surely, there must be some. ''Aladdin's'' been playing since 2014. Has Disney scouted musical-theater schools, etc., for them? (At any rate, the upcoming live-action movie will get its first Arabic Aladdin with Mena Massoud, who was born in Egypt.) |
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| Link | Current Broadway cast of 'Aladdin' |
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| The middle eastern cast members of BOMBAY DREAMS... | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:20 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:08 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Just for the record about 'Phantom' ... and the irony of 'Aladdin' - WaymanWong 01:26 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| ... mostly evaporated into other non-Broadway careers. (With a notable exception for Aaron Albano, who is Filipino-American, and who basically hasn't stopped working.) I do think Disney deserves quite a bit of credit. Despite Audra's famous flame-out when auditioning to be a spoon in Bway's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, they've cast a black actor as Kristoff in the FROZEN out of towner, and they've famously developed quite a lot of careers within their workshops for THE LION KING, relying on a specific casting director in New York (Mark Brandon) who identifies, tracks, and even rehearses with black musical theater performers who Disney thinks might make for strong cast members one day. I don't think any other recent show (other than BILLY ELLIOTT, with the young Billys) has done something like this. If ALADDIN needed some specific skills for the cast -- say, people who can sing in quarter tones -- we might see a similar workshop casting for performers from arabic / middle eastern descent. But the show doesn't really need it. Either way, Disney does deserve some good credit here. - GMB |
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| Link | Playbill | Cast of BOMBAY DREAMS |
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| Were there many Middle Eastern cast members in BOMBAY DREAMS? | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 02:25 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: The middle eastern cast members of BOMBAY DREAMS... - GrumpyMorningBoy 02:08 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I always think of that cast as overwhelmingly Indian/South Asian. Its leading lady was Anisha Nagarajan, who recently was featured in Mira Nair's ''Monsoon Wedding'' at Berkeley Rep. What's the latest word with that show? Will it get to be the second Indian musical to make it to the Great White Way? |
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| Link | BroadwayWorld.com: My interview with Michael Maliakel, who hopes his 'Monsoon Wedding' takes Broadway by storm |
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| Speaking of Bombay Dreams alumni... | |
| Posted by: sf 05:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Were there many Middle Eastern cast members in BOMBAY DREAMS? - WaymanWong 02:25 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| OK, it's London rather than New York, but for the past year Preeya Kalidas, the original lead in the London 'Bombay Dreams', has been playing Patti in 'School of Rock'. That's a step in the right direction, I think, and she's wonderful in it. | |
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| Speaking of 'Bombay Dreams' and 'The Great Comet' ... | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 07:34 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 07:33 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Speaking of Bombay Dreams alumni... - sf 05:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Earlier this year, Shoba Narayan made her B'way debut stepping in for a vacationing Denee Benton, as Natasha in ''The Great Comet.'' As Playbill's Olivia Clement noted at the time: It wasn't just a personal milestone for her. Narayan is the first South Asian female in a principal role since ''Bombay Dreams'' over 10 years ago, and she was then the only South Asian female in a Broadway musical. Narayan says: ''What's happening is really special. Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of me represented in the mainstream arts and media besides the animated characters Princess Jasmine from 'Aladdin' and Apu from 'The Simpsons' growing up. Today, TV and film has made moves towards South Asian representation, but Broadway has been a little bit behind. ... It would have meant so much to me [as a young South Asian girl] to see someone like me [on Broadway]. I’m overcome with happiness that a younger generation will have that opportunity.” |
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| Link | Playbill.com: A dream come true for Shoba Narayan as tonight's Natasha in 'The Great Comet' |
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| re: and... | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:13 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: and... - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:08 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Someone alert the media. | |
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| re: and... | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 11:40 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: and... - twocents 11:13 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Just saw Gold Mountain last Saturday with a splendid Asian cast full of wonderful singers. And you won't see many of them on Broadway or on tour. | |
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| re: and... | |
| Last Edit: bmc 08:41 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: bmc 08:36 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: re: and... - lowwriter 11:40 am EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I don't have any friends that depend on the theater for employment, altho one couple I know from church has a son who just graduated from U of M music/theater school. He was an extraordinary Nathan Detroit, but I don't know if he's working now...... I wish there were more plays coming into Detroit, but SHREK and ALADDIN are not shows I'm interested in, and if SHUFFLE ALONG played Detroit, I missed it. Seeing LOVE NEVER DIES last weekend, I noticed at least one African American in the male dance ensemble, and I congratulated him and another dancer(Caucasian) when I ran into them at the McDonald's after the show....It did not occur to me to do an informal survey and ask the black dancer if his white friend shouldd be replaced by another black dancer.''''' All I can do is attend, the theater on a regular or semi regular basis, but you could Bring an All-Black Shrek to Detroit, and I Wouldn't go, 'causes SHREK doesn't interest me. From a selfish point of view, I just want more theater. ....If I ever win the Lottery, I'll begin investing in shows......And since I cant see who's backstage, I don't know the race of any of the stagehands, etc..........It reminds me of a conversation between two friends, that took place after Sidney Poitier won his Oscar. Martin(King) said to his friend Chuck(Heston), Now we have to get black faces BEHIND the Camera. | |
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