By Dominique Morisseau, member of the 2011 Emerging Writers Group
It’s time for an Equity Principal Audition (otherwise known as an EPA) for a new play. Actors of color are skimming the breakdowns. They see something like the following:KAREN – Black, Latino, or Asian woman, 35, quiet, shy, and a loving heart.
All of the Black, Latino, and Asian women from their 20’s through their 50’s strongly consider attending (unless they’re already among the masses who have completely given up on EPAs, and with good reason. It’s gotten them little to no results.)
Now, rewind. Let’s do that again. EPA for a new play. Actors of color are skimming the breakdowns. They see something like the following:
KAREN – 35-year old woman, quiet, shy, and a loving heart.
Most of the Black, Latino, and Asian women from their 20’s through their 50’s will not consider attending that EPA (even if they are not among the masses who have given up on them completely).
Why? Because there is an un-spoken rule in the theater that no one is talking about. Character descriptions in plays, which may eventually be shared in casting breakdowns, are coding a tone of racial inequality in the theater. Unless race is specified, we actors of color (yes, I am also one of them) know that we are most-likely not going to be seriously considered for the role, because no racial specification usually translates to “white”.
I mentioned this to my fellow EWG playwrights recently and there was an uproar in the room. Half of them couldn’t believe it. The other half could and had just never considered it before.
Am I jumping off the deep end here? Making a blanket accusation? You may think so. But I ask you to consider where there may be truth in this claim. Think about the casting breakdowns you see. (If you rarely see a breakdown, try skimming through some on the various casting websites.) Is race specified? And if not, then why are those racially un-specific characters often cast white? Does that not subconsciously send a message that the “everyman” is white? Is that not some un-intentional (or intentional- you be the judge) upholding of race privilege?
I challenge my playwriting peers to think about the ways in which we are describing characters. How specific are you in your descriptions? If I am writing a play about my community in Detroit, I’m crystal clear about who those people are and what they look and sound like. Therefore, my descriptions are often going to indicate “Black man” or “Black woman”. If you are basing your character off of a woman from a predominately white community, do you have a preference for her race? If so, be unafraid to own that. If your character is white in your mind and that’s what you intend, I don’t think there is any shame in that. We are writing real people, after all. I say, OWN it. Could it not encourage playwrights to be clear and specific about the kind of people they are writing? Distinguish the race of the character. Think about their speech and their dialogue. Is it reflective of a particular cultural rhythm? Or is it intentionally neutral? And if the character is truly not any particular race, try noting your descriptions something like this:
KAREN- Any Race. 35 year old woman, quiet, shy, and loving heart.
See what may happen. Let that get into the casting breakdown. See if you get a different pool of actors at your audition. If a white character is envisioned, then state it in the breakdown, just as people of color are specified. If the race is truly any race, then let’s stop making the unspoken “everyman or everywoman” white. And then strongly consider allowing the casting to reflect the diversity of the true everyman/woman.
If theaters and its practitioners are charged to “specify race” rather than “hide from race”, then we will all communally be responsible for acknowledging some major racial disparities in the theater. It will be blaring in Black and White (no pun intended) that a theater is or is not supporting actors of color in the work that they are producing on their stages. It will be undeniable because the breakdowns will show it. And if we are sincere in the EOE statements at the bottom of casting calls that state “We do not discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc”, then let’s put some real action into standing behind that statement.
We are all a part of this continuum of theater, and ensuring that it reflects the accuracies of the changing world around us is our collective responsibility. In NYC especially, I do not know of one place that you will find a community of exclusively white people that do not have to engage on any work or play level with people of color. Playwrights, let’s write the truth of the world around us, and put it in ink, so that the rest of the theater community can respond in-kind.
Dominique Morisseau is a member of the 2011 EWG and the Women's Project Playwright's Lab and is a fellow in the 2011-2012 Lark Playwrights Workshop. She is currently developing a three-play cycle on her beloved hometown of Detroit. The first of the three, DETROIT '67, received a reading in the Public EWG Spotlight Series and the 2011 Lark Playwrights' Week. She was also a runner-up for the 2011 Princess Grace Award. dominiquemorisseau@yahoo.com / or catch her on Facebook!
This post is part of a weekly series from the Emerging Writers Group community of playwrights. The EWG is two-year playwriting fellowship at The Public Theater seeking to target playwrights at the earliest stages of their careers. In so doing, The Public hopes to create an artistic home for a diverse and exceptionally talented group of up-and-coming playwrights.
I cannot count the amount of EPA I never went to because of the breakdown specifying the race of the character(s)... And of the ones that I did show up to, well let's just say, the casting directors looked at me as if I was a crazy person AND why was I wasting their time...I can recall walking into a room where my headshot (that was just handed to the casting director by the assistant) was buried under a pile of cute, blonde actresses who they were certainly eager to see before my black behind... I agree Dominique - let's just be clear in the breakdown about the race of the character and if it is, in fact not specific, then let's allow the same welcoming energy into the room for the ebony AND alabaster brothers and sisters : )
ReplyDeleteVery well said. We need to continue this discussion. I, too, believe that descriptions in breakdowns should be clear and consistent. The assumption should not continue to be that white is the "default" race and all others are in need of qualifiers. This is, of course, the pattern in newspapers and TV news, etc. Dramatists, long the vanguard of change, can drag other industries and disciplines into the 21st - colorblind. post-racial?? - century.
ReplyDeleteThe unconscious(?) preference is exhausting. As artist of color we are still so marginalized. I am jarred by how limited the roles are particularly for women of color in the NY theater/ film and tv community. Excellent piece! We all must challenge or own our unconscious assumptions!
ReplyDeleteDominique, I'm so glad you wrote this. For the record, I'm one of the EWGers she mentioned who was completely surprised by this. There's only one instance in all my plays where it's important for a character to be of a specific race, but before talking to Dominique, it didn't occur to me to specify "any race" in a breakdown. I naively assumed by not specifying, it would be understood I meant "any race", not realizing that for actors of color, it translates to "white" because it so often means "white".
ReplyDeleteWe need to be honest and specific about who we're looking for. Crayola used to have a crayon color named "flesh". It's now named "peach". We need to remove our default color too.
I agree and think that listing either a specific race or "any race" in character breakdowns is important. As a white playwright who recently wrote a play where race is a factor in the story and so each character must be a specific race or ethnicity (Creole, for example, was important in my play), I admit that it was strange for me to type "white" in the character descriptions. I hadn't designated race before in scripts, unless the character absolutely had to be non-white or a specific ethnicity, and I suddenly realized how bizarre that was. I knew which characters could be "any race" versus the characters who needed to be white, but how would anyone else? And I realized that the characters whose race I never designated had all, except in one instance, been cast with white actors. Thanks for raising this point, and I hope that it is really heard in our community.
ReplyDeleteDominique, thank you for writing this article.
ReplyDeleteIn theatre, as in other fields, we are resisting the system of racism, denying it's manifestations, or ignoring them. And in theatre, like other fields, the notion of "white as universal" is still the default: we have Latino Writers conferences because we know that the "National Writers Conference" is going to feature mostly white writers and recruit mostly white writers as participants; we have the African American Museum of Art because we know that the Met features mostly white artists; etc.
In my experience, "color-blind" casting has more often meant that white actors have the opportunity to play asian, latina, native characters - not so much that actors of color will play "no/any race" characters. as a woman of color who walks in this world with "color-consciousness," which is also a symptom and result of racism, it's hard to imagine writing a character and a world where race/color (and gender) is not in play. how would i walk in this world if i didn't have "color consciousness?" i have no f*&^ing idea - and neither do my characters. As for white writers who specify their characters as "white" - power to them - this is a way of pushing the idea that white characters and a white world, is in fact, not universal.
this conversation is a beginning to many of the assumptions we have about what is universal that we don't need to name including class, sexual orientation, gender, physical type, ability, etc. theatre is such a visual medium and is so much about our visual perceptions. even amongst us actors of color, how many of us know when they are looking for women of color, it most likely means, light-skinned, slim, heterosexual looking, palatable to imperial standards of beauty or complies with racist stereotypes?
okay i have gone on and one. let me stop here.
peace
riti
midNites cHiLd Productions
right on. as a black woman playwright working the mojo aka that black magic, i cringe whenever the post racial convo rears its head. don't take my juju. blackness, as a cultural value & experience, not as a "color" or skin complexion, is what fuels the energy of my story telling, as perspective, as definition, as aesthetic. perhaps it is the experience of living out loud inside the status quo's perceived margin, with the understanding that there's nothing peripheral in our culturally specific walk (so much love, and, uh huh, you know: this is where i'm from) that crafting designations for character ethnicity is both political intention, and playwright signature.
ReplyDeleteit is difficult for me to believe that any playwright has no intention regarding ethnic specificity when crafting a work. we do vision and imagine these folk living off the page on stage. we see it, because we write it. the characters jump our bones and get in our blood stream. we must know them to write them, to remain true to their voices. so, leaving those definitive ethnic specifications out seems much of a journey through the blaring "silent" tendency toward white privilege (Dom's "Everyman" as white wo/man). never mind the active participants in that privilege are unaware of doing so (sometimes.) how many folk think about the fact that gravity keeps us from flying off into the sky every day? and yet, our movements are dictated by that reality.
still, actors should also trouble that line, if it is real. what happens if hundreds of actors of color begin showing up for non labeled roles as a resistant step against our own internalized oppression? sure. that's a walk inside some certain disappointment, as directors and playwrights less accustomed to imagining otherwise will sit through the audition, say "thank you" for the sweat, and continue with their (perhaps) unspoken desire for race specificity (on the white side). but, flip that possibility, and, maybe, some of those folk in charge of casting will get their wigs flipped back, make a daring choice, and discover some new possibility in the work by choosing someone outside their comfort zone.
I want to link this article to my FB page. But i'm having a hard time doing so. This is a very valid point. One that I ( like Josie ) accepted after I experienced the WTF look from CD's as a NYC newbie.( wow that was a lot of acronyms)!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this sis
Love ya
"Latino" or "Hispanic" describe ethnicity, not race or color. As a Caucasian actor of Latino heritage, I face just as much confusion when I submit myself for Latino roles.
ReplyDeleteThat said, no one bats an eye when I audition for roles that do not specify race.
Well said and right on!
ReplyDeleteYes, the "default" is white, and to be honest, when you say "any race" the default is still white for some. If I want a role to be open, I write in "person of color" just so Black, Asian, Hispanic, Southeast Asian ... actors really get a chance to audition.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nina and with Pia.
ReplyDeleteAs a Eurasian actress starting out at a time when no one had a clue as to what that was, I carved out a living for decades by going to auditions (yes, EPAs for a while, too) and lobbying for auditions roles that were not specified (but, clearly were meant for) or specified as "white". I showed up, told them I was adopted & Irish Catholic (which I am). And sometimes, I actually got the role. And when I didn't, they often thought of me down the road - and not for "Flower Drum Song".
In fact, 'they' rarely thought of me for Asian role. 'They' includes the Asian American theatre companies and managers. (Apparently, I was not "Asian" enough for them.)
It's only now that I'm (ahem) over a certain age that ALL 'they' think of me for are Asian roles - stupid Asian roles. It seems that ALL those doors I kicked down are now open only for actors 10-15 or more years my junior. Actors who often seem to have no idea what it took to make that bit of headway, and couldn't care less.
And those Asian mama/dragon lady/store or restaurant owner roles? I'm still not Asian enough, I guess, because of course, they usually have to speak some Asian tongue. It's sadly, still such a narrow, unrealistic little plot of land on which we're given permission to graze.
So, I agree with Nina. Roam off the 'reservation'! If I could walk into a room 20+ years ago to face quizzical looks and "What are you" querys, and change their minds, actors now sure as heck can do at least as much.
And playwrights: please consider Pia's suggestion. "ANY RACE" is a.start. But, trust me - agents, casting directors, directors and producers often need more than that. They need a push. Adding "including" or "preferably" "...of color" or "African American, Hispanic, Asian or Mixed Race" or whatever, would be a huge help.
And I apologize for the occasional odd wording. Thank my mobile phone and auto-substitution. :(
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason I became a playwright. As an actress I was weary with both overt and unconscious marginalization of people of color. For evey play I write there are specified lead roles for actors of color. I'm happy to learn other writers are thinking along the same lines. We change the world one word at a time. Y. J. Sirker
ReplyDeleteFinally! Thank you for saying what every Actor of Color is always thinking when we look at the breakdowns! Also, look at the statistics on Actors of Color in the NY Theatre community, DISMAL! It's not about the money. Shows like Ruined, The Mountaintop bring in the audiences. How do we get people's attention to these issues?
ReplyDeleteOh, this is great. I feel both convicted for not "owning" the race of my characters and also glad to have permission to put "white" in a character description. On the subject of race in playwriting, doesn't there also seem to be an unspoken rule that white people should write about white people, black people about black people, Chinese people about Chinese people...etc.? Am I the only one who finds this silly? We don't put these same limits on gender, why put them on race?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your view, for your experience & perspective. From a person new to the industry, I appreciate your standpoint, I don't 'fall in line' here only because I've never viewed or placed myself in a category although I realize people do. I've always looked at myself and viewed myself as/by 'name' and in reading descriptions of anything, if I CAN DO IT or NOT, if I'm capable, if it's in my realm. So, funny reactions or a look of why are you here? for an unspecified role, imo, would welcome or warrant the same accolades of seeing ME (or you) and thinking "I thought I wanted this, but Marisha Corinne (or you) ARE PERFECT for this role" ... Change perceptions. See in me what I see in myself.
ReplyDeleteAt Mirror Stage in Seattle, it's important to us to reflect the diversity of the community on stage, and as the Managing Artistic Director, I make every attempt to cast actors of color as often as possible, unless constrained by racially- or ethnically-specific roles or subject matter.
ReplyDeleteIf a character's race is integral to the story, then obviously we cast an actor who is racially appropriate for the role. If a character's race is not specified and it does not in any way interfere with, distract from, or undermine the story, we cast actors of color as often as possible. As a matter of fact, we usually cast a higher percentage of actors of color than the actual demographics of the community.
It has long bothered me that so many other companies default to casting white actors, as you mention--instead of seeking the best actor for the role. They pat themselves on the back for producing an African American, Asian or Latino play every season or two, but you rarely see any people of color on their stages, otherwise. And then they wonder why their audiences are so uniformly white, and invest a lot of effort into trying to attract an audience that doesn't feel represented or welcome in their theater.
One of the challenges in a town like Seattle is that many of the most talented actors of color aren't considered for enough roles to make a living as an actor. They oftentimes end up leaving town for greener pastures in New York, LA or Chicago where they have more opportunities to support themselves in their chosen field.
When the big houses in Seattle do a racially-specific play, they usually bring in the bulk of the actors of color from out of town, rather than casting from the local talent pool. This reinforces the message that actors of color have a better chance of getting cast if they're from out of town, and serves to further deplete the local talent.
Thank you so much for writing this very insightful and honest piece. As a member of AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Committee), we are constantly trying to find way to address issues like the one you bring up. We've had two town hall type meetings already and are gearing up for another one in a few months. Hope you and everyone who reads this can join us. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteWhoops, forgot to mention that if you'd like to know more about AAPAC, please find us on facebook or click my name to take you there directly.
ReplyDeleteWe were just in a conversation about this very topic at the Goodman for our Playwright's Collective meeting. I am of the mindset than rather than specify race, we shouldn't have to specify race. Every ethnicity/race should be considered for every role. Period. I know it is idealistic on my part, but it is something I believe in. And, I don't specify race in my character descriptions anymore for that very reason. If someone reads my play and thinks a latina or white actress fits the bill, I'm open to hearing that voice.
ReplyDeleteJeez Dominique, every week you show me something else that makes me admire you all the more.
ReplyDeleteI'm a white playwright, and I always indicate "white" or "any race" in my character breakdowns for my plays if that's what I have in mind, specifically for the reasons you state. At some point a few years ago, I asked myself why I would take the trouble to indicate "Black" but not "White." Ever since that epiphany, I make sure to indicate where I have a specific race in mind. (Of course now I'm going to go back through my scripts and make sure I've been consistent with that.) The reason I specify race is because often my plays specifically tackle race issues, so in some way it is part of the point I'm making to have certain characters played by people of certain races.
The fact is that we live in a solidly racist society based on white entitlement, it's just that a lot of the overt racism has been subverted and a nice polite sheen polished on it. It's important to name things as they are. (One of my favorite moments as a playwright was at opening night of my play Peace--there were scenes with racism on display, and the white audience members were rigid with silence at these moments, while the black audience members laughed their butts off.)
Nothing would thrill me more than to see a black actress play the main female lead in one of my most autobiographical plays. Mainly because the actress I have in mind is someone I would die to work with (Erika Rose), but also because I want to show the audience a play where the main female lead has a regular job and love life and just happens to be black, without it being a play where there is some explicit point being made about race.
Anyway, I am so on board with this and am tweeting the shit out of it. You're my hero.
I went to EPA's twenty years ago and was he only black female there until one other younger black female showed up later in the afternoon. I see things haven't changed.
ReplyDeleteAt that time only three young black men were there and we met and became friends and later worked together so something did come from it.
I also got several callbacks and got case in BlueJacket that year.
I do write race specific material most of the time, primarily when I'm focusing on telling stories from my Mother's people - however, when I'm not writing Native characters, I have tried the "any race" category. I have made a conscious effort to do so - not only to provide opportunities for more brown folks but also because I want to explore race/culture. I want to see what happens to my fairly neutral parts when interpreted by a white/black/asian/hispanic. I want to see what happens because this is an obsession of mine, both as a writer and a product of two strong cultures (Haudenosaunee/Jamaica) as well as all sorts of other blood flying through my veins. I want to see how different cultural perspectives infuse my work. HOWEVER - I've found resistance every time I try to push "any race" as a description. Almost always - it's a white default. Why is that the automatic default? I'm not a white artist. Not that I don't want a white cast - I do want that perspective as well - just not every time. I really hate the idea that I have to give up the "any race" campaign, though.
ReplyDeleteI have thought, for the longest time, that the EOE statement was just a bunch of BS put there to keep Equity and producers looking good. It's a boilerplate piece of text that means nothing and is rarely upheld.
ReplyDeleteAs an actor, I don't bother going in for EPAs (which, the last time was about 2 years ago) if the role's ethnicity is not specified. I know what ANY RACE means - it means: Not me. As much as I would like to believe the people behind the desk are open-minded the fact is that the default will be white. There is a race privilege because, lets' face it, audiences are mostly comfortable with seeing white faces on the stage (even if it's can-pass-as, look at Lena Horne's career beginnings).
It's the responsibility of creative teams and of audiences to realize we live in a tossed salad society. Subversive racism and discomfort aside, this is a multi-racial country. Playwrights have the responsibility to be clear or if they are truly open then they should support and reinforce that in the room. In my plays, I make very clear statements in the notes that I do or do not expect certain races to play the roles I write. If I am writing for one of my Middle Eastern peers, then the role had damn well better be cast with a Middle Eastern actor.
I would go one more step in this argument and say there is also a severe problem with what passes for specific races with casting directors going for the stereotype. High yellow African Americans or Wheatish South Asians are usually overlooked for their darker counterparts because of a narrow view of each race's Pantone chart. I refuse to go in for roles that are cabbies, deli owners, or terrorists (and, in fact, I never go for those roles anyway because they are ridiculously hackneyed and racist) because they want someone dark-skinned and stereotypically Asian or Arab. Like I have to prove my ethnicity one step further.
There needs to be ownership of some kind. It should start with us as playwrights and continue to be pushed and upheld by everyone along the way.
Thank you so much for writing this piece, and for engaging us in this conversation. As an Actor/Playwright/Filmmaker/Active Advocate for Inclusion in the Arts who is Asian American and who has been fighting the good fight for many years now, I am actually heartened, rather than discouraged to see this conversation taking new wings. It strikes me that, having heard almost every party in the diversity dialogue pass the buck as to whose “fault” it is for not having our stages reflect the true diversity that is happening in our backyards – giving playwrights the charge to keep vigilant on 1. Not being afraid to keep writing our stories even when some may scare us into thinking they are not producable because there are “no actors” out there (maybe the fact that I keep offering up my iphone address book of highly trained, highly skilled Asian American actors has now made me a person casting directors call for suggestions) and 2. Expanding our vision in non-race specific characters, and insisting that they be cast that way by adding the “any race” descriptions to our character breakdowns is a great thing to do. We are all (theoretically, anyway) collaborators in this creative venture – and I truly believe that playwrights, as the first architects of the stories being told, can help to shift the paradigm!
ReplyDeleteI was also one of the playwrights who was surprised to see that no race listing would default to "white" because I had specifically left race out of the character descriptions so that anyone could play them! But your point is absolutely valid, and I'll make sure I'm indicating that characters can be cast as "any race or ethnicity" if that's what I'm going for, which most often, it is. And Sevan, I hope that casting directors do take this notation to heart, because as playwrights, we really mean it - if it's not important to the story that race be a factor, the majority of us want to see a variety in the palette of our work, rather than simply painting with one brush-stroke. Thanks for starting this conversation!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree in principle.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I actually have recently written a play, that, hopefully when produced in the future, will be completely color blind, with emphasis on diversity. The cast is made up of four individuals that all represent an aspect of one person. That person happens to be biracial.
Here is where things can take a turn. As the play has started the development process...star casting has made my character breakdowns look a little more concrete than I actually would like. Unfortunately...I know the piece wouldn't even be considered with out the names attached to it, so my breakdown has had to shift, somewhat, to reflect specific race, in order to achieve the diversity I would like in the premiere production. Does that make sense?
I almost have to assign specific races in order to achieve a multi-ethnic opening night...in order to achieve color blind casting for the future of the piece. It is a very odd dilemma to face. I want the play to be specifically about diversity, yet, because certain actors are already locked in, the remaining actors have to be racially identified in the breakdown in order to achieve a diverse cast.
Responding to Chris Cragin who pointed out that some in our field believe that that white playwrights should write about whites, and blacks about blacks -- I would like to share my experience as a white playwright whose musical, "You Wanna Hear Luck?" is a satire pointing up the horrors of racism (which still exist in our world!): The black actor who played the protagonist came to me after its initial performance (which was greeted with cheers from a mostly white audience) and asked: "How do you know how we feel?" I think this says a lot on the subject. And I do specify black and white in this script - because it definitely needs to be specified, given the theme of the show. Thanks for this wonderful sharing on the subject.
ReplyDeleteI love Nina Angela Mercer's response. I am also a playwright of color. Because I grew up in a racially mixed culture (Cajun/Creole of La.) I knew as an artist that I would not allow my art to be placed in the same box that I had to grow up in (not in my home, mind you, but in a place that adhered to the one-drop rule). What made and makes me black has less to do with my outside appearance and more to do with the unique culture I was raised in. In that respect, my characters reflect the world that I grew up in, where my nine siblings and I all look different - I have 2 blond brothers, 2 red-headed sisters, some of us have green eyes, grey eyes, brown eyes and even violet eyes. Our skin colors range from brown to olive to fair and our hair textures are all different. So when I write, I write the world I know where anyone can look like anything. But yes, I agree with Nina, we all envision our characters a certain way as we are writing them, but this has never stopped me from casting someone completely different from that description who blew the role out of the water! One of my most powerful plays I think, required an older African male and young Creole girl. I've had a white man and hispanic girl play the part as well as in another production a blonde white female and a Korean/Italian male. Same goes for my other plays where the race of the characters changed everytime the play was done somewhere. The only time I had race specific characters was the play I wrote that required Creole/African American actors because I needed people who lived in and understood that culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if we do want race specific characters we should say that. If we simply want people who can represent a certain range of emotions, then we should say that too. As I have learned, what happens in the writing process is only half of the story. If you cannot be open-minded you may miss out on someone bringing to that play/character something you could not have imagined.
I don't doubt that this is happening. However as a white actress who is sometimes insecure about my place in this business, I often read a lack of race specificity to mean "any race". Meaning I have a lot more competition and they will probably want to be diverse with that role and so why bother going to the EPA? It never even occurred to me that not mentioning race defaulted to white.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure you're right given the number of people who have commented on their experiences. Still, I don't think this is always the case. There are plenty of roles I've auditioned for that have gone to other races, sexes, sizes and shapes. Sometimes they don't know what they're looking for until they see it, even if they do make a sour face when you enter the room.
I am so late in getting to this, but truly appreciate how you've addressed the matter, and your outspoken ownership in your assessment. It's right on point. I personally don't get the so called "controversy " and am amazed by the fog we choose to live under in the theater world. But art so often imitates life.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent article! Thank you! When I don't indicate race in my character descriptions, I mean that they can be played by actors of any race. But if that's not what's being read -- by theater companies, casting directors and actors who are auditioning for my plays, I need to be clearer!
ReplyDeleteI also... selectively, carefully, humbly and respectfully... try to include characters of color in my plays. I want my plays to be as beautifully diverse as the world I am lucky enough to live in.
~Ellen
__________________
EM Lewis
emlewis.playwright@me.com
www.emlewisplaywright.com
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Right On!
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly spoken Dominique. Thank you for saying this and saying it so eloquently.
ReplyDelete