So apparently
a recent theatrical production in Boston attracted some concern because the only speaking role played by a person of color was the villainess. The director has posted her
respectful and sensitive response to these concerns (noting that the actress specifically requested the role and gave an excellent audition), and, what with this
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But there is one thing that I do get, and that is that organizations like Theater @ First, and events like Arisia, or sci-fi fandom or gaming or larping often do have difficulty attracting the interest of people of color. The people who are involved in these things are almost overwhelmingly white. And this does present a long-term problem, if the trend continues.
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Although I think it's more than reasonable to investigate why the only character played by a black person was the villain, I think a better question would have been "Why were all the other characters played by white people?" In this case, I think that says more about both the Boston area and the general acting culture in general than the director herself, but it's still unsettling. This blog post puts it well, I think: http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2009/09/see-no-problem-with-being-surrounded-by.html
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