Color My World

[jynnan_tonnyx]

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

Comments

[swashbucklr]

Considering the number of people I know who are involved with Theater @ First, I'm surprised that this is the first I've heard about it. And like you, I sometimes have a hard time wrapping my brain around it. Race and fandom has come up in conversation quite a bit lately, and I've been reading as much as I can to try and understand it.

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.

[knowmebymylaugh]

I am quite exhausted and not at my most articulate, so hopefully this makes sense.

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