Race and Theatre, Again

[lillibet]

I'm having this conversation with Dayenne, the actor in question, who has a different perspective from many of my readers here, as an actor and a black woman and the person in the spotlight

Comments

[trowa_barton]

In all of our rehearsals and performances, I never considered race. I thought that it was never a factor in casting.
I like to think that it's like casting Peter Dinklage.
Have others comments about this for P&P?

[lillibet]

I think it's relatively easy for white people not to consider race. A couple of other people in the cast have asked me about it.

Last time this created significant discomfort for some of our audience members and generated a lot of conversation and some new directions for T@F. While I don't regret the latter outcomes, I would very much like to avoid the first. I'm not going to not cast qualified and excellent actors because of their race--that's out of the question--so I have to learn how to handle the effects of those decisions as well as I can.

[miss_chance]

I think it's relatively easy for white people not to consider race.

Well said. Well, and succinctly said.

This has probably been one of the biggest lessons I've learned about diversity in the past few years. I always thought I was so progressive because I "didn't think about" race/gender-identity etc. It took having close friends who both thought about issues of diversity and privilege and spoke articulately about them for me to realize that the non-thinking that I had always imagined as a virtue was really more of an expression of my unexamined privilege. This has been huge for me to learn, but how to have conversations about it without putting people more on the defensive is something I'm still learning.

[firstfrost]

Well, it's easy to cast Peter Dinklage as Tyrion. Presumably casting him as Mrs. Bennet would cause more conversations.

[rmd]

... This pretty much says what I was thinking.

[lillibet]

Yes--there was one woman of color whose auditions for other roles I had previously enjoyed who I hoped might be my Lizzy, but she just...wasn't. And the woman who is playing Lizzy is someone new to T@F and just marvelous in the role, so that's that.

BTW, Dayenne is not the same woman who was in Never After--that was Sonya, who is unfortunately tied up with other projects and didn't audition for me.

Thanks for the thoughts--I think that's pretty much the direction I'm going and I just hope it reads that way to everyone. I hope you'll be able to see the show and let me know what you think.

[trowa_barton]

You picked the right Lizzy.

[surrealestate]

I don't feel like I have any useful advice and I don't envy your responsibilities in this, but I just wanted to say that I think it's great that you have and continue to put so much care and thought into the matter. I hope that, even if some people might disagree with your choices (which seems inevitable no matter what), they at least appreciate your efforts.

[lillibet]

Thanks. Would it were so, but I'm afraid that for our general audience my choices have to stand their own chances. But I keep trying to make them better!

somewhat relatedly

[rmd]

somewhat relatedly, did you hear about the recent production of "Hairspray" down in Plano, TX, where they ended up with an all-white cast? article about it.
[theater management] called the rights holders, Musical Theatre International, and asked for special dispensation to do Hairspray with the all-white cast. MTI agreed, with the provision that they print the following statement in the program

Re: somewhat relatedly

[lillibet]

That's very interesting!

[ayelle]

There's also the historical portrayal of Mrs Bennet on stage and screen to consider. I'm sure this is something you've already thought about a great deal without regards to race -- i.e., the fact that all too often, the popular understanding and resultant portrayal of Mrs Bennet's character is a deeply misogynist one. She's played as a relentless nag who's driven poor, sensitive Mr Bennet into hermitage; a brazen social climber; an empty-headed, fat, lazy, actively malicious, utterly vapid ball-and-chain of a wife and mother. And so and and so forth

[lillibet]

Oof! Well, we'll see if we can manage all that :) I'm really enjoying Dayenne's performance--she plays it like a giddy girl who somehow finds herself all grown up. I think the resemblance to Lydia is striking!

[ayelle]

It's a tall order, but you know how these things go -- audiences will rarely pick up on all the layers and levels that the actors take weeks to perfect. It took me more than one viewing of the 2005 movie for the subtleties of Mrs. Bennet's performance -- and the sense of deep familial affection that the whole Bennet family radiated when they were together -- to really sink in. There's a limit to what one can see in a single viewing of a single performance. But I have confidence that the layers and levels will be there!

Anyway, that sounds like an adorable take on the character, and an appropriate interpretation. Looking forward to it.