High school cancels ‘Hunchback’ over racial casting dispute

SOURCE

What's your take?

SHOULD casting be "color blind"? Or should there be distinctly "white", "black", "Asian" etc. casting decisions?

One thing that is not mentioned anywhere in the article is whether or not any of the "people of color
that could have gotten the role are even actually good actors or not. If they aren't actually fit to be a lead in a production, I can understand the decision. But if there was an equally qualified dark-skinned girl, then I think Ithaca High School was asking for trouble.

Not my school, but I think it’s going a little too far to be going after high school productions. We’re there any qualified minority candidates? I’m thinking maybe not since they cancelled the play entirely.

People of color get mad if whites are cast in roles where the character is a person of color.

Whites get mad if a person of color is cast in a role where the character is white.

Colorblind casting is the way to go.

These people are just racists. Real racists not leftforges imaginary racists. "It is ok if blacks take white roles but don't you ever, ever, EVER let a white have a black role." I am thinking public flogging followed by Chinese style "reeducation camps" for them and their whole racist families who obviously taught these students to be racist.

In my experience, the complaints about minority roles recast as white tend to come from minority actors concerned about a further reduction of the already limited roles available to them, while the complaints about while roles recast as minorities tend to come from casual white supremacists on the internet.

In other words, there's a double standard.

Sure, if you don't understand what words mean.



Oh, and did everyone else notice the casual white supremacist turning up to prove my point?

They would really freak out at school plays at my high school when a black person was specified for a character.

I understand white privilege and how it affects people of color. But come on. At some point we have to start making progress instead of highlighting our differences.

Any actor can play any role. End of line.

"Should they?"is the question

Even Zendaya?

Even Scarlett Johannson.

I am not particularly familiar with the musical. Take away my gay card or something. Is their a actual racial component to the character? I know the story deals with the hunchback being a decent person who is seen as monstrous and the setting is in Europe. Is the character going to be singing a song about being a girl of color that would look ridiculous, or is this just a big issue over a character that could be any color like many characters are? For example I don't care if Spiderman or superman are black or whatever. They could really be any color if you ask me. However black panther should be a black guy because the character has a specific racial meaning. For that matter if you were to replace Kevin Costner in dances with wolves with a black guy it would need a huge rewrite and would lose some of the meaning of the original work.

If there is meaning to the nationality of the character than find someone who matches or don't do that particular show until you have the cast for it.

Looking at the demographics of Ithaca on wiki... it'd be kind of hard for the high school to cast that particular role and not have the selected actress "appropriating" what's a pretty specific ethnogroup.

Let's not pretend for a goddamn minute that certain people here weren't vomiting blood over Black Mary Jane and Black Johnny Storm.

They could do what we used to do and paint down a white guy for the role.

I actually suggested that at my last coaching job. I pointed out that the entire coaching staff was white but almost all of our players were black. Thus we should have the one with the least seniority "painted down" to give the staff some diversity. The guy with the least seniority was not very agreeable to that idea though.

Racism is like most other things. If you look hard and long enough you'll find it. Whether its a big deal or not.

You cast the best actor for the role. Olivier played Othello; James Earl Jones played Lear.

When has anything ever had to be a big deal for us to argue about it?

The character is a gypsy with a French mother. Are you telling me that it's some kinda injustice for a white person to play this role, but it would be just fine if a black person would? Unless the role is reserved for someone of genuine mixed Roma/French descent, no one chosen is going to be authentic.

How about: the best person for the role gets it?

I wasn't too bent out of shape about Black Johnny Storm, mainly because I like Michael B. Jordan as an actor, and, anyway, the Human Torch is interesting only when he's all on fire, when his color is incandescent plasma.

However, Mary Jane is and always will be a white redhead. Her appearance is a significant part of her character.

I liked Zendaya's character in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but she is not and cannot be Mary Jane as far as I'm concerned.

Please stop.

my head exploded when I read "racist policy of color blind casting". So let me get this straight.....NOT GIVING A SHIT ABOUT RACE IS RACIST. Got it, message received. BTW I thought Esmeralda was Spanish so I'm totally confused here.

That's not really what's happening here, though. More often than not it's "Not giving a shit about race when that indifference helps whites, and giving endless shits about race when indifference might help a minority."

Oh come on. That was funny as hell..

Thanks 14th Doctor! Does your post come with subtitles or what? Small world though I'm filming a movie as we speak (with my son who's directing and we're waiting for the rest of the cast to show up) and damn if there isn't one black person in it! Holy shit should we stop production?

All of you superior awoke wonderchildren convinced me that any actor can play any role. Funny as all hell when that turns around and bites you on the ass, tho.