High school cancels ‘Hunchback’ over racial casting dispute

...in the 1930s.

Hey, I never went that far. I firmly believe most good characters have some inherent traits, and for some of those characters, race might be one of those traits. I think Black Panther is inherently black, but also that that Superman is inherently white. Batman is inherently rich. James Bond is inherently British, or at least from the UK. Mary Jane Watson is inherently a hot redhead. It doesn't matter what race Green Lantern is, or what gender Optimus Prime is. (Starscream is totally a chick, though.)

a good actor can play any role - but to cast only according to racial concerns is pretty fucked up.

Who's saying it should be the only concern?

Romani do not necessarily look very different from mainstream European whites. So do, some don't. So the casting of Esmeralda could go to anyone really.

If the show did cast the one talented colored girl into that particular role, wouldn't it more awkward?

you're right. It shouldn't be the only concern - it shouldn't even be a concern. X person will work for X role period, end of story.

I don't know what is and isn't racist anymore.

That's the most racist thing I've ever heard.

I know the area of Ithaca myself. There may not be any non Caucasian children especially in the drama department. That is NYS farmland and though the state college that is there may bring in black students from urban new York areas, those towns are generally white as the pure snow. Most of new York is more like rural southern areas. Perhaps even worse because you can live in the south without heat, but if you are poor in the north and cannot pay the utilities because it is hard to get by you are going to die. If you are local and white you often have family and friends you can hit up. If you are black you may not have the support to get through hard times so you have to be able to live up there. That is also where you are going to find a lot of anti black prejudice in New York state. Especially in the college towns because they are often where urban black youth end up being bussed to so they can get a discounted state education. These are teens on their own for the first time so like their white peers they are loud and fuck up a lot. However, the town sees them as thugs and dealers and they get hammered by the law if they wander off campus into local owned establishments. The sub urban sprawl of NYC just does not reach these places and they tend to be very conservative white.

It is also where a lot of white people who don't like interacting with blacks run to. It is cheaper living and you can live in a bubble without moving south. There is a lot of racism in those upstate ny towns. I know because I grew up with a lot of those people. Oh and those farmers are inbred as fuck. Lots of birth defects and down syndrome kids for a reason.

Also when making Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982. Paul Winfield's stunt double.

One of the more racist things I have heard is "hi my name is @Dinner"

When they make a movie about MY life, I hope they cast Idris Elba to play me.

I wouldn't use that terminology, but I certainly was vocal about it. I wonder why the double standard though?

Old wise man once said,"if it weren't for double standards, the left would have no standards at all."

Come on. We're talking rural Arkansas in 2014.

Aside from the internet arguably its still the 1930s (or at least the 50s)

Shame on the school for being so weak as to letting some butthurt SJW kiddies shut down a play.

Can't wait to see what happens when those morons try to get a job.

Anyone remember the Miss Saigon controversy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Saigon

No, I'm not a Mummy.

Just an ignoramus.

Someone who's sucking up to @T.R for some inexplicable reason.

You're both playing "Me don't wanta learn nothin' new!"

Which is essentially what scuttled this production Hunchback.

Yeah, given taht over half of the population there is going to Cornell and that the (only) high school has maybe 1600 students, this one is pretty much a non issue. Were it a large city with an actual number to draw from there'd be a discussion to be had, but the demographics just don't demand it.

Yes, @Federal Farmer, you are . You probably don't know that Bernhardt performed Hamlet in 1899. You probably don't know that Joe Papp's Public Theater established substantial cross-casting in 1967. Or that all of the "women" in Shakespeare's original productions were young boys whose voices hadn't changed, because women weren't permitted onstage.

And the crux of it is, you don't want to know.

Shall we call you Pee Wee from now on?

Thanks Alex Trebek AKA Garamet! Glad you are so hip to theatre history. That said you still haven't brought anything to the table that most of us don't already agree with - anyone with the right talent can perform any role. So once these roles are adequately filled why seek out other people just to meet a quota or make a statement?

Your movie will bomb then.

He can't lead a movie.

He can be in a movie but as a lead? Doesn't work.

This is stupid. The character is not someone who has to be black. It's not a requirement.

When you Google Travelers, Romany, and Gypsy you can find a cross section of people from white skin, blond hair, blue eyes to dark skin, black hair and brown eyes.

So really this High School is actually showing its ignorance.

Now for example casting someone as Harriet Tubman, if there was a play about her, would need to be a black actress. Somethings need to be accurate given the context.

Who plays Esmeralda in the Hunchback is not one of those things.

When there's major social change, that's not uncommon. It can be confusing. Some people will be casual about correcting you, while others will treat you like you sold their parents into slavery just for making what you feel is an insignificant mistake. There's no way to get a consistent reaction because when it comes to personal feelings, people are rarely consistent. I try to approach it on an individual basis, because you're not going to make it work for everyone. You're just not.

So when it comes to race, color, religion, creed, gender, and not knowing what to do, just listen as much as possible, and be willing to admit when you're wrong, at the very least when you find out you've hurt someone without meaning to do so. You won't get everyone to like you, or respect you, but you can at least know that you're doing your best. That won't be enough, but it will have to do for now.

Short answer: You're kinda fucked.
Long answer: You're kinda fucked, but as a longer answer.

That was before I was born, it isn't really a current example.

Yeah, that isn't an excuse, even for Arkansas. If Ted Danson, a man beloved by humans, animals, most plants and certain fungi, can't do it, no one can.

Maybe you and Paladin can split the cost of a dictionary.