Theatre, we need to talk.

Ali Watson
Aug 24, 2018
4 min read

Hi. My name is Ali "dropped the ball" Watson. I haven't written anything in over a year but ... I'm BACK BABY! ;)

Well tickle my chin and call me Brenda... let's jump right in!

Theatre... we need to talk. I am tired of having this conversation and I'm sure other people are sick of hearing me prattle on about this... but hey, hear me out.

As you can probably tell... I am a living, breathing, jigging "POC" (*'Person' or 'Performer of Colour') I am a well-trained performer who prides herself on being versatile and who often second guesses herself when auditioning for leads in categories that society tells me I don't fit into.

Ya see... I have a dream. (Any similarities to the MLK speech are unintentional) I dream that one day what we see on stage will be people of all shapes, sizes, colours and genders. I dream that one day I will audition for period pieces and not automatically assume I'll be auditioning for the part of the maid (because damn it... sometimes I wanna wear the fancy lace corset and bustle too!) I dream that one day I will no longer have to go to a show and say something obnoxious like "Did 'ja notice it was snowing on stage!?!" at the end. I've seen quite enough all-white productions of tired golden-aged musicals done in my city. Your diverse audiences see this and don't feel represented. It's 2018, People come to watch shows to be immersed in an imaginary world for 2 and a half hours and often they are shows filled with magic, mythical creatures, talking animals... is it really so hard to believe one of those leads in the show could in fact be Asian? Or Black? Or have a "fiercely real" body type? (And no.. not just Tracy Turnblad... I mean ANY ROLE)

And I'm not just blaming everyone else... this goes for myself too. I'm always the first to second-guess what I'm auditioning for.

The beautifully diverse cast of "Hamilton"

I played Mimi in Rent about two years ago. I remember being so sad that I had quit taking my ADD medication because it's appetite suppressing powers helped me lose weight and I was so worried I'd gain the weight back... and it was likely, Mama loves bread and cheese! I remember thinking "People are going to rip me apart for being a Mimi with a bubble butt and stomach roles" It's really too bad that I couldn't see that having a different body than what was "expected" was not only okay... it's beautiful.

We hear excuses like:

"But... there wouldn't be a black woman of high status in this era... it's just not realistic."

"Mimi wouldn't have curves, She's an addict and a stripper with AIDS"

(I'm paraphrasing to make a point)

PEOPLE BREAKING OUT INTO SONG AND DANCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET ISN'T REALISTIC... Did you really come to a musical to experience realism?

Mermaids selling their voice to a sea witch to meet a very attractive total stranger isn't realistic...

Can we really not stretch our imaginations enough to imagine that perhaps Ariel could be played by an Asian person? That Laurie in Oklahoma could be played by a black person? That G(a)linda could be played by someone over a size 2?

...And then there's the flip side of this.

A few times I've seen "non-traditional" casting happen and that becomes what all the advertisement for the show is about. Don't make a spectical out of us because we are "different" We want to share the glory, we don't want you to change the story around (i.e setting, specific costuming etc.) to accommodate the colour of our skin. We don't want the show to be about the colour of our skin, our gender, or the size of our bodies (If the show isn't about that of course... please don't cast a white Motormouth Maybelle or a black Velma Vontussle... PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't do that...)

Anyway... I guess what I'm trying to say (while also using an overwhelming amount of ellipses...) is that casting a POC as your lead doesn't make you a hero, it should just be. If they are right for the part, they are right for the part. We just want to be in the damn show because we deserve to be there. End of story.

...

I'm gonna stop wagging my finger in your face and also say that there has been some change and I've seen it. I've been given opportunities that I am very thankful for. I have been given the chance to audition for roles that I couldn't even imagine myself playing. There have been some beautiful shows done in my city by wonderfully diverse actors and for that I am grateful. We all deserve to tell the stories we want to tell.

Change is happening, but we can still do better.