Project #4: Non-Traditional Casting

One of the many issues currently facing the theatre world today is the idea of non-traditional casting. Non-traditional casting, as apposed to traditional casting, means that a person's race, gender, age, or body type, and even their physical or mental disabilities do not go into consideration when casting that person for a specific role. There are both pros and cons to this type of casting. Non-traditional casting gives a large range of people all equal opportunities to be cast for major roles, regardless of whether that character has a specific description or not. The downside is, when it comes to finding an actor to play a demanding role, such as the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, or the role of Glinda/Galinda in Wicked (because, let's face it, you need to have a lot of vocal training to nail those high notes), non-traditional casting might not always be the best way to go, because you need an actor who can fulfill the obligations and demands that come with that big of a role.

Traditional casting isn't a bad thing. If a company or a director wants to have specific actors in their show, they have the right to do that. There are shows where traditional casting is an important factor, such as The Wiz; an all African American cast is important to this particular production, because that's the whole point of it, to be a retelling of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" but in the context of African American culture.

Non-traditional casting opens many doors and opportunities for actors who may not otherwise be offered to play a certain role because of their race, age, gender or body type. It can open doors for actors who have a lot of talent to offer but wouldn't otherwise fit specific character standards. It levels the playing field for actors who are just starting to make their way in the acting world verses actors who have been in the business for many years. For me personally, the way of non-traditional casting would present me as a young actor who is just starting my professional career with opportunities to show what I am capable of, regardless of my physical appearance or my age.

Below are some links to articles written about non-traditional casting.

https://www.tcg.org/publications/at/dec10/casting.cfm


http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Ten-Theatre-Issues-We-Talked-About-in-2011-20120101#.U0GDxzqPLIU

http://www.dnaworks.org/documents/Publications/Re-Thinking-Non-Traditional-Casting.pdf

http://www.performingartsconvention.org/diversity/id=50

Back in 1995, a director named Deborah Warner was casting for her production of Richard II. Because Richard II has often been portrayed as an effeminate character, Warner knew that stage effeminacy in these times automatically suggests homosexuality, and she felt that would distort Richard's complex relationship with the future Henry IV. So, she decided to go in a different direction for casting the main character: she chose a woman. Fiona Shaw. Shaw and Warner had worked together before on four previous occasions, including productions of "Electra" and "Hedda Gabler"; they had also created theatrical and television versions of T. S. Eliot's "Waste Land", and they have even formed a joint production company. You can read the rest of the article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/27/theater/a-female-richard-ii-captivates-the-french.html

Fiona Shaw starring in Richard II

And though it may not be theatre, a ballet company has taken a different turn with its dancers. The company, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, is an American company of professional male dancers that parodies the traditional conventions of romantic and classical ballet. The company first performed in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts, and now they perform around the world.

The all male dance company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

Another example of non-traditional casting is in the area of ethnicity and race. A high school in Newton, Massachusetts, recently did a performance of Thoroughly Modern Mille".  From The Boston Globe website:
"Ethnic stereotyping is popular culture’s original sin, and it’s proving a hard one to shed.
Look no further than the uproar over last weekend’s production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie’’ at Newton North High School. A storm erupted on social media and community blogs about the musical’s depiction of three characters — two of them Chinese, one of them masquerading as Chinese — who kidnap young women and sell them as sex slaves. The director of the organization that staged “Millie’’ apologized at a community meeting Monday." link to the full article from The Boston Globe  http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2014/03/19/ethnic-stereotypes-abound-popular-shows-certain-vintage/POCann6O7unljPjUFE3ebO/story.html

 A link to a letter to the community that the theatre department sent out can be found here: http://www.theatreink.net/lettertocom.pdf

 Also, in the same article from The Boston Globe, a theatre company in Boston, Massachusetts, the Wheelock Family Theatre, is currently performing Hairspray, and guess who plays the lead role of Tracy Turnblad, which usually goes to a white actress? Jenna Lea Scott, who is Asian-American. From the previous article found on The Boston Globe:
"The choice was an example of the kind of nontraditional casting that has opened up opportunities for nonwhite actors while presenting a fuller picture of the world to audiences.
She was sensational in “Hairspray,’’ but Scott, 33, has had to confront career obstacles related to her ethnicity, as she made clear in her blunt comments in her profile on the theater’s website. “It’s challenging to prove to casting directors that you aren’t just your race,” Scott said. “A play that requires an Asian actor may offer me a foot in the door, but I am often asked to portray a stereotype.’’"

The Wheelock Family Theatre 2014 cast of Hairspray, starring Jenna Lea Scott, center.

Jenna Lea Scott as Tracy and Jon Allen as Seaweed in the Wheelock Family Theatre's 2014 cast of Hairspray.

Another issue that is faced when it comes to non-traditional casting is the issue of age; should an 80 year old woman get to play the role of Juliet? An article from The Guardian website addresses this very issue, and they ask the question, "Why shouldn't older actresses play younger roles?" The article addresses the issue that, once women reach a certain age, their career in theatre begins the downhill descent into playing minor roles or "character" roles, while young women are taking the lead. One woman who is the exception to this issue is Helen Mirren, who at the age of 68 played the role of Phèdre in 2009 at the National Theatre in London.

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2009/jun/16/older-actresses-young-characters

Helen Mirren as Phèdre and Dominic Cooper as Hippolytus in the National Theatre's production of Phèdre.

Helen Mirren as Phèdre.

Other examples of non-traditional casting when it comes to age are Frank Gorshin, who was 89 at the time when he played the role of George Burns in Say Goodnight, Gracie, in 2002; 62-year-old Marylouise Burke who played the lead role of a teenager who suffers from an aging disease called progeria in Kimberly Akimbo;Tovah Feldshuh, age 61, playing a much older Golda Meir in the amazing Golda's Balcony; Kathy Brier, "One Life to Live" alumna, playing the role of Tracy Turnblad's shoes in Hairspray at the age of 39. A full article on actors playing older or younger roles can be found here. http://www.backstage.com/news/not-acting-your-age-playing-older-or-younger-than-you-are/

Frank Gorshin as George Burns in Say Goodnight, Gracie.

Marylouise Burke as Kimberly in Kimberly Akimbo.

Tovah Feldshuh as Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony.

Kathy Brier as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.

Non-traditional casting isn't just about body type, age, race, or gender; it's also about people with disabilities, who are often overlooked or rejected when it comes to traditional casting.A group called The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts. This group "promotes and advocates for full inclusion of artists of color and performers with disabilities at all levels of production in theatre, film, television, and related media. Our work also extends to audiences, particularly those belonging to underserved and historically excluded communities" (from their website http://inclusioninthearts.org/about/ ) The website lists several actors who are either deaf, blind, or who have ambulatory disabilities, such as Bernard Bragg, Phyllis Frelich, Victoria Ann Lewis, Ed Waterstreet, Julianna Fjeld, Susan Nussbaum, Cheryl Marie Wade, Kitty Lunn, Michelle A. Banks, Monique Holt, John Belluso, Pamela Sabaugh, as well as a list of directors, writers, producers, and casting directors who have recognized that actors with disabilities are just as capable as non-disabled actors, such as Gordon Davidson, Mark Medoff, John Dillon, Michael Kahn, Linda Hartzell, Irene Lewis, Dr. Neal Baer, Stephen Herek, Sharon Bialy, John Frank Levey, April Webster, Judy Dennis and Robert Falls. The full article on disabled actors can be found on their website here: http://inclusioninthearts.org/projects/listening-with-an-open-eye/

A theatre company in Denver, Colorado, called Phamaly Theatre Company, produces professional productions with their cast entirely formed of performers with mental and physical disabilities.  From their website:

"Phamaly was formed in 1989 when five students of the Boettcher School in Denver, Colorado, grew frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people living with disabilities, and decided to create a theatre company that would provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to perform. Four of these five founding members remain active as actors in Phamaly productions today (Kevin Ahl, Kathleen Traylor, Gregg Vigil, and Teri Westerman.)" http://www.phamaly.org/#

The company has produced many well known plays and musicals since 1990, including The Glass Menagerie, It's A Wonderful Life, Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors, Elephant Man, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Beauty and the Beast, Man of La Mancha, Steel Magnolias, Barefoot in the Park, Urinetown, Our Town, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes, The Wiz, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Mame, Damn Yankees, Once Upon A Mattress, and Pajama Game. 

Golde (Kathleen Traylor) and Tevye (Mark Dissette) share a moment in Phamaly's Fiddler on the Roof.

PHAMALy's production of The Elephant Man features Daniel Traylor as John Merrick,(right) and Jocelyn Roy, who plays one of the "pinheads" in the freak show.