An audition room at a regional theatre company. Anywhere, today.
CAM (a biracial, young, hopeful actor) enters a large audition room where DIRECTOR (a white man in his 40s) is furiously writing notes at a large plastic folding table. Three white theatre professionals sit to DIRECTOR’s left.
DIRECTOR: Alright, did you have any questions before we start?
CAM: Actually, yeah. In the character breakdown, you mentioned taking a color-blind approach to casting. Why is that?
DIRECTOR: Absolutely - I’m so glad you asked. It’s part of our commitment to being more inclusive: we're just choosing the best actor for the role. Plus, anyone can be anything with Shakespeare — it’s the perfect blank vessel! And it’s Romeo and Juliet - they’re the epitome of the phrase “love is blind."
CAM: Sure, sure. I think I see where you’re coming from.
(maybe switching gears - monologue time?)
…But then, I guess, why set the production in the 1950’s? I’m not sure that’s the most blank setting for storytelling.
DIRECTOR: It’s a very recognizable period for audiences.
CAM: Right, which is why I would assume you’d take a more definitive stance on the casting. I mean, it’s about forbidden love. That’s a pretty loaded topic for almost any timeframe in history.
(one of the theatre professionals shifts uncomfortably)
I’m just saying that if you’re totally hands-off with this, your casting choices might end up telling a story you didn’t mean to tell. Or should the audience also be ignoring all their experiences and opinions about race? I mean, you can try to sell that to people, but I don’t think it will change the fact that everyone is still gonna view things through their own prejudiced lens. Also, why try to escape the idea of race if you’re still keeping the rest of the setting realistic? I feel like that just does a disservice to the storytelling.
DIRECTOR: I hear you. We mainly see it as a way to keep the casting process more neutral.
CAM: Right! In a perfect world, nothing would influence your team’s decision, and the person with the best audition would just get the role. But, no one is above all this. It just doesn’t actually seem more fair this way - for the actors or the audience.
And where does it leave people like me? Am I neutral enough because I’m half white? Or is it just easier this way so, if you cast me, you don’t have to find actors that could realistically play my parents? Or is it just another convenient way to explain an all-white cast? They all just “had the best auditions!”
…
Not that you all would do that, of course. I mean…
Not that you asked for all of this.
I just think…it’s Romeo and Juliet, their love might be blind, but to everyone else, it’s not. And isn’t that kind of the point?
DIRECTOR: Thank you for coming in today.
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