Whenever there is discussion about colorblind casting, why is the first counter example always the extreme? Sure, a white man playing MLK might make no sense now, but in 300 years? No one will care. When people forget who the original was, they stop caring. Also, if a play is ABOUT race, it'll be baffling to cast someone who isn't of that race.
That said, it was sad when, a few years ago an Asian American theatre company cancelled A Raisin in the Sun-- it would have been easily transferrable to an Asian cast.
I, for one, would love to see Asian American and Hispanic actors in traditionally White roles. The whole point of theatre is to display the universality of the human experience. |