Comments on: Inexplicable?

By: Trekkie Monster

Trekkie Monster — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:15:25 +0000

Points taken I guess (1) I rarely read Citizen reviews except for comic relief and (2) to me, casting diversity gives so much more to the production that it’s a no-brainer.

It we wanted the same bland stuff all the time we could just go to (insert favourite target for complaints about a lack of innovation here).

By: krisjoseph

krisjoseph — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:41:00 +0000

No — no glass houses at all! You’ve completely missed the point. The post is a reaction to the perception that an African Ghost of Christmas Past is inexplicable.

I’m not trying to cast negative light on Ottawa companies for casting white. Both OLT and the Gladstone will — I know for a FACT — cast openly, based on who auditions. And Zucchini Grotto has, since 2004, put a commitment to diversity statement into every audition notice. Local companies must cast based on who comes out to the audition. The NAC is in a different boat; has the mandate and scope to cast its net nationally, and has committed to creating an acting company that reflects the face of the country — they have the resources to do that, and so they should. And it should NOT be inexplicable to see a black Ghost or a half-Japanese Mrs Cratchit on an Ottawa stage. That’s all I’m saying.

By: Trekkie Monster

Trekkie Monster — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:58:56 +0000

Hmm… Not having seen the OLD production of ILYYPNC perhaps I’m not qualified to comment, but weren’t there two earlier productions in Ottawa with similarly (un)pigmented casts?

Glass houses?

By: Nadine

Nadine — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:22:23 +0000

As an actor and a visible minority, it’s no surprise I’m an advocate of ethnic diversity on stage. As you point out, our country has a mix of socio-cultural heritage…something that I agree should be reflected in our theatre (and the arts in general). I don’t believe this is a challenging concept…even for a white, upper-middle-income, middle-aged male.

I don’t necessarily believe multicultural casting is visionary. I do believe the opposite is culturally retarded.

By: Jessica Ruano

Jessica Ruano — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:50:46 +0000

Oh wow. See, reading that article, I really did picture a Jamaican guy with dreadlocks smoking a bong. I think I missed the “kept expecting” part, as many people will. How terrifically misleading. Thanks for clearing that up, Kris.

And yes, having black people onstage is completely unheard of. What was the NAC thinking? No wonder the mainstream media is making a huge fuss over it. Honestly.

By: Nik Maack

Nik Maack — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:32:28 +0000

Well said.

I found the choice of a rasta ghost of Christmas present worked extremely well. I didn’t find it in the least jarring. It worked. A big, beautiful, bountiful black man, booming and joyful, larger than life – isn’t that exactly the feeling the ghost of Christmas present gives off in the book and various film versions of the story? (It also convinced me of the obvious truth that Santa Claus is a black man.)

As long as an actor can play the part well, should race, gender, or sexual preference matter at all?