My Journey as a Latina Artist Losing Latino Roles to White Actors — OnStage Blog

by Phoebe Avila-OldermanGuest Editorial

A recent experience I had with a semi-professional theater company sent me on a journey of introspection and awareness. I was passed over for a role in favor of another actress, a typical experience I have had as a working actress. Only the circumstances of this role and this show were different; I am a Latina actress, and the role I was passed over for was Mimi Marquez in To rent out; the actress I lost to was white.

Whitewashing is unfortunately not new. Since the dawn of theater, white actors have played characters of color. Minstrel shows featured white actors in blackface playing caricatures of black stereotypes. The original Broadway casts West Side Story And Miss Saigon white actors wearing makeup and even prosthetics to play Puerto Rican and Vietnamese characters respectively.

It’s no secret that theater has always been predominantly white, and this problem continues to be true. There aren’t enough roles for people of color. Whiteness is still seen as the norm in storytelling. Systemic oppression and racism prevent people of color from becoming actors, writers, directors, and producers. There is a general lack of roles for people of color in theater. These roles can often be stereotypical, profiled, sexualized, or one-dimensional.

Full, well-rounded characters for people of color are rare. While this is slowly changing on Broadway, many smaller professional theaters, and especially community theaters, struggle to handle diversity.

In a post-COVID America, many theaters have sought to diversify their casts and be more inclusive. This is a huge step forward for progress, and while it's not easy and won't happen overnight, it can be doneThis is why whitewashing the roles of people of color is so frustrating. Especially on a show like To rent outIt is extremely problematic.

Whether on Broadway or in local community theaters, whitewashing is a method of systemic racial exclusion. Regardless of the intentions of white casting directors, producers, or actors, they are participating in a racist practice. This does not mean that they are racist themselves, but rather that the people who participated in this type of casting should reconsider their priorities when casting non-white people.

At no level of theatre should whitewashing be happening. But many audience members and even those involved in theatre still don’t understand why whitewashing the roles of actors of colour is wrong. Maybe the director simply chose the best person for the role.

In cases where the characters are intended to be people of color, the best actor for the role is a person of color. If the casting is white or does not offer an actor of color who meets the standard desired by the director, additional auditions must be held. [City] is very white, so of course the theater cast a white actor. If they don't have the resources, theaters shouldn't cast shows centered around people of color.

A theater with a no-fly system would never choose Peter Pan for its season, and a small theater would never choose a big musical like The producerswhich requires a lot of actors and set changes. While I understand wanting to cast shows with people of color to tell more diverse stories, that desire comes with an effort to cast actors of color. Wanting to tell a story that celebrates people of color and then casting a white actor is hypocritical and contradictory. They probably did the best they could with the auditions. The best theaters can do is cast actors of color.

In my case, a Latina actress auditioned for a Latina role and was always A white actor was passed over, and I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to. And again, if the people auditioning aren't up to par or don't fit the needs of the characters, then more auditions should be held. Wouldn't it be racist to turn someone down for a role because of their race? Even if they're white? It's a tricky area to get into. All I'll say is that in my personal opinion, racism is a term used to describe systemic oppression and discrimination based on race or ethnicity. White people may be prejudiced or judged, but overall in the United States there is no large-scale systemic oppression of white rights.

Additionally, it seems counterintuitive to claim that colorblind casting favors white actors. Colorblind casting has been used primarily to help actors of color play roles that were traditionally played by white actors, but could be played by any race. It has allowed actors of color to take on roles like Shakespearean protagonists, Disney Princesses, And classic musical charactersIt was never about allowing white actors to take on roles specifically intended for actors of color.

Especially considering that many narratives written for people of color focus specifically on narratives that emphasize marginalization, cultural references, or civil rights, white artists appropriating our stories seems even more distasteful.

I would love to live in a world where racial barriers were obsolete, but unfortunately, that is not the case. As a result, people of color sometimes get what appears to be preferential treatment, but it is actually a stepping stone that helps us reach the heights that our white counterparts have already effortlessly achieved. A simple analogy is that of a glass of water. If our glasses are half full and we ask for more water, we become equal to those who already had full glasses to begin with.

But if those with a full glass ask for more water, either their cup overflows or they get a second glass, and we are unequal again.

Again, I don’t think theater companies or schools that engage in whitewashing are intentionally racist. But I do think they are ignoring the challenges their performers of color have faced. When a role is whitewashed, the director, producer, or casting team is essentially telling people of color that even when the narrative is written to include us, even when the odds are ultimately in our favor, even when the story is essentially ours, we are less important than white actors and our voices are useless.

This is why whitewashing should not be practiced at any level in theater. Beyond the fact that it goes against the goal of telling diverse stories and the long history of racism, it discourages actors of color from applying for roles that are specifically for them and even from doing theater at all.

How many times have we heard an actor say that they were encouraged to pursue the arts because they saw someone who looked like them on stage or on screen? We are so much luckier and richer when we spread the wealth of theatre, especially today; whitewashing is an archaic practice that I hope we leave in the past as soon as possible.