Jackie and Me Dietz 6m 2w (doubling)
posted by Greg at 11:30 AM
Dec 2, 2021
Contributors
Previous Posts
- The Fall of the House of Usher Hope 6m 3w
- Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge Durang...
- Veronica's Room Levin 2m 2w
- Veils of Justice -Anntares 3m 3f
- Knickers - Quick Comedy 4F
- Life X 3 - Reza 2m 2f
- Rabbit by Raine - Comedy/Drama 3 female 3 male
- Thinner Than Water by Ross - Comedy/Drama 4 female...
- Pygmalion Turned-About adapted by Morella 6 fema...
- No Illusion by Morella-- Romantic Comedy 2 femal...
8 Comments:
I love this play in the Family slot. The costumes could be an issue with the baseball uniforms but maybe we can rent some from a local high school team. Yes for me.
I am concerned about perceptions of a white child playing a black child - that may have been okay in 2013 but I don't think that is good accepted practice any longer (yes, I know Joey is white but to everyone in the play he is perceived and treated as a black child), I cannot find reviews to indicate that this play has been done recently anywhere. All the uniforms are a big costume demand but not insurmountable, many locations but it's a big arena, cast in a little large and very male - I am not sold on this play. So a no from me.
I love this play I agree with Linda Sue that the current optics of a white boy playing a black boy would not be good. I also don’t think that we could get the two very strong African-American actors that we need for this piece right now. I have a four person play that I want to introduce as a potential new work this month about a female breaking into football. I think it is a better fit and would allow for diverse casting, but not require it. No from me on this one.
I agree the color issue is likely to be a problem. As has been said, the play is strongly male. I don't know how much it will interest girls. Do boys still collect baseball cards? Are they interested in old baseball stars, or only those they can watch now? I think we can do better. No for me.
I like that 'present time' means the year when the producing theater presents the play. The play is clearly written for children, not a general audience. My vote is No.
Having done this show at CTC, I am a NO.
I really enjoyed reading this play. But I, too, have serious concerns about a white actor having anything to do with portraying someone perceived as black. One of the reviews I read online suggested that this could be resolved by having a black actor play the role during the 1947 scenes. I think this might resolve concerns. I see this as a "family" show, not just a children's show. We could even consider doing it during Black History Month. If we are seriously committed to expanding our horizons, why not explore ways to aggressively reach out to black actors for this show. I would like for us to seriously discuss it, not just reject it out of hand as being challenging. We do this far too often. (That's my soapbox speech for the week.)
I really liked this play. I don’t think we would have trouble casting two black actors. This feels to me like a fairly accessible way for TRP to begin building rapport with more black artists. That said it is definitely for a family slot. I think asking a mixed race actor to play Joey could be another way to allow the exploration of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes without bordering on blackface.
Post a Comment
<< Home