White Chicago

I hope you all have read Timeout Chicago's new article about how bleached the Chicago theatre scene is. It's food for thought. Food even for action.

GreyZelda's angle and experience with this issue is as follows: We are non-discriminatory when it comes to casting. We always cast the person that deserves a part, not based upon skin color, but based on their understanding, commitment, and intuitive taking to a character. Even for Desire Under the Elms, a play entirely about a family, if we had had another race besides the sea of Caucasions beat the pants of someone else for a role, we would have cast that person hands down. We wouldn't think twice about it. And we did, as a matter of fact.

. . . . You know what's funny? I've written several statements about casting someone other than a white person down and then promptly deleted them. Why? I think I'm scared of what you might think. Of your judgements of my phrasing. Of you thinking I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. And I think that's one of the main problems. One of the reasons why this doesn't get discussed more. As a white person, I don't want to offend.

I've got opinions on the race issue in Chicago but do you think I'm qualified to say them?

This is something that needs to be talked about.

Discuss freely . . .