MTA Roundtable discusses race in casting

It is pretty much basic knowledge that theater is a pretty big deal here at Muhlenberg. With a plethora of productions ranging from main stages to student directed plays exhibited at The Red Doors, our cozy campus practically lives and breathes for this kind of stuff. That being said, the passionate thespians throughout the student body put much thought and attention into all matters regarding theater at Muhlenberg and in some cases within the national scope as well.

This includes the areas of debate and uncertainty, in which Muhlenberg students discuss their positions on topics. This past Saturday, I attended a roundtable discussion led by the MTA, where the primary discussion covered the place of race within the casting for productions, both within Muhlenberg and outside of the cam- pus. As we all sat down and introduced ourselves, it was clear that this event would be a wonderful opportunity for each one of us attending to participate in intelligent and constructive conversation regarding the matter. We kicked off the discussion talking about the race- bending of acting roles and how certain examples are appropriate while some others could be flawed or, in some cases, in bad taste. We cited examples in recent pop culture and talked about how even the most subtle of details within casting or direction could have strong implicit meanings, regardless of being constructive or deconstructive.

Moving on, the roundtable discussion proceeded to talk about personal knowledge or experiences relating to the topic of race and its relation with casting. Throughout the discussion, we had an in-depth debate regarding the matter of colorblind and color-conscious casting. While each methodology of casting had understandable standpoints, the roundtable essentially boiled down to a final verdict, which stated the importance of inclusion while simultaneously emphasizing the respect that must be taken to responsibly portray identities.

On the whole, the experience at the roundtable was definitely an enlightening one. Despite taking place on stage, theatrical performance has a voice that reaches out to society. So understandably, in order for a message of diversity and inclusiveness to be presented from the stage, Muhlenberg as an institution has to follow through with that philosophy. With diverse and inclusive productions like “Wig Out” on the upcoming line of shows to be performed, this sentiment of inclusion looks to remain true to Muhlenberg.