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Why produce The Wiz in South Carolina?

After the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent exoneration of his killer, members of the general public began to finally hear what members of the people of color community had been saying: the killing of a person of color does not receive the same treatment as other killings. Evidence of widespread racially-motivated police brutality has surfaced and in the last few years, these crimes have received more public scrutiny if not enough attention by the legal system. The 2014 killing of Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer who was not indicted brought protests in the town of Ferguson, MO and the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. In April 2015, a video spread across the nation of a South Carolina police officer shooting and killing unarmed Walter Scott in the back. And the recent massacre of nine people who were having prayer meeting in a historical Charleston church by an openly racist twenty-one-year-old man has caused many to begin questioning the racial violence in our own state.

 

The Wiz, which reimagines a traditionally white story for a black cast, celebrates the lives of people of color. Dorothy is a strong female protagonist who loves her family and leads her friends to self-acceptance. The score reclaims musical styles such as jazz and soul that have been appropriated from African American culture for white-dominated musicals. The show is vibrant and allows opportunities for black actors to shine. Because representation matters and should be equal, and theatre should be for everyone.

 

the following is quoted from baruch.cuny.edu. Please see the Works Cited page for more info.

In the 2012-2013 Broadway season:

  • The average age of the Broadway theatregoer was 42.5 years old.

  • Roughly 78% of all tickets were purchased by Caucasian theatregoers.

  • Broadway theatregoers were quite affluent compared to the general United States population, reporting an average annual household income of $186,500.

  • Broadway theatregoers were a very well-educated group. Of theatregoers over 25 yrs old, 74% had completed college and 36% had earned a graduate degree. (43)

 

According to a study by the Asian American Performer Action Coalition, for all New York Theatre seasons between 2006-2011:

  • African American actors were cast in 13% of all roles, Latino Actors in 4% and Asian American actors in 2%. Caucasian actors filled 80% of all roles. They are the only ethnicity to over-represent compared to their respective population size in New York City or the Tri-State area.

  • The percentage of roles that were non-traditionally cast increased year to year. Last year, 10.6% of all roles played by actors of color were non-traditionally cast. However, this only represents 9% of all available roles.

  • Of the not-for-profit theatre companies during this time period, The Signature Theatre had the highest representation of actors of color as a percentage of total roles (60%); The Public Theatre had the second highest (34%). The Atlantic Theatre Company had the lowest percentage of actors of color (7%), the Roundabout Theatre Company the second lowest (10%).

  • At not-for-profit theatres, African American actors held 14% of all roles, Latino actors 3.3%, and Asian Americans 3%. (44)

 

With an overwhelming majority of white performers and an average Broadway theatregoer who is white, affluent, and has received a college education, there is a huge underserved population. The number of people of color who are included as audience members and performers in the theatre is miniscule in proportion to the actual demographics of the population. This means that:

  • People of color who are professional performers must compete for a number of theatre jobs that is highly disporportionate to the population. This makes it very difficult to find work.

  • There too little representation of people of color in the theatre, perpetuating the belief that theatre is only for people who are white and privileged.

  • The imagined worlds created on the stage are mostly white and exclude people of color so they do not resemble the population at all.

 

Regional theatres are positioned to meet this need to represent and reach underserved communities. With The Wiz and The Hot Mikado, GLOW presents a season that focuses on listening to different perspectives and reminding a diverse community that theatre should be for everyone. 

 

 

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