A New York high school has canceled a production of Disney’sHunchback of Notre Dame after a white student was cast as Esmeralda.
A group of students at Ithaca High School has successfully derailed an upcoming production of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. The students, who call themselves Ithaca High School’s Students United Ithaca, penned a letter demanding the production be recast or shut down after a white student was cast as Esmerelda.
Esmerelda is accurately depicted in the Disney musical, and is written for, a young woman of color. Esmerelda is a Roma, part of an oppressed class of people. It is her oppression, and that of her people, which allows her to better understand the perspective of the Hunchback and to ultimately advocate for him.
The students continued, complaining that the student who had been cast had “hazel eyes” and blonde hair.” “The young woman who was cast in this role has hazel eyes, blonde hair, and is the epitome of whiteness. This is an unfair position to put her in. At best, this is cultural appropriation. At worst, it is whitewashing, a racist casting practice which has its roots in minstrelsy,” they wrote. The students then explicitly demanded the show be shut down.
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
6 comments:
You know, back in the day, if the talented actress/ actor needed a costume or different skin color, costumes and makeup was used to bring the character to the audience! Heck, I remember one who even used a fake accent to make her character more realistic.
The first qualification was to be a talented person. Makeup and costumes did the rest.
But not now. Now we have to use a person BECAUSE of their color, paying no attention to ability to remember lines and act them out.
Teaching racism one class at a time!
That's why the theater has used wigs and makeup for centuries.
One day the blonde, light-eyed people will be the oppressed.
Acting: (noun) the art of PRETENDING to be something you are not!! Get a grip, For Pete's sake!! Did they cast a kid with an actual humpback to play quasimodo?? No?? Because that would be politically incorrect as well. The liberal snowflake era is killing everything.
They forced a white kid portraying Dr. King to step down at another school. They said the "Makeup" would be the same as if he wore "Black Face", and it is racist.
It's racism at it's finest and I love it.
Can you say “Hamilton”?
Post a Comment