[Mb-hair] !!!!!!!ARGH

[Michael Butler]

Super advice.
It would be great if some idea, perhaps some African Americans who would be
available to go for a short gig.
Michael

> Katie wrote:
>> I'm going again tomorrow to the black community centres and housing
>> projects to put up signs with "people of colour especially encouraged to
>> reply".
> 
> Use this opportunity to talk with people, to explain your dilemma and ask
> advice on how to solve it. There must be a way to get black people in your
> community involved, to find black performers who want to help break down the
> barriers that exist in your community.
> 
> Personally, I think it would be hard to do Hair with no people of color in
> the cast. While masks have long been an interesting and symbolic theatrical
> device, I have trouble imagining any circumstance under which it would be OK
> to have a caucasian person singing Colored Spade. When sung by and African
> American that song is a vicious indictment of racism, but I fear that the
> interpretations possible if sung by a caucasian performer would be
> different. I know that some productions, desperate at not being able to cast
> Hud and Dionne with black performers, have resorted to casting them with
> white actors, saying that the character was a white person sensitive to the
> black cause.  However, I have had several black people tell me that they
> would find this offensive, and I am also unsure of how this sensitivity
> would be made clear to an audience. Some productions cut the number (along
> with White Boys) if they can't cast people of color. But this always saddens
> me as the theme of inter racial relations is a strong one in Hair, and I
> hate to lose it. Some productions cast these roles with people of other
> ethnicities. I have seen this be moderately successful with the song White
> Boys, but less so with the role of Hud, which is written to be played by a
> black man.
> 
> It is sad how often this situation comes up in contemporary productions
> outside of major urban areas. It would be wonderful to brainstorm this
> issue, as it comes up so regularly, and create a base of thought to share
> with people when this comes up for them.
> 
> Nina
> 
> The Hair Archives
> http://www.michaelbutler.com/hair/holding/Hair.html
> 
> 
> 
>> From: "Katie Kasben" <katiekasben at hotmail.com>
>> Reply-To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
>> To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
>> Subject: Re: [Mb-hair] !!!!!!!ARGH
>> Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 02:59:44 +0000
>> 
>> Someone suggested that jokingly here, and then last night I thought about a
>> compromise.
>> It might be another comment on the situation if we had "masks", like
>> pictures of real black faces attached to sticks that are held up in front
>> of white faces.  Maybe it would knock some out of complacency.  but i don't
>> want to alienate and create an even bigger rift...
>> 
>> I'm going again tomorrow to the black community centres and housing
>> projects to put up signs with "people of colour especially encouraged to
>> reply".
>> 
>> praying that something amazing will happen.
>> 
>> Agape,
>> Katie
>> 
>> 
>> ALOHA NUI LOA!
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Mb-hair mailing list
>> Mb-hair at islandlists.com
>> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-hair mailing list
> Mb-hair at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair