[Mb-hair] Re: No Black Actors

[Sibley Smith]

Casting HAIR when black actors or vocalists cannot be convinced to audition:

Would this be considered offensive by anyone?

What if you had a white actor (to portray Hud) and a couple more white guys (Tribe members) to play Hud's friends, and you characterize them as "whiggers."  Now, all through the play, other Tribe members will need to rib Hud for not being black, in the same manner the Tribe members rib Woof for not being "not homosexual."  EVERYBODY knows the kids aren't black.  But it's obvious the kids really wished they were.  And when three white chicks sing "Black Boys," aiming their glances towards the three whiggers, those chicks would come across as being turned on my those kids' faux blackness (which, hell's bells, would sure give me impetus to continue being a whigger, were I).  The aura cast would be that there's at least a small batch of white kids in Asheville (both the fictional Tribe and the actual actors in the cast) who would LOVE to be able to hang and party with some REAL black kids.  

Whaddya think?  Try it on for size.

Tioga Joe
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Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:48:53 -0400
From: venuetheatre at juno.com

Here is an idea, take your darkest actors and have them get a deep tan!
We used white guys with black hair in Clearwater (1985) and it became
light boys and dark boys.
OR be really innovative and make Hud a woman!  Delores Hall was a great
Hud!  Then you would add the Lesbian/gay issue into the mix.

Be creative but NO black face.  
There is a really dark tan makeup!  Looks Arabic.

Corinne


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