Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that "Hamilton" is the Broadway musical taking the world by storm this year.
With books and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton tells the story of America's founding father, Alexander Hamilton, as described in a 2004 biography by Ron Chernow.
"Hamilton" is one of the first musicals of it's kind, combining hip hop with history and bringing it to Broadway for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
One of the details about "Hamilton" that makes this show shine above the rest is its honesty regarding history. Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant from an island in the Caribbean, likely meaning his skin would be darker than "white".
The cast is multi-ethnic, with the only Caucasian character being King George III. The rest of America's historical figures, including Aaron Burr, George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, are all played by dark skinned actors and actresses.
The show, according to Miranda, was written that way on purpose. The dialogue used in the show, the style of the characters, all require non-white actors.
"Hamilton" isn't just changing the world for audiences, its attempting to change the world for actors as well. Not only is it one of the only shows with roles available for actors of various ethnicities, its opening itself up to actors who are not yet in the Actors Equity Union via open casting calls.
The Internet exploded the other day when this open cast-call notice was posted online:
The posting has since been changed, now saying "seeking men and women, ages 20s to 30s, for the non-white characters as written and conceived for the currently running Broadway production and upcoming Tours of HAMILTON," as people actually got upset that white actors were being excluded from the open call.
In the acting world, there's a little known practice called type casting. This is when an actor usually plays a certain kind of role; a type of character that people are easily reminded of by looking at them. White people are type cast in roles all the time, as are people of different ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, the color of your skin often type casts actors into a particular role, and since "Hamilton" was written for actors of color, it is only fair that non-white actors.
Also, why does no one make a fuss when roles are described on numerous casting calls looking for a "caucasian male, 40s-50s" –– it's just part of the biz.
It should be noted that legally, including anything that says "non-something" is considered discrimination, hence the rewording of the original ad. That does not mean, however, that this is any case of reverse racism.
The Actor's Equity Association released a statement March 31 explaining that though they did not approve the language of the original casting call, they do approve of the message calling for "non-white" actors.
To summarize with a great point, Actor's Equity president Kate Shindle said "The real issue here is not a single casting notice, or a reporter trying to create a story. The real issue is that in 2016, there are still far too roles for non-Caucasian actors. In that respect, of course "Hamilton" has been ground breaking, and we hope that the true and exciting diversity on display at the Richard Rodgers [theater] inspires casting directors and creative teams through out the industry. We will continue to fight for our members of color."
"Hamilton" won't suffer much in the end, though, considering their performances are presently sold out until further notice.
