Description
This book confronts and analyzes the systemic racism that confronts actors of color in the USA through interviews with leading performers in the nation’s theatrical epicentre of Chicago.
Each chapter deals with a different central question, from how these actors approach roles and the obstacles that they face, to the ways in which the industry can change to better enable actors of color. By bringing together these actors and sharing the ways in which they have functioned within the white theatre world, we can appreciate how theatre needs to embrace their identities so that all voices are heard, understood, and valued. The stories of these actors will reflect the systemic racism of the past and present with the hope of remaking the future.
This is an important book for students, teachers, and professionals who engage in theatre work, helping them to understand the lived experiences of actors of color through those actors’ own words.
Table of Contents
1. How has your being/identity affected your career? 2. What obstacles have you encountered because of your being/identity? 3. Does your identity/being impact how you approach a role? A role traditionally played by a white actor? 4. Have you had any positive experience with a director who understood identity consciousness? 5. Have you had any negative experience with a director who did not understand identity consciousness? 6. Has anyone ever asked you to modify or neutralize your identity to gain a role or play a role? 7. Do you think there have been changes made in the performance industry since the time you started? 8. What changes need to be made to ensure an equitable workplace? 9. What advice would you give to a beginning identity actor?
