An ‘A’ lister film actor recently was quoted as saying “as an actor, I should be allowed to play any person, any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job”
In the modern world of theatre, there is ongoing fierce debate over what kinds of parts should be played by what sort of person. Can 007 be a black woman? Could Othello be played by a white man? Should an able-bodied person play a disabled character?
The underlying question should be, perhaps, can any actor play any role?
The craft of an actor is itself a pretence. Actors represent something they are not. They inhabit a character’s humanity; they try to convince an audience that they are that character. The actor’s craft is to have the skills to pretend to be someone else, in a way that does justice to the drama.
In the world of amateur theatre, my own view is simple – an actor does not need to share identities or social experiences with the character they have been chosen to play. If they have the right skills, they should be able to create the character the author intended.
However, in professional theatre, I can understand that there may be another viewpoint –another argument, for casting based on ethnicity or some form of disability. I don’t think it is actually to do with diversity as such. It is as simple as making sure that all actors get a fair share of paid employment. There are hundreds of thousands of really good actors seeking paid employment and so it makes sense to follow that somewhat hackneyed phrase -to seek ‘horses for courses’
Of course, as this is a point of view, I do feel strongly that in period films and plays, the casting should reflect the period in which the film or play is set; whether it’s the 1630s or the 1930s. If diversity is going to be a priority, by all means, cast accordingly, but on those occasions, make it clear that the drama is a creative interpretation of that period and is not historically accurate.
There is a tendency to judge theatre, indeed, all art with a moralistic view. In the past, we heard from the critics if a piece was too violent or had too much sexual content. Today, art is judged through diversity – however, I don’t believe that our audiences are that prescriptive. After all, as I leave an auditorium after a play, either I enjoyed it or I didn’t; end of story.