Essay On Representative Theatre

The Future of Theatre: Producing Representative Theatre

Reimagining classic pieces of theatre may seem silly and unnecessary. However, with changing times and evolving tolerance, it might be crucial. The Phantom of the Opera is an example of a beloved classic that could benefit from some restructuring, as well as a redefinition of it’s production goals. In such a revamped show, the production team can contemplate varying casting ideas, character alterations as well as highlighting certain themes over others and redefining some all together. I will be discussing this revamped production, in addition to specific casting concepts and deviations to the text and character list.

Important themes incorporated in the phantom of the opera include the

We live in a society that has unconsciously been promoting a “white mentality” when we think of the norm for America. To reach a chapter in theatre history in which true representation and diversity are achieved onstage, dialogue must begin in classrooms and the academic stages. Phantom, I believe, above all else is a love story. Keeping this central theme in mind, and considering various other important messages and conflicts would be essential when casting. Bill Rauch, the artistic director of The Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 2007, told The New York Times in a phone interview that “The theatre in general lags behind in representing the America of today and the future. So we in leadership positions need to do everything we can to reflect the world we live in,” (Isherwood). Not only does the festival in Ashland, OR possess an acting company where forty to forty-nine percent of the acting company is people of color (and many times in leading roles), the festival also produces diverse shows written by people of color. This festival sets precedent for other theatre companies, perhaps even Broadway, to adopt the same blueprint. Broadway saw, what some people called revolutionary, The Phantom of the Opera achieve a

Taking a step back and analyzing this casting decision, some could critique this as a racist choice. Taking into consideration the Phantom as a character and his position in the narrative to the rest of the characters, he resembles the outcast and terrorizer of the opera. He also suffers from a deformity that has sparked abjection. These traits can be paralleled to oppression that people of color, in particular black people, have experienced in this country. Because of white American social beliefs, there existed many coordinated actions that were intended to mentally and physically hurt a group of people because of their race (Langley). This stereotype that could easily be associated with Lewis for portraying the Phantom is also a vehicle to combat it. As an audience member, you might realize these associations and it trigger a thought process of the subtext behind this casting decision. Simultaneously, however, the audience can get lost in the magic of the show and forget all together about the skin color of the phantom because in the end, his super-objective in the show is not to over turn the oppression he faces at the opera, but to make Christine fall in love with him. Nadia C. Bodie describes how audiences had trouble in accepting Lawrence Clayton, a black actor, as Jean Valjean at first in the