Hello! I run a small theatre and need to find a show with a female lead to put on this season. Should be a Maria in the Sound of Music type. Also, the women who we have playing the lead in this show can sing mezzo and soprano so either is fine!
Thank you.
EDIT: To clarify, I am looking for a show to star an actress who could be easily cast as Maria.
(We were going to do Sound of Music this year, but our strongest candidate is a person of color and my fellow producers and I all have differing opinions on whether or not it would be okay to cast a person of color as Maria considering the time period the show is set in. So, we have mutually decided to just look for another show instead.)
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By "should be a Maria in The Sound of Music type" do you mean you are looking for a show to star an actress who would be easily cast as Maria or do you mean you are looking for a show with a lead character similar in qualities (personality, values, character, vocal strongpoints) to Maria?
To clarify, I am looking for a show to star an actress who could be easily cast.
(We were going to do Sound of Music this year, but our strongest candidate is a person of color and my fellow producers and I all have differing opinions on whether or not it would be okay to cast a person of color as Maria considering the time period the show is set in. So, we have mutually decided to just look for another show instead.)
GeorgeandDot said: "Seriously though, why not The Sound of Music?"
Just made an edit about this; we were going to do Sound of Music this year, but our strongest candidate is a person of color and my fellow producers and I all have differing opinions on whether or not it would be okay to cast a person of color as Maria considering the time period the show is set in. So, we have mutually decided to just look for another show instead.
South Pacific! As Nellie - I think it would add layers upon layers of meaning if a woman of color rejected a man because his first wife was Polynesian.
satisfiied said: "GeorgeandDot said: "Seriously though, why not The Sound of Music?"
Just made an edit about this; we were going to do Sound of Music this year, but our strongest candidate is a person of color and my fellow producers and I all have differing opinions on whether or not it would be okay to cast a person of color as Maria considering the time period the show is set in. So, we have mutuallydecided to just look for another show instead."
If she can sing and act the part she should get it. This isn't a big Broadway production, this is just a small theatre company. I say do The Sound of Music. This is very different from asking who should be cast in an all person of color Broadway production with poc playing Nazis.
You say that the girl (strongest candidate) can sing mezzo and soprano and that you were going to do/planning to do the Sound of Music. Then you say you are looking for a similar role like Maria because she would be good for it.
I would just pick her and not change shows because of her color.
It's mostly people of color who always think in race and that is the cause of the problem. I would give them an example of how to look past that and go for the talent.
Unless the girl in question focuses on race so much that she decided she doesn't want to do it.
In professional productions people might want to stick a bit more to historical accuracy, but I definitely wouldn't make a deal out of it in your situation.
Dave28282 said: "You say that the girl (strongest candidate) can sing mezzo and soprano and that you were going to do/planning to do the Sound of Music. Then you say you are looking for a similar role like Maria because she would be good for it.
I would just pick her and not change shows because of her color.
It's mostly people of color who always think in race and that is the cause of the problem. I would give them an example of how to look past that and go for the talent.
Unless the girl in question focuses on race so much that she decided she doesn't want to do it.
In professional productions people might want to stick a bit more to historical accuracy, but I definitely wouldn't make a deal outof it in your situation."
I agree with you. I very much wanted to do the sound of music but I can't get my producers to look past the race issue, so we figured it would be best to move forward and find another show rather than argue.
Dave28282 said: "It's mostly people of color who always think in race and that is the cause of the problem. I would give them an example of how to look past that and go for the talent".
And the BWW "race keyword" alarm rings loudly in Dave28282's small room at the residential hotel he frequents as Dave stirs to life and realizes it is time once again to go to work to teach the world about race relations.
Dave28282 said: "It's mostly people of color who always think in race and that is the cause of the problem. I would give them an example of how to look past that and go for the talent.
Unless the girl in question focuses on race so much that she decided she doesn't want to do it."
If all of us could only look past race as easily as Dave...
There is just so much about this thread that is making my head spin. You have a lead, but no show for her to star in?
And I'm going to call BS. It's not just that you started 2 threads about race in your first day, but they are both race threads about Sound of Music.
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