Should Jewish actors play Jewish role

[BETTY22]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 12:48pm

Despite their initial response, it seems all three agree.

An excellent discussion. Thank you ALL ARTS. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Video-Tovah-Feldshuh-Bruce-Sussman-and-Alfred-Uhry-Take-Part-in-Broadway-Responds-to-Antisemitism-Panel-20230628

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 1:17pm

Yes. Full Stop. 

[KKeller6]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 2:20pm

So, you mean only Jewish roles? 

[lbftheatre]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 2:34pm

This is very interesting. I'm a British-Jewish theatre-maker and have been heavily involved in this debate (I was involved in the 'Jewface' open letter incident from a few years ago), and the attitude and response here in the UK/British theatre has been disappointing.

London theatre has had several antisemitism scandals lately and it's shocking how openly antisemitic people working in London theatre can be, and how little non-Jewish people seem to care about that particular form of racism.

Cultural and historical attitudes towards Jewish people are very different in the UK than in the US. Obviously the US has its own horrific history of racism and white supremacy that often affects Jewish people (eg Charlottesville, rise of the far right/Neo Nazis), but it doesn't have the literally hundreds of years of ingrained antisemitic propaganda that Europe has. NY in particular has a large Jewish population. For example the "Jewface" incident came about from a London production of Falsettos that didn't have any Jewish creatives working on it, which I think would be unusual in NY.


The concept and expression of 'Jewface' was never intended to mean that non-Jews can't ever play Jews under any circumstance, but an awareness of how historically Jewish characters have been portrayed negatively and in stereotypical ways, and the lack of meaningful Jewish representation both onstage and behind the scenes.

I'm working on a play for next year where the main character is Jewish but deliberately not being played by a Jewish actor for specific reasons relating to the script and the (Jewish) writer's background, and it's a decision that's been made by the all-Jewish creative team with care and to ensure authenticity over specific details of this character's progression and the intersectionality of the character's identities. So I don't think it has to be an absolute no-exceptions rule that only Jews can play Jews, more than Jewish people have to be involved and have a voice when it comes to Jewish representation, and theatre-makers need to be aware of the history of insidious and often coded antisemitism and the many ways antisemitism presents, as well as the history of non-Jews being considered somehow more appropriate to play Jewish characters than actual Jewish actors (which is seen in other minority groups too), and make casting decisions with care and consideration.


I am very interested to read more opinions from American posters and people involved in NYC theatre/NYC theatregoers.

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 02:34 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 2:37pm

Oddly enough, most actors known for playing Jewish roles aren’t/weren’t Jewish in real life. 

Anne Bancroft (in most of her iconic roles)

Valerie Harper (Rhoda Morgenstern)

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Beverly Goldberg)

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 3:04pm

lbftheatre said: "The concept and expression of 'Jewface' was never intended to mean that non-Jews can't ever play Jews under any circumstance, but an awareness of how historically Jewish characters have been portrayed negatively and in stereotypical ways, and the lack of meaningful Jewish representation both onstage and behind the scenes."

This sums it up perfectly. It's not that non-Jewish actors can't play Jewish roles. It's that for years non-Jewish actors have been doing it without doing their research about it and therefore instead turning them into caricatures. If a non-Jewish actor does their research properly just as they would to embody any other aspect of the character, then that's fine. Same if a Jewish actor wants to play a Catholic role. I once directed a production of Doubt where 3 of the 4 actors were not Catholic. So what did they do? Properly researched it and exposed themselves to it and observed Catholic masses and learned how to authentically portray it onstage. It only becomes an issue when they do it inauthentically and disrespectfully.

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 03:04 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 3:10pm

First, there was no consensus between these three.  Sussman and Uhrie disagreed.  In fact, Sussman introduced the topic as a disagreement.  Feldshuh's view was less clear but on balance I didn't read advocacy for Sussman's position. In fact she is currently playing a Jewish mother-in-law to a Jewish son-in-law who is being played by an Iranian born Canadian of Muslim parentage who as an adult converted to Christianity but who it's been reported now identifies as an agnostic. Which doesn't seem to bother her in the least.  And why should it?

Second, I don't agree that Jewish roles should only be played by Jewish actors.
For a very long time,  For at least the last two hundred years, Jewish actors (whose Judaism was not a secret) have played non-Jewish as well as Jewish roles with great success and in large numbers. Therefore -- btw I'm Jewish --and unlike other related casting demographic controversies, I see no compelling political need for Jewish roles to be played by Jewish actors. 

As Brody Fosse said, a great many brilliant performances of Jewish characters have been played by non-Jewish actors.  I'd add that no one could outMaisel the Maisels of Tony Shalhoub, Rachel Brosnahan and ... wait, I guess Marin Hinkle is from a Jewish family.  I greatly admire Oscar Isaac's Sidney Brustein.  And find the idea of Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein brilliant. 

Indeed, "Jew-face" is a separate issue.  I could be wrong but I suspect Cooper's makeup as Bernstein will not cross that line.  Mirren's as Meir may well be a different matter.  But the jury is out.
 

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 03:10 PM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 4:34pm

" I once directed a production of Doubt where 3 of the 4 actors were not Catholic. So what did they do? Properly researched it and exposed themselves to it and observed Catholic masses and learned how to authentically portray it onstage. It only becomes an issue when they do it inauthentically and disrespectfully."

I agree 100%. I would think that part of being a good actor is doing role very well that is totally different than you are personally.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 5:12pm

There are too many gray areas for there to be a definitive answer to this question. What if the actor has ethnically Jewish heritage, but was raised in a different religion, or no religion at all and does not identify as Jewish? And what percentage is acceptable? A quarter Jewish? Half? Does it have to be on the mother’s side? What if they are a late in life convert? 
 

BTW, Lea Michele is half-Jewish on her father’s side, but was raised Catholic. Kind of funny that Tovah is indirectly debating the worthiness of her co-star here, haha.

[girlcop]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 11:06pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Oddly enough, most actors known for playing Jewish roles aren’t/weren’t Jewish in real life.

Anne Bancroft (in most of her iconic roles)

Valerie Harper (Rhoda Morgenstern)

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Beverly Goldberg)"

 

Dont forget Rachel Brosnahan as Mrs Maisel 



 

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 11:06 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/29/23 at 9:30am

Kay Medord made a career of playing Jewish roles but was Irish and Catholic.