Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Cancels CINDERELLA Due to Lack of Diversity

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres has made the decision to cancel its upcoming production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella due to lack of diversity.

The production will be replaced with Footloose! instead.

Read the full statement below:

After careful consideration and with our ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres has made the decision to cancel our upcoming production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Our hope in beginning the production process again with a new title will allow us to put into practice an intentional process based on the work we have been doing towards equity and inclusivity.

In addition to changing future programming, we are establishing new pre-production protocols. We will be inviting (and paying) BIPOC artists to analyze the production with our creative teams through a new DEI lens - looking to expand the voices that are at the table and impacting the storytelling. This conversation will happen before the design and casting process has begun. We believe this new process will allow us to tell the story in a rich way and allow us to live out our commitment to identity-conscious casting and becoming a more intentionally anti-racist theater. As a creative team, Michael Brindisi, Tamara Kangas-Erickson and Andy Kust will be holding each other accountable to ensure fair and equitable practices in all areas of casting.

It is important to note that we are also in the process of analyzing other production areas that have been brought to our attention including auditions and rehearsals - we are committed to safe, equitable spaces in all areas, and we will continue to update our DEI statement as we explore and refine these plans with our teams.

We are excited to announce that following The Music Man, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres will be producing Footloose! This show was hugely successful for us when it ran 11 years ago, and we are excited to explore it again in a new context. Details about auditions will be announced in the early summer. In addition, we will soon be accepting submissions for replacements in our current production of The Music Man, with a strong priority placed on casting BIPOC artists to join the cast. This announcement will be posted on our website and MN Playlist in upcoming weeks.