Yay for AAA Players!

Read the full article here.

I'm so excited for spring break!

Ready for a new op-ed :-)

Thoughts?  

We can make theater more imaginative, more compelling and more sympathetic to a larger group of people by making it more diverse and multicultural.

                Theater isn’t created in a vacuum.  Theater speaks to both our individual and social conditions.  Kenneth Tynan, an influential English theater critic, wrote “No theater could sanely flourish until there was an umbilical connection between what was happening on the stage and what was happening in the world.”  For that reason, the goals of producing a show should be much larger than to just shape what happens onstage.  When we produce a show, we should also communicate social messages, as well as provide an educational experience not only for the cast and crew of that particular production, but also for the audience and community that the production is a part of. 

                Sam Linden ’10, during a question and answer session for The Laramie Project, quoted a friend who stated that “theater is education disguised as entertainment.”  I wholeheartedly agree.

                Sometimes, however, we can get so caught up in details that we forget what the essence of theater is.  In order to stage a show that “looks good,” and “looks right” we may confine ourselves to precedent rather than liberate our ability to make change.  We get so caught up on emulating the shows that we’ve seen in the past that we pass up opportunities to create something entirely different and unique.

                The quality of theater at Harvard is superb, but still has room for improvement and can better reflect the community that it serves.  The philosophy behind common casting, that anyone should have an equal opportunity for a role, is almost perfect in theory but relatively unsubstantiated in practice.  How many lead roles are continually played by actors of the same stripe that have always played those roles?

                There has already been much work to make theater here more diverse and more inclusive.  BlackCAST, for instance, made a point of staging a gender-neutral and color-blind production this past fall.  Hopefully, with the arrival of a new Dramatic Arts concentration and graduate school, and with more theater courses offered, formal training for more people will be more available and accessible. 

                However, this alone will not be able to resolve our problem of under-representation.  What is needed is more calculated risk-taking, and better support in place to maximize the chance that cutting-edge decisions will succeed.  Quite simply, we should try to cast some actors who don’t typically populate our major shows.  For many outsiders, the world of Harvard theater is exclusive and relatively confined.  It’s time to shake things up.

                I do not wish for affirmative action of the theatrical bent.  Rather, I am asking that directors and producers to re-evaluate what qualities they look for when they cast their shows and take a chance on recruiting fresh new faces.  Students of multicultural backgrounds traditionally under-represented in theater should not be discouraged by prior experiences and keep training and trying out for theater shows if theater is truly something that they love. 

                Cultural groups, if there is an interest, should host their own theatrical productions as a way to train talent and provide more theatrical experience for more actors.  In staging their own shows, cultural groups may find that theater is a meaningful way to explore cultural identity as well as expose others to their cultural art and artists. Cultural groups can provide support, as well as provide consistency, for diverse Harvard theatrical productions.

                During The Laramie Project pre-show panel, Rev. Stephen Johnson noted that The Laramie Project is a play performed around the world in Africa, India, and a multitude of other countries.  The reason why The Laramie Project is so popularly produced, he stated, was because people have found that the powerful message behind this one show is not just confined to one group of people in particular, but to all who face stereotypes and prejudice.  The show is more popular, and meaningful, because of the diverse groups that perform it.   

                You can find similar universality in almost any theatrical production.  When you choose to make theater a more inclusive place, then you add another dimension to the message behind the play and the production.  You can connect with a greater number of the audience and make the theatrical experience more meaningful. And in the process, you can invigorate old themes with new significance.  

The Laramie Project

Don't miss it! 

The Office for the Arts at Harvard presents the Harvard premiere of:

The Laramie Project

by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project

A student independent production 
Directed by Jason Wong

Assistant Direction by Jacqueline Palumbo

Produced by Truc Doan and Karla Reyes

www.harvardlaramieproject.com

January 8 to 10, 2009 7:30 p.m.

January 10 and 11, 2009 2 p.m.

at The Agassiz Theater

$10 General Admission | $7 Students

Tickets available at The Harvard Box Office

The Laramie Project is a powerful docudrama derived from a compilation of interviews conducted by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. The story centers on the entire community of Laramie, Wyoming and their reaction to the murder of Matthew Shepard, the victim of a gay hate crime. Both retrospective and dynamic, heartbreaking and inspiring, The Laramie Project is an experience that you won't want to miss, and one that you won't forget! For more information on our production, including news and special events, please visit our website at www.harvardlaramieproject.com  

With a Special Harvard Laramie Project Panel Presentation

January 8, 2009 4:30 p.m.

at The Agassiz Theater

Free Admission!  RSVP at http://harvardlaramieproject.com/panel.html

We are very excited to announce that, in conjunction with the Nicholas Papadopoulos Fund, we will be hosting a special presentation with Romaine Patterson, Rev. Stephen Johnson and his wife, Rev. Penelope Toms.  All three lived in Laramie when the event occurred ten years ago, and are thrilled to be able to offer their perspective on what happened and be available to answer questions from the audience.  Romaine Patterson and Rev. Johnson are featured prominently in the play.  The panel will be moderated by Dr. Timothy McCarthy, and will be held prior to the opening night performance.  Please visit our website for more details!  http://harvardlaramieproject.com/panelists.html

Common Casting

Oops!  I still have two more posts on China to go.  But in the meantime, I can't say how awed and happy I am at how this week is going.  First of all, classes are great.  I got into the Social Studies tutorial I wanted ("Citizenship Rights"), and it only has six students!   I'm also getting rid of three Core requirements (Science A: Nanotechnology, Science B: Origins of Knowledge, Lit A: Lives Ruined by Literature), and fourth year Chinese!  Yikes.

But the most amazing thing this week by far has been Common Casting.  This is the week that pretty much all of the Harvard theatrical productions hold auditions for actors.  Ours has been scheduled starting this past Monday to Thursday 9 p.m. to Midnight, and we're on our last night tonight!  We've had amazing turnout, and nothing makes my day better than when an actor shows up and loves the audition, and the play, and is really excited for the production.  Because of the roundabout way that I came to Harvard theater (thank you for your understanding, team!), our team has been flooding the open, house, ethnic, and other email lists encouraging everyone to audition.  We're trying to be as friendly, welcoming and helpful as possible, because sometimes it can be very intimidating to audition in front of three to four strangers, and be judged, you know?

The monologues that we're having people read are Sherry Johnson and her discussion of a separate police officer's death, Romaine Patterson and standing up to Fred Phelps, Aaron Kriefels on discovering the body, and Jedidiah Schultz on how close to home prejudice can be.  All are very moving and heartrending monologues.  The dialogue scenes are the confession of Aaron McKinney with Rob Debree (Male), and the nearly fatal and life-altering event of Reggie Fluty and Marge Murray (Female).  Oh man!!

The Power of Theater

Today was a really significant day for our beginning acting class. It was our last day together. The first part of our class was spent reminiscing, and sharing with each other what this class meant to us. One thing in particular resounded with me, that through this class, I've met many, many other students who I would not have gotten to know otherwise, and through this class we've all formed a distinct community. People of different tastes, theatrical experiences, backgrounds, geographic locations, ages, etc. etc. all met and conglomerated in this class. It's awesome. More so than any other academic class, wherever our individual paths lead us now, whenever ours cross with each other, we'll be more than classmates.

Unlike athletics, where people compete with one another, and unlike academic classes, where you don't really get to work with other people and get to know them, theater is a place for community, personal growth, and exploration. Where else do you explore human nature? Where else do you depend on so many other people to create art? I love theater so much. I know I probably won't be able to depend on theater as a career, but I know my appreciation of theater will last a lifetime.

Also today is the horrible news from China and Myanmar. It's so sad. We should do all we can to help, if it is just helping people be aware of the human devastation that's happening there, and compelling people to donate if they can.

For all we know, sooner or later we might be one of those victims. No place is really immune from natural disasters.

The Harvard Laramie Project

We did it!! WE did IT! I just learned of this not even three days ago, and I'm still bouncing off the walls and flying high above the clouds.

We are producing the Harvard premier of The Laramie Project! The number of performances, and performance times will be announced at a later date, but we will be putting this production on at the Agassiz Theater here at Harvard on the weekend of January 8 to 11, 2009! Everyone's invited! Please come! It's going to be awesome!

In any case, we have big plans for this production, including possibly the use of cinematography and photographs in order to create an ultra-modern artistic feel. For our publicity campaign, we are hoping to utilize all the means available to us, including print ads, posters/flyers, making use of the internet, and especially utilizing a social network as a way to connect the cast, crew, and fans of the Harvard Laramie Project! I think what's going to be new about this particular web campaign is that I'm going to encourage all of the staff, cast and crew to blog about their experiences when they can. I think it's going to be great! It's kind of like mimicking the diary moments inside the play itself (if you are familiar with this play, you'll know what I'm talking about, if not, don't worry about it!) In addition, you'll be able to ask us questions, and prod our artistic vision as we lead into opening night! Furthermore, you'll get an insider's view of what it's like to put on a theatrical production. We have much to offer! Visit theharvardlaramieproject.ning.com and check it out! You should register! And stay tuned!

For the past two weeks, our staff has poured their heart and soul into organizing a group and a proposal for our show. Our proposal for The Agassiz theater is eight pages long. Including our credentials section, our proposal's almost twenty pages! This is all for a production that wasn't even guaranteed a space or funding!

The night before I expected to hear about whether or not we got a space, I had nightmares where I begged and pleaded with everyone I knew to get this project off the ground even though we were rejected. I prepared myself not to show disappointment or cry if we were refused. I woke up the next morning, tired from an exhausting repose, and was glued to my email inbox. I received this email in the late afternoon, that read:

We were impressed by your commitment to bringing this show to the Harvard campus, and the team presentation during your interview.

The NCT/Agassiz Review Committee has decided to grant The Laramie Project a two week residency at the Agassiz Theatre for the weeks of Dec. 15 to Jan. 11 (taking into account winter recess) contingent on the following items:
- There will only be one weekend of performances, starting no earlier than Wednesday, 1/7, and going no later than a matinee on Sunday, 1/11, allowing for an evening strike.
- You agree to work with the Agassiz staff and other building users to ensure all support spaces (Horner Room, scene shop, lobbies, etc.) are shared fairly and always left clean and organized for the next group.
- You abide by the rules and policies of the Agassiz Operations Manual and Tech Safety Manual.

Honestly, I teared up. I'm so excited for this show! We have such a genuinely awesome group behind this production, I can't help but be more and more excited for this production as time passes!! We still have much work to do, such as apply for funding, and get our paperwork together and create our organization behind this production, but we're doing this! It's almost like living a dream. *pinches self* Stay with us and follow our trials and tribulations as we begin our journey to our big performance dates! Welcome, all, to The Harvard Laramie Project!

Boycott 21

Ever since yesterday evening, I've been really actively promoting the Boycott 21 facebook group and have been trying to tell all my friends to boycott the movie. I'm worked up on this issue because this is a case of Hollywood whitewashing a partially Asian American event, and marginalizing the Asian American role.

I want to say a few words in support of boycotting 21, and then I want to say a few words about my own stances on this issue versus another stance I took publicly on a Harvard Op-Ed on Equal Opportunity Casting. I also want to say a few words why your support, even if it's just you, means a lot.

In a serious movie about the American cowboys, Hollywood (and I'd happily recant if I'm ever proven wrong) would never cast Asian Americans, Hispanics, or African Americans as the major characters. But 21 is another example of this equation being carried out in real life, albeit in reverse and only in one direction. 21 is an example where a group of people’s contributions are being marginalized, for whatever reason. This is unfair, and quite simply, the state of affairs as they are now sucks.

Asian American actors have yet to break the glass ceiling so that they are better represented on screen or on stage. If you look at the Hollywood productions themselves, there seems to be a movement (accidental, or intentional) to suppress Asian American talent. I'm not arguing that Asian Americans are being oppressed by the man! But on the other hand, Asian Americans are already given very little opportunity to break through to major productions, especially when Asian American stories like 21 are whitewashed, and when Asian productions such as The Departed, and The Ring, are redone with a White cast.

There's an argument to be had that maybe there isn't enough Asian American talent. My answer is that there is a Chicken or the Egg paradox that makes it hard to tell. Is it that there aren't enough Asians on stage or in major Hollywood productions because there is little Asian American interest in trying out for these roles? Or is it that Hollywood doesn't really give them a chance, so Asian Americans don't really bother... and Asian American talent consequently stays underdeveloped?

So why is it important to boycott a silly movie? Well, to tell you the truth, boycotting this movie probably won’t make a difference. It won’t make a difference, unless, be it on this issue or another issue, the people who matter get our message. They might hear us this time, they might hear us next time, or the time after that. What’s most important, though, is that we keep trying. Just by signing on to this facebook group, and inviting your friends makes a difference. That’s one more voice, one more human being, endorsing a message that is important for people to realize.

It’s not fair to Asian American talent that Hollywood does this. It’s not fair to the Asian American community to be largely ignored in mass media. It's not fair to society that Asians don't get to donate their version of George Clooney, or Will Smith, or Samuel Jackson, etc. etc. to the enjoyment and entertainment of society. For whatever reason, why is it intentionally harder for Asian Americans to break through in theater and in the movie theater? What in our culture doesn't allow for fair casting without consideration toward ethnic background? Even Roger Ebert has noticed a general condescending attitude toward Asian American artists and its detrimental effects. Ebert angrily proclaimed to the public at large and particularly to an amateur critic who criticized the Asian American cast and production team at a Better Luck Tomorrow event that "What I find very offensive and condescending about your comment, is that nobody would say to a bunch of White filmmakers, "How could you do this?!"... Asian Americans have a right to be whoever the hell they want to be!" (3:06) [I definitely recommend watching this youtube video]

We all know that if we don't start somewhere, if we don't say anything, if we don't do something, then nothing will change. The state of affairs will continue to persist- and some people don’t think that’s a bad thing.

It is a bad thing because there’s this dream. There’s a dream about a multicultural society, where the color of a person’s skin doesn’t matter. In this ideal society, it doesn’t matter if there’s a white actor playing an Asian American role and vice versa. But we aren’t there yet. We aren't there when this trade-off only goes in one direction. We’re at a place where Asian Americans are noticeably absent from the stage, from the movie screens, and from television. We’re in a place where we have to work to make things happen. So let’s work.

Please join us and Boycott 21, and please tell your friends. This isn't the first time this has happened to Asian Americans as a group. Otherwise, I'm inclined to agree that one instance isn't a big deal and probably doesn't indicate much, if anything. But there's been a pattern of whitewashing and anti-Asian racial casting, where Asian Americans are excluded from these historical roles and/or are ethnically subjugated if they are even given roles. The least we can do to address this problem is start a dialogue.

Equal Opportunity Casting

We did it!! Unfortunately, lots of cuts had to be made. And one minor factual error-- well exaggeration made it through the rounds of edits, but it's published!! The message is hopefully coming out!! Thank you so much everyone for your help, edits, tips, information, support, etc. etc.

I'll keep you updated should there be any updates on this issue. You can find a direct link to the Crimson's publication here. A full version of the Op-Ed released on this blog, is available here.

Best,
Jason

Equal Opportunity Casting

Published On Monday, February 04, 2008 2:10 AM

By JASON J. WONG

ARTICLE TOOLS: E-mail this Article Printer Friendly Version Write a Letter to the Editor

This past fall, the New College Theater celebrated its grand re-opening with an excellent production of the hilariously absurd play, “Oh Dad, Poor Dad.” Like many other Harvard theatrical productions, however, the triumph of the production was attenuated by the lack of minorities in the cast. Sadly, many audience members and production staff were oblivious to the lack of minority representation.

That Harvard-affiliated and subsidized productions should better represent the diversity of its student body is a no-brainer. That there is little movement toward this goal, and also a history of homogeneity in Harvard’s theater community should be a cause for concern among Harvard’s artists, activists, and students.

Minorities make up nearly half of the Harvard population. Yet, minority actors, directors, producers, and techies are few and far between. In Harvard productions, how often do you find minority actors cast onstage, besides in productions that are staged by cultural groups such as BlackCAST or Bodas de Sangre? Certain ethnicities, particularly Asian and Middle Eastern, are conspicuously missing from Harvard’s thespian community.

To be sure, no one should go to a theatrical production expecting 21 percent of the cast to mirror Harvard College’s Asian population. But it is unfortunate that no one expects to see a variety of actors from different minority groups play roles in productions that were written in an era when Caucasians dominated the theater community.

Admittedly, it is hard to blame a casting director for looking at a quintessentially American role like Willy Loman’s in “Death of a Salesman” and visualizing a white actor because that is how the role is traditionally portrayed. But Loman’s character encompasses a more fundamental struggle to achieve the American Dream that transcends race. Why, then, can’t Loman’s character be played equally well by others who represent one of the many other peoples whose struggle to achieve the American dream is just as, if not more, real?

The American Dream is inherently multicultural and involves people of different ethnicities. But no one in the Harvard theater community openly discusses this dearth of minority involvement.

The problem is that no one questions why we tend to prefer white actors. For example, it is generally presumed that the major roles of Jonathan and Rosalie in “Oh Dad, Poor Dad” will be cast as white. Many people may believe that the only plays worth producing are written for white actors, but this line of thought leaves little room for actors of other ethnicities to find roles that are not a stereotype of their ethnic appearance and/or not minor roles. Furthermore, this line of thought does not justify why white actors were cast in “The Mikado,” in which the characters are supposedly Japanese.

For whatever reason, there is a tendency against “color blind” casting, and we miss key opportunities to expose theater-going audiences to a multicultural experience.

Of course, the idea of “color-blind” casting is a controversial one in the larger theatrical world. August Wilson, the African-American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, argued that ethnic experiences are distinct and unique, and therefore cannot be successfully intertwined onstage. By contrast, Professor of English, Emeritus, theatre critic, and playwright Robert S. Brustein, contended that racial issues could be resolved onstage when he stated that “theater works best as a unifying rather than a segregating medium.” This discussion is missing at Harvard. The theater scene still does not involve nearly the number of minorities that it should.

Why, at a place like Harvard that is exceptionally diverse in many respects, is the group of students involved in theatre so homogeneous?

We must decide not to be limited by our predilections toward actors of one type. By this I mean that we need to open up our minds—and stages—to the idea of minority leads in traditionally white roles. Other solutions include creating ethnically conscious productions, and using race and ethnicity in creative ways. Patrick Stewart famously reversed the colors in his production of “Othello” a few years ago in Washington D.C.

Isn’t theater, after all, supposed to challenge society, the human condition, and traditionally held beliefs through art?

At some point, one wonders when the status quo will change to better represent our increasingly diverse society. It won’t change until we will ourselves to confront the issue. Today, the first day of Common Casting, is a good opportunity to start. There isn’t a better time than now to challenge ourselves to imagine an African American, an Asian, or a Latino in important American roles such as Willy, Rosalie, or Jonathan. Only when we, as actors, directors, casting directors, critics, producers and audience members, open up to the idea of such a possibility will minority actors truly be given an equal chance to perform in these roles.

Jason J. Wong ’10 is a social studies concentrator in Quincy House.

Equal Opportunity Casting

This started when my friends, who know that I come from an arts school, constantly asked me why I'm not active with the arts here. I finally opened up to share with some of them my thoughts and they told me I wasn't crazy nor unreasonable (thank you for that), and inspired me to write an editorial which I hope to publish in the school newspaper, and share with the theater folks here. Then I found out that there have been many others who have also thought about this issue for a long time, and that I am not the first nor am I alone. I love theater with all my heart, and this is an issue dearly important to me. I wanted to share the most updated draft of this op-ed with you, and if you had any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks,
Jason

1/13/08 Update: THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! for your support, ideas, criticisms, love, and corrections. I feel like each draft has truly become more meaningful and thoughtful than the last, and I hope you do too. Please feel free to continue sending me feedback, criticisms, ideas, etc. through either of my two email addresses: jjwong@fas.harvard.edu or jwong.ofcounsel@gmail.com or through the comments section.

1/13/08 Update: I was emailed this evening by the President of the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club!! She wants to meet and discuss the op-ed's concerns. I will continue to send updates, and I hope that one or two people will accompany me because honestly the changes proposed are definitely meant to embody diverse interests, not just my point of view. Keep sending suggestions and ideas, and I will do my best to present them! If you are available to meet, email me your cell phone number, so I can let you know of the time and place!! Thanks again! This is a really positive sign.

1/14/08 Update: We have continued our discussion and decided to initially meet alone regarding the editorial. However, it seems clear that from this we can initiate processes that will allow for everyone interested to voice their opinion and be involved in this issue. Please, continue sending contact information if you're interested. This is an amazing opportunity for some positive change. I hope you won't let it die out. I'll continue keeping you informed. Keep in touch!

1/15/08 Update: I met with the Prez today for three hours! It was fairly productive. We had quite the discussion over the root causes of underrepresentation, silly hobbits (just testing you!), HRDC responsibility, next steps, etc. Even though we had a few disagreements, we found many areas of common ground and my impression is that she is genuinely interested in seeing this issue through, and doing what she can in her role so that we may start taking some meaningful action and sooner or later start seeing some meaningful results. I'm actually really impressed with her concern and dedication for this issue. I honestly think this is the beginning of an opportunity for many members of the community to start actively participating in discussions and actions that increase minority representation on stage. I talked with Jimmy (the former president of AAA), and we are hoping on having a meeting of interested Asian Americans/Asians who are interested in this issue over intersession, around the 24th. We will talk begin to initiate talks with the board of AAA about this. If you're interested please email me! We'll keep you updated on the details. We'd also like to get in touch with BlackCAST, compania del teatro bilingue, etc. to start the ground work on coalition building and community representation. This is a really important time right now in community organizing, and in pro-actively working with the HRDC to commit to a more multicultural Harvard theater community. Definitely help if you can, either in submitting ideas over the email which we can represent, in showing up for meetings in person, in involving other affected groups, etc.!

Equal Opportunity Casting

Note: In this article I reference Oh Dad, Poor Dad and The Mikado as an example of a pattern of productions at Harvard. The mention is not intended to single out various plays, but instead to make a point in general about Harvard theater.

This past fall, the New College Theater celebrated its grand re-opening with an excellent production of the hilariously absurd play, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad. However, two very important things were missing: 1) the presence of minorities, and 2) awareness of this absence. Unfortunately, the audience and production staff were oblivious to this lack of minority representation.

That Harvard-affiliated and -subsidized productions should better represent the diversity of its student body is a no-brainer. That there is little movement toward this goal, and also a history of homogeneity in Harvard’s theater community, is a cause of concern for all of Harvard’s artists, activists, and students. Too few conceive of ethnic leads in major productions, and too few wonder why minorities are conspicuously absent from the main stage.

Minorities make up nearly half of the Harvard population. Yet minority actors, directors, producers, and techies are few and far between. When you go to watch Harvard productions, can you find more than a handful of active minority actors—apart from those who participate in productions that are inherently ethnic or are produced by ethnic organizations, such as BlackCAST or Bodas de Sangre? Certain ethnicities, particularly Asian and Middle Eastern ethnicities, are nearly absent in key Harvard productions. Where are these underrepresented minorities onstage in productions, or even on the HRDC board, or in the Office of the Arts?

No one goes to a theatrical production expecting that 21% of the cast should mirror the Asian student population proportionately; or that at Harvard a cast that is 40% minority is representative of the larger student population. At the same time, it is unfortunate that no one expects to go to a production to see ethnicities play roles in productions that were written in an era that Caucasians predominated.

No one can blame a producer, director, or casting director for looking at a quintessentially American role like Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and visualizing a white actor. Even though Willy Loman’s character encompasses all people and ethnicities who struggle to achieve the American Dream, theatrical representations of this play predominantly utilize white actors. However, is there any reason Willy Loman cannot be played by an African-, Asian-, or Latino-American, or by a representative of one of the many other groups of people who also struggle with the American Dream?

There are none; because in fact the American Dream is inherently multicultural and involves people of different ethnicities. But no one at Harvard openly discusses this, and we’re used to reading and watching shows written by Miller, Kopit, et al. and imagining only white actors in these productions. People need to start imagining these plays and storylines encompassing a broader range of people and experiences, rather than limiting them to the monochromatic theatrical productions they are currently stuck in.

The problem is that no one is questioning why we have an obsession with white actors, especially in this day and age. Casts of various plays can be taken from the pre-Civil Rights era and planted on today’s stages and no one would even know the difference. For example, it is almost taken for granted that the major roles of Jonathan and Rosalie in Oh Dad, Poor Dad, will be cast white. Many people may believe that the plays worth producing are written for white actors, but this line of thought leaves little room for actors from other ethnicities to find roles that are not a stereotype of their ethnic appearance and/or are not minor roles. Furthermore, this line of thought does not explain why inherently Asian roles in productions such as The Mikado are played by white actors, even though the characters are supposedly Japanese.

For whatever reason, we almost seem to reject ethnic talent automatically, and we miss key opportunities to expose theater-going audiences to the modern multicultural experience.

Of course, the idea of “color-blind” casting is a controversial one in the larger theatrical world; many question whether or not ethnicities can be successfully merged with their white counterparts in theatrical productions. August Wilson argued that ethnic experiences are distinct and unique, and therefore could not be intermingled. His opposite, Robert Brustein, argued that they could when he stated that “theater works best as a unifying rather than a segregating medium.” At Harvard this discussion should be happening publicly, regardless of which side of the debate you are on. Activists on both sides should be promoting, and producing, theatrical performances that represent their beliefs with actors of all ethnicities. But they aren’t. If this discussion is taking place at all, it is not taking place in a public forum, much less in theatrical performances here. The theater scene still does not involve nearly the number of minorities that it should, whether in ethnic-oriented productions, or in “color-blind” productions.

Because of my experience in theater, I am a firm supporter of “color-blind” performances. The question ultimately arises: if we cast ethnic actors in major roles, will the quality of our productions be the same as they would without ethnic actors? No, these productions won’t have the same quality. Nor should they, because these productions will finally embrace and acknowledge the diversity of our society. Productions will evolve to become more inclusive, and more meaningful to a multicultural society than they would be if we maintained the status quo.

At my arts high school, productions are naturally nontraditionally cast. For example, it was determined in high school that an African American actor should play Dennis Shepard in The Laramie Project, the father of a gay student (Matthew Shepard) who was killed in a hate crime. He was cast because his performance and talents merited such an important role. He brought the entire audience to tears, every time. Audiences would not have had that chance to see him were the director to limit himself to the idea that Dennis Shepard should be a white character. Coincidentally, even though I am Chinese, I played a redneck farmer and a homophobic priest among other roles in that same play. The casts for all our performances were full of such examples. No one thought anything of the ethnicity of the actor who played the role, only that he or she played it well.

A few Freshman Urban Program colleagues pointed out to me in an email that we should recognize organizations such as BlackCAST, compania del teatro bilingue, and Student Theater Advancing Growth and Empowerment (STAGE) for attempting to encourage theater participation by people who have traditionally never had the opportunity to be involved. We should definitely recognize their Herculean efforts to diversify the talent pool not only at Harvard but in high schools all over the Boston area. But their efforts alone are not enough. We need to call for broader diversification in mainstream Harvard productions before the dream of multiculturalism can be truly said to have arrived.

In places where diversity has a history of being conspicuously absent, we need to determine whether or not we really do have monochromatic preferences, and then determine that we will not be limited by our predilections toward actors of one type. By this I mean we need to open up our minds, and stages, to the idea of ethnic leads in traditionally white roles. Other solutions include creating ethnically conscious productions, and using ethnicity in creative ways: Patrick Stewart famously reversed the colors in his production of Othello a few years ago in Washington D.C. We simply must not just sit around, do nothing and allow the current state of affairs to persist.

Isn’t theater, after all, supposed to challenge society, the human condition, and traditionally held beliefs through art?

At some point, one wonders when the status quo will ever change to better represent our increasingly diverse society. It won’t change until we consciously will ourselves to confront this issue, today. If we wait, more decades might pass before we recognize that this may be a racial and equal opportunity issue. We cannot wait for a better time than now to challenge ourselves to consider imagining an African American, or an Asian, or a Latino, in major American roles such as Willy, or Rosalie, or Jonathan. Only when we, as actors, directors, casting directors, critics, producers and audience members, open up to the idea of such a possibility will ethnic actors truly be given an equal chance to perform in those roles.

Many of us, of all colors and stripes, are waiting for that day to come.

Jason Wong, a sophomore in Quincy House, played Jonathan in “Oh Dad, Poor Dad” in high school and graduated with honors from the Drama Department at San Francisco School of the Arts. He is also a California State Arts Scholar in the Dramatic Arts.