Casting auditions were rerun Monday by the Yale Dramatic Association Board after students complained a white woman was playing a black man’s role.
The students complained that the role of the black man in the play “Wild Party” was inappropriately given to a white woman. The role of “Mr. Black” was initially assigned to Yale senior Sarah Chapin, a regular theater performer at the school’s plays. Students complained that while “nine people of color auditioned for the production,” they were overlooked for the role of “Mr. Black.” Additionally, the students protested that the drama group was constantly featuring white cast members in the lead roles.
“The problem has multiple prongs. It has to do with recruiting and making an effort to reach out to people of color on campus, but also has to do with selecting what plays [the Dramat] chooses and what roles are available to people of color,” Yale junior Dianne Lake told the Daily Yale News earlier this month after the initial decision to cast Chapin was announced. “The problem is one of systematic persistence, with the same type of plays being put on, with the same type of people being cast.”
The Dramat, Yale’s largest undergraduate theater company, according to Yale’s student newspaper, decided to recast the show’s roles to feature a black person instead. Auditions for “Mr. Black” were limited to black students only this time; results were announced Tuesday.
“For much of its history, the Dramat has provided too few dynamic roles for people of color on stage. Thus, this missed opportunity for a black actor to take on an exciting and challenging role was felt all the more deeply,” the Dramat Board wrote in a statement Friday. “We recognize the pain that this situation has caused and that this new decision may come too late for some and may hurt others. Still, we hope that reopening auditions will give the Yale community another opportunity to bring new and varied voices to the stage.”
The recasting also included new castings for the roles of Madelaine and Oscar, whose original actors quit their roles after their friend was told her promised role would be reassigned to a black student. The two black students who were originally cast for the roles of Eddie the Thug and Madi Cupp-Enyard were kept on the show.
“I’m tired of hearing the same line about how they are committed to diversity and inclusion only to cast the same white leads in shows over and over again.”
Jill Carrera
Jill Carrera, the show’s producer, said he felt recasting the role was the “right choice” but that the university still had a long way to go to tackle racial strife.
“I’m happy that [the Dramat] listened to feedback from the Yale community, but I’m not confident that this will lead to any permanent changes,” Woodson said. “The pattern repeats over and over again, with platitudes and empty promises about diversity, and I’m tired of hearing the same line about how they are committed to diversity and inclusion only to cast the same white leads in shows over and over again.”
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