A year before I became a Freshman, my high school performed the musical "Aida." As a Pennsylvanian 8th grader, I didn't question the predominantly white cast performing a musical that focused on the political rivalry between Ancient Egypt and Nubia (modern-day northern Sudan). It wasn't until a couple years later did I learn Nubia was actually inhabited by black people. However, as an eighth grader, I don't think I would have objected to the casting. Now my high school wasn't discriminating against black actors, my high school was just very white. Since they decided to choose a show with characters that had well-established races, they had to resort to "non-traditional casting." In this case, it would have been more accurately called "color-blind casting."
Non-traditional casting is, as one could easily assume, a very controversial issue. The main objection that people have with non-traditional casting is that it isn't "historically accurate." This is what people said when African-American actress, Audra McDonald was cast in the 1994 Broadway production of Carousel. It is true that the role McDonald was playing, Carrie Pepperidge, was intended to be played by a white woman. Additionally, it doesn't quite make sense that, in 1874, a white woman and a black woman would be going to a Maine carnival together; nevertheless, the producers kept McDonald in the role. Ultimately, she went to win a Tony Award for a performance, and no one really got hurt. In the end, it didn't matter that a black woman played the role. Other non-traditional castings that didn't end the world include Ben Vereen and Carl Anderson (two black men) playing Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and B.D. Wong (a Chinese American man) playing Linus in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."
Certain examples of non-traditional casting have resulted in an outcry, though. These tend to be situations in which an actor uses makeup to appear as if they were another race. Examples include Mickey Rooney (a white man wearing yellowface) in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and two of the Wayan brothers (black men wearing whiteface) in the film "White Chicks." However, this is a much different situation since these examples often center around racial stereotypes and not an actor being cast in a role where race doesn't really matter.
Today, non-traditional casting has become bigger than ever. So big that it has often become a part of the production's essence. Examples include Hairspray where a man appears as a female character, and more famously the musical Hamilton where race is essentially ignored in the casting. The result is often a fantastic quality that makes the show an exciting experience.
Race and gender are rather tense topics in modern day America, and while many people are still hesitant to fully embrace non-traditional casting, I personally believe that color-blind and gender-blind casting can actually fix more problems than they could ever cause. The fact that a young black child can see someone with their skin color as an American founding father is nothing less than wonderful.
