Tag: sj

Should We Be Casting Only Disabled Young Actors As Tiny Tim In ‘A Christmas Carol’?

“Now, in an era in which authenticity and representation have become entertainment industry watchwords, the presenters of some of the many theatrical adaptations that are staged every winter are rethinking who gets to play this iconic role … In London, the casting call for the role made it clear: ‘Applicants without a disability will not be considered.’ In New York, the language was subtler: ‘Performers with disabilities are encouraged to audition.'” – The New York Times

New Documentary Play Takes On Human Trafficking

“At a table reading of Live Bodies for Sale, a new docudrama about human trafficking in Northeast Ohio, playwright Christopher Johnston addresses the assembled cast and crew. ‘Everybody in this play is real,’ he says. ‘The characters, their monologues, are all taken from what these people have said to me in the time I’ve spent with them. We want to tell their stories.'” – American Theatre

Why Are There So Many Asian-American Hip-Hop Dance Crews? Community

“In many Asian countries, hip-hop rose to popularity as a form of self-expression and resistance, sometimes in the face of colonialism and oppressive regimes. … But the contemporary boom of Asian Americans in hip-hop seems born out of a different impulse — one of finding belonging and connecting with others who share your unique experience.” – Vice

Inside The 1811 Louisiana Slave Rebellion Re-Enactment

“It took years [for the organizer, artist Dread Scott,] to raise the funds of over $1m, which included money from 500 individual donations, to pull off the spectacle. But as word of mouth about the project got out, African Americans from all over the country signed up.” Reporter Oliver Laughland joined the re-enactors as they marched 26 miles from the LaPlace, La. plantation where the original rebellion started to the center of New Orleans. – The Guardian

The Greta Thunberg Of The Theatre

Isabella Madrigal, a tribally enrolled member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians in California, and a 17-year-old, figured out, as she had a hard time finding good roles, that she could shape her own narrative. She explains, “if there is a lack of Native actors, it’s because there’s a lack of Indigenous storytellers. This lack of representation goes beyond just not seeing a Native face in the media. That’s certainly part of the issue, but it’s not the entire thing because our defining stories are also missing from the national narrative.” – The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)

A Bookstore With A Mission, Surviving In The Midst Of Book Business Upheaval

Must be nice to be able to say that people wanting bestsellers can just “ge them elsewhere.” Another Story Bookshop in Toronto was founded with a mission of social justice, with the purpose of getting “diverse books into diverse hands” – and though the founder died two years ago, the new owners are continuing the mission despite Toronto’s rising real estate market and, of course, the ever-present threat of Amazon. – The New York Times