Rodriguez, Clara. Heroes, Lovers, and Others: The Story of Latinos in Hollywood. 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 2008.

 

Clara Rodriguez, a professor of sociology at Fordham University, uses this book to look at the representation of Latinos in Hollywood. She explores the assumptions and cultural differences that led to the oftentimes harmful and inaccurate portrayals of Latinos in film. She also explores how the public reacted to these portrayals. Rodriguez breaks down her analysis into five different periods, looking at how Latinos were perceived and what type of roles they were cast in. She also looked at how gender and class played. Her research was accompanied by both factual data and an analysis of films. 

I think reading this book would be very beneficial for my Senior Project. It would help me understand a little bit more about the history of an underrepresented group in Hollywood and media. It would help me understand how harmful stereotypes about Latinos were created and why they manifested themselves in the performing arts. It would also help me figure out how we can undo this and how we can inspire an unpacking of these harmful stereotypes to happen so that Latinos can have accurate AND positive representation in media. 

 

Bobbitt, Michael. “Let’s Be Real: These Programs Won’t End Racism at Your Theatre.” AMERICAN THEATRE, 13 July 2021, www.americantheatre.org/2020/12/22/lets-be-real-these-programs-wont-end-racism-at-your-theatre.

 

This article was written by Michael J. Bobbitt. He is the artistic director of the New Repertory Theater in Massachusetts. He published this article in the magazine “American Theater,” founded in 1984. This magazine includes theater trends and events, how the economy and legislation are impacting the arts, and more. 

In his article, Bobbitt starts with the metaphor of a mold problem and how you wouldn’t just paint over the mold and expect it to disappear. He directly connects this metaphor to the ways in which Theaters treat racism. Bobbitt talks about the many changes that Theaters have been trying to implement to make their theaters more equitable and more anti-racist. These include: giving discounted tickets to marginalized communities, producing one or two BIPOC shows each season, creating community engagement programs, etc. Though these programs all seemed beneficial to me, Bobbitt provides interesting arguments as to why all of these changes are merely temporary medications for problems that are incredibly ingrained into all parts of society. Bobbett states that cultural shifts and policy changes are at the root of truly dismantling white supremacy in racism. This article would definitely be beneficial for people who run theaters to read, as they can get more insight on how to truly make their theaters places where anti-racism is a priority. 

I think it is incredibly important to have a piece like this for my senior project. Since I am interested in theater’s role in anti-racism and social justice, it is good to have a piece of writing that specifically addresses the steps we can take to make theaters anti-racist. In addition, this article challenges a lot of the ideas I previously had about the ways in which we can dismantle white supremacy and inequality in theater, so this article has brought up a lot of questions that I will make sure to ask during my apprenticeship. 

 

Jernigan, Heather. “The History of Racial Exploitation in Theater.” Echoes Media, 30 Aug. 2018, www.echoesofthestruggle.com/single-post/2018/08/29/the-history-of-racial-exploitation-in-theater.

 

This was a piece written for “Echoes Media” which is a blog that aims to promote inclusivity and dismantle racism by providing a platform for marginalized communities.

This specific piece talks about the history of racism and the mistreatment of BIPOC in the arts. It starts off by talking about minstrel shows and how white people performed in blackface and portrayed characters who were meant to be harmful stereotypes of the Black community. The author also mentions that even black actors and performers were forced to perform in blackface and portray characters that were inaccurate and stereotypical. The piece also talks about how even the most talented and loved black actors, such as Bert A. Williams and Hattie McDaniel, experienced a lot of racism on set and were pushed into only portraying stereotypical black characters. To end the piece, the author talks a bit about color-conscious casting and Lin Manuel Miranda and all of the efforts he has made to not only make theater more inclusive but also to make sure that minority groups have positive representation. 

Understanding the history of white supremacy and racism in Theater is incredibly important when considering my project. When thinking about the ways in which we can make Theater more inclusive, we have to peel back the layers and see why Theater looks the way it looks right now. 

 

Kendi, Ibram. How to Be an Antiracist. First Edition, One World, 2019.

Ibram Kendi is a New York-born author, professor, and anti-racist. He has published, essays, books, and academic journals that focus on the history of African Americans, how racist ideologies became prevalent, and how to be anti-racist.

In this book, Kendi asks his readers to stop looking at how the systems in our country put Black people and other people of color at a disadvantage without taking action. He encourages everyone reading to think about the types of roles we can have in trying to build an anti-racist world. Kendi weaves in many different fields such as history, science, law, and ethics to give us an all-rounded understanding of how racist ideologies came to be and how they can be dismantled. He also takes a more personal approach, making his readers think about their own unconscious biases and how they, without noticing, might have also perpetuated racism and white supremacy. Kendi asks everyone reading to not be satisfied with simply being “not racist,” and to instead become actively anti-racist.

I think a text like this is very necessary for my Senior Project. Though it is important to learn about the history of race in theater, it is also important for me to learn more about anti-racism and what that generally looks like so that I can then transfer it to Theater and figure out what anti-racism can look like in the performing arts. 

 

Staff, OnStage Blog. “‘Why the Green Girl Is Never Black?’: Racism in Casting.” OnStage Blog, 25 Aug. 2021, www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2020/12/19/why-the-green-girl-is-never-black-racism-in-casting.

This article was published in the Onstage Blog. Onstage’s main priority is to highlight issues and topics in the theater community that tend to go unnoticed. This blog was founded by Chris Peterson. 

This article provides an insightful look into casting. It starts off by talking about Wicked, one of the most famous musicals in the world. The author notices that even though a lot of Elphaba’s experiences strongly align with those of Black women in America, Elphaba has most times been cast as white. The author brings up arguments that people use to diminish calls for representation, such as “it should just go to the most qualified person.” The author mentions that logistically, there has to be at least one Black woman who was qualified enough for the role, and they bring up the argument that even if no qualified Black woman ever auditioned for the role, it is still the industry’s fault for not making sure that they’re audition rooms look diverse. The author also brings up the fact that when Black actors are cast for roles, these characters go through racism and all of the pain and trauma that comes from being black in this country. Though these stories are important to tell, black people also deserve to see themselves in stories where they can simply be happy. 

When I started to think about Theater’s role in social justice, one of the things that interested me the most was casting. I think casting is one of the biggest ways that theater can bring about equality, so I think having a text that focuses on casting is really beneficial.