#casting diversity

Yea! It really is exciting news! I especially liked seeing where they listed Apache as the tribe with an asterisk and indicated the role would be written to the tribal affiliation(s) of the actor cast.

Forgive my ignorance here, but I wonder if part of the reason that particular casting side was released is because they wanted to cast a wider net for actors who would fit the profile. I don't know how large the casting pool is for Indigenous actors.

(aka: things you won’t see on the spinoff)

Yes, South African Lana English:

Though note that in South Africa the use of the term “coloured” is often a preferred ethnic label. It doesn’t carry the same negative connotations as it does other places in the world, especially in the US and UK. When I refer to Lana English as black, there will be South Africans asking me to respect her ethnicity as coloured. When I use the term coloured, I’m asked by Americans to stop using racist slurs. So have this in mind.

That said, I can’t believe she’s the only coloured/black Christine as of yet. I’m still waiting for the first black Christine on Broadway and in West End. I mean, they haven’t found any in the 30 year long history of the show? REALLY? Phantom does seem to have a casting issue here, with eventual black performers always ending up as Piangi and Carlotta, and with them making a sensation of there being a solid three black Phantoms… in the world… ever. Casting diversity is not the forte of my beloved musical.

"As an actor, period, I have to work on my craft so that I bring something special to the role that nobody else did, so the casting directors don’t see color." — Tashiana Washington 

             For the role breakdown, several fans have asked about diverse casting. Thank you! Casting a person of colour in the lead is very much our priority. Not only is it responsible to break the pattern of depicting the "average trans experience" (if such a thing exists) as that of a middle class white woman in the suburbs, but parts of our plot outline hinge on the intersection of oppression from both race and gender (e.g. profiling when getting stopped at the border). The casting situation is as follows: The last breakdowns have received 20 applications from transgender or genderqueer people of colour, and only 2 have been people of colour (and over 230 cis people who didn't read the breakdown, about 75% of whom were white).

Of those 20 applications, 12 have submitted a tape, we're awaiting tapes from another 3, and 5 did not submit a self-tape when requested. That's a total of 15 people who've submitted a tape to us for the role of Sü.

We need to show those who can green-light The Switch that we've done a thorough search, otherwise we cannot put the show to cable TV. By industry standards,15 people is not a thorough search.

By contrast, a reoccurring one-season supporting character on a show about the power-majority would usually have over 1000 applicants, all with extensive resumes. The consensus is that 1000 applicants is well beyond our reach, but we must reach as far as we can. And for that, we need help. I want to get this breakdown out in front of as many Transgender Women of Colour and Genderqueers of Colour as possible, *especially* anyone with comedy skills. I would love input on how to do this well. If you have input or know someone who does, please either comment here or email me at [email protected].

View Sü's casting breakdown here.

View other character breakdowns here.

 To apply, submit the following to [email protected]