When Jonathan Larson wrote Rent in 1989, he had yet to realize the legacy he would leave the world. Rent is an thought-provoking musical written about the different faces of AIDS. These faces are white, Black, Hispanic, female, male, gay, straight and provide a variety of multicultural perspectives. This multiculturalism is necessary not simply because the play is based in New York City, but also because it represents the diversity of victims of AIDS, a disease that leaves no socioeconomic or ethnic group untainted. The original cast of Rent in 1996 contained the type diversity representative of a lower class neighborhood, and the film version of Rent remained consistent with the original intent of the casting organizers. For anyone that has seen the musical Rent and truly understands the importance of diversity, they would be outraged to know that Charlottesville’s volunteer theater troop Play on!, in it’s production of Rent, cast all the main characters as white. Though some may feel that this is representative of a lack of qualified actors auditioning for the musical, this is unacceptable for a play in which diversity is so crucial to the storyline. It is impossible to tell the story of Rent in its entirety without variation, as well as unacceptable for white actors to portray other races in a sort of colorblind casting model.
Rent was written during a time period when AIDS was overlooked. It was a time period when AIDS was thought to be a disease for the undesirable. From the first scientific acknowledgement of the disease in 1981 to the first mention of AIDS by President Ronald Reagan on March 31, 1986, it is clear that a general lack of awareness of AIDS existed in America. This lack of awareness and discussion can be witnessed in a musical like Rent that aims to break the silence. In the play, Collins is fired from MIT for broadcasting, “Actual reality, act up, fight AIDS!” In the 1980s it had been widely speculated that the lack of response and discussion from the country was because at the time it was seen as a homosexual disease — thus making it irrelevant. Jonathan Larson used Rent to proudly display to the country that HIV/ AIDS has no restriction nor bias toward whom it affects.
The lack of diversity in the casting of Rent by Play on! insinuates that an average person can experience life in New York City without encountering diversity — a fundamentally flawed viewpoint. This seems to be reminiscent of the sitcom Friends, a show that was criticized similarly for its lack of diversity. To illustrate this sentiment, a Colorado State student wrote, “We live in a society where ethnicity is always depicted as sinful. When you sit down to watch television you don’t expect to see minorities on television shows. At the same time people are not shocked to see minorities being arrested or convicted on the news … The group of “friends” are never seen with any minorities. They hang out at a cafe/bar in a large city. On occasion, if you pay close attention, you just might see an African-American or Mexican-American in the background.”
Some may attribute the lack of diversity to colorblind casting. Colorblind casting is rarely reversed. In casting a minority in a traditionally white role, the casting director is making a statement; however, casting a white person in the role of a minority signifies that there is either a lack of qualified actors or that race has no bearing on the role. Harry J. Elam, Jr., and Davis Krasner transcribe a roundtable discussion on Robert Brustein’s critique of African-American theater, “On the topic of color-blind casting: giving Brustein’s waging, moralizing finger at [August] Wilson about ‘self segregation,’ I would want to ask Brustein: “Well, how many nonwhite actors have you employed? Is this ‘self segregation’? If white theaters see color-blind casting as desirable and fruitful, then why don’t they simply get on with it and stop making all this noise? Hire minority actors.”
In conclusion, I hope Play On! will take these points into account as they continue to develop the production of Rent. Furthermore, I hope all casting directors realize the importance of diversity in the musical Rent.
Ashley Ford’s column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.ford@cavavlierdaily.com.
[Story has been updated to remove the incorrect reference to Jonathan Larson being infected with HIV. A print correction will be published in tomorrow's paper. The Cavalier Daily regrets the error.]
This review has nothing to do with the performance. A review usually pertains to the performance and design elements. Judging a show purely on the ethnicity of the cast is disappointing to say the least.
I agree that diversity in a cast can help the message of this show. However, casting decisions should be made on the talent of the actor, not the color of their skin.
What I find more interesting is the way this particular theatre has reached out and joined forces with ASG, a local HIV support group, to provide information and a united front in educating our community.
Before reviewing a show, please get all of the information.
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I would love to read a review that is actually about the show and not trying to make the event Racist.
RENT is all about individualism, so I’m not quite sure how rasicm plays a part.
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Dear Ashley & Editor,
As a minority living with HIV I am outraged and disgusted at the misinformation and flat out lies you’ve put in your article.
You’ve clearly missed the bigger picture and BOY is there so much wrong in your article.
First a little on me, I am Charlottesville area resident living with HIV. I have seen Rent over 50 times to include a week I spent with the original cast back in the mid-nineties on an internship program while pursuing my performing arts degree. I have performed across the US and internationally. I have performed on Broadway and in 5 US tours. Until I “made it big,” I lived the bohemian life Jonathan Larson depicts in Rent spending time in both Boston and then New York City. However, I am much older now and have settled down. I had absolutely nothing to do with the production of this performance and have in no way ever been affiliated with Play-On.
1. To say that a story can truly be felt or understand with only certain races is itself racist. By your logic The Wiz was horrible because it didn’t have an all white cast; or that Alvin Ailey is bad art since it doesn’t have the traditional “all white” dance cast, when it is commonly accepted that in the bigger picture, these helped to show that minorities can create amazing pieces of art.
2. “Rent was written during a time period when AIDS was overlooked.” WRONG – As someone who lived with HIV then and now I can tell you society far more overlooks it now than it did back then. At this point in time most of America has forgotten about it or assumes that those of us living with HIV just need to take our pills and we’ll be fine. When this show was written (mid 90′s) HIV/AIDS was really in it’s “hayday” in American society – the quilt made its rounds between 87 – 96 and there were strong programs to help promote outreach, education, and awareness. Bigger picture – The purpose of the show was to educate about the disease and Play On! is doing just that – continuing the good fight; reminding us that HIV/AIDS still here.
3. “Jonathan Larson, who was dying from AIDS at the time” WRONG – Jonathan Larson did not have HIV or AIDS – try some fact checking (shame on the editor for allowing this to be published) While Jonathan had several friends who were infected, to include his dear friend Matt O’Grady, Jonathan was negative. He died of an aortic aneurysm, believed to have been caused by Marfan Syndrome – (has nothing to do with HIV or AIDS)Bigger picture – Jonathan was not telling his story, but a story he felt needed to be told nonetheless.
4.”The lack of diversity in the casting of Rent by Play on! insinuates that an average person can experience life in New York City without encountering diversity — a fundamentally flawed viewpoint.” – Clearly as the casting director of the show you know what the casting choices are meant to insinuate? (note the sarcasm) I think the casting choices simply reflect what might be unfortunate to some but what is a simple reality to others – that we are in a college town for a college that (according to UVA’s own most recently released stats) is 67% white. Most of the kids (sorry cast) performing in the show seemed to be from the UVA/college-aged community. The “all white” cast was simply a reflection of those who auditioned and the community we’re in. I’m sure if this were cast in Richmond, Hampton Roads, or DC we may have seen more diversity, but as it is we didn’t – so what? Does that say anything about the cast members’ actual performances? And while we’re at it – how dare you assume that the entire cast was “white.” Did you interview each member? Do you know their ethnic backgrounds personally? Shame on you! Bigger Picture – I am sure that casting was not based on race, but rather on ability and coming from someone who is of a minority group – I am perfectly alright not seeing someone of my own minority group represented in the cast (or so I think – as I don’t know their races either)
5. “Furthermore, I hope all casting directors realize the importance of diversity in the musical Rent.” – opinion and a weak one at that. Rent is not about race. Bigger Picture – Rent is about how HIV/AIDS can affect every walk of live whether it’s a group of minorities in inner city NYC or a group of “white” college kids in rural Virginia.
Bigger Picture – Play On! reached out to the community to remind us that HIV/AIDS is still here, took the time to research the lives of those living with HIV by interviewing those in the area living with HIV (not including me, as I prefer to stay anonymous about my diagnosis) and partnered with ASG (of which I am in no way affiliated with) to help raise money and awareness for their AIDS walk next weekend all in an effort to better the lives of those infected and affected while helping to educate those who may know very little about the disease itself.
It is offensive and upsetting to me that you would strive to undermined the work they are doing and therefore jeopardize awareness and acceptance, simply because you chose to focus on one minor detail rather than the bigger picture.
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All of this bashing of the cast simply trying to raise awareness?
Forget the race issue for a minute. How was the show itself?
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Ashley Ford,
I drove a delivery van in nyc soon after this play was written. One of our largest accounts was with a company called “Greater New York Home Therapeutics.” It was usually an early evening series of runs. In most cases, it was to deliver IV bags of fluid to people who had been sent home to die. Although I do not know the personal specifics of every person I delivered to – I recall some details like it was yesterday..
They were almost exclusively young white men. Way over 90%. They lived in very gay areas of Manhattan and Long Island City. A few in Brooklyn also. Mostly in the Village, lower east side, alphabet city. It was clear, and well known among my co-workers – that these men were dying of AIDS. Some even told us. At the time, it was terrifying. Much was still unknown about the disease. These guys were usually walking, talking skeletons with skin by the time we met them. I was probably the last person many of these guys ever saw. There weren’t any long term customers. Some were so weak, they left their doors open 24/7 (in NYC!). But they had nothing to worry about. Almost nobody wanted to come anywhere near them. Some of my co workers quit.
I can recall that very, very, few of them had family or friends around them lying in bed with the door open. Even my parents were worried at the time that I was taking signed delivery receipts back from them and putting them into my pockets. It was a scary time where we really didn’t know much. Indeed, many people died back then because the government and the red cross kept telling everyone the blood supply was safe. It wasn’t. I remember when Ryan White died. But he was white, Ashley. How disappointing, huh? Maybe they should cast a black kid in a play about him just so you and yours won’t be outraged.
Ashley, you know NOTHING of that time and place in history. And that you would wander on here all this time later in central Virginia and try to inject your brainwashed, politically correct, naive, racist clap trap regarding a play put on by a local theater trying to remind people what it was like is simply astonishing.
White people dying slow, miserable deaths actually mater too, Ashley. And maybe there weren’t that many minorities auditioning. Whichever is the case, it’s irrelevant. I heard whites will soon be the minority in America anyway. But you’re not going to write any juvenile articles like this if they don’t get parts in plays then – now are you, Ashley? Indeed, you will probably wised up and matured by then. For now, you are stuck in this PC cult at UVA.
I’ve said it before.. The education that these kids are getting at UVA must be really pathetic.
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Dear Daily Cavalier,
Discusting. Offensive. Do you think anyone in America would get away with writing an article that says a play is bad because it allowed blacks, latinos, or gays in?
This should be removed from the website. Ashley should be removed from staff and the editor should be fired for not properly fact checking.
Ashley Ford you owe us an apology. All those who agree repost
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Ashley Ford you owe us an apology.
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Agreed – Ashley owes an apology – and so does the editor
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Wow, absolute small-minded-ness from someone who clearly has a narrow viewpoint of the world. She’s definitely in the wrong line of work. Instead of providing an insightful look into what she CLEARLY spent so much time properly investigating, she decided to spew ranting hate. Ironically being highly mis-informed I feel she may be exerting more racism than anyone else involved in this picture.
I am a husky white computer geek. I had been involved in a music-only review of RENT at a college in Massachusetts well over 10 years ago. The really funny part is the director for that had an almost equal mix of ethnic/cultural backgrounds auditioning and as I remember it we had what little Miss Ashley would consider a racist performance as well. That is, if you base it exclusively on what the broadway cast performed. All the successful voices were cast just on that, VOICES. I was auditioning for Roger and ended up singing as Collins. Our “DIVA” Angel was “whiter” than me. And the Roger part went to an extremely talented and awesome friend that looked NOTHING like Roger nor met “Ashley’s requirements”.
See, our director knew exactly what to do. Develop the MUSIC based on the VOICE. the Story can be told by ANYONE with the talent to convey the EMOTION of the MUSIC. And it was AMAZING!
I hope this cast has an AMAZING performance and I give KUDOS to them for taking a vocally challenging MUSICAL, that has changed my life in so many ways, and going for it! Excellent!
Ashley on the other hand, you CLEARLY are not meant to be a journalist, writer or have any legitimate opinion without accurate research. Being as biased as you appear, you should consider becoming a senator or something, this kind of hate and bile you spew fits right in there.
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I wonder what world Ashley comes from and how she can think anything that can help support HIV outreach and awareness is bad.
It is also quite clear that Ashley is a proud and active member of a militant hate group. If a member of the KKK were allowed to post racial slurs against African Americans it would NEVER be published. WHY was this crap allowed to be published.
Hate is hate. Bigotry is bigotry. Racism is racism. Ashley Ford is clearly a hateful, bigoted, racist.
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What a pile of uneducated, ignorant, racist crap! @Thomas – I agree. Ashley and the editors owe the world, and Play On an apology. @ Sean – Another pathetic view of what our tax dollars are being wasted on with state schools.
Side note – after all of these posts against this article and not one for it, I wonder why Ashley or the editors haven’t at least ackowledged this bad press. Typical whiney college kids. Spout hate and then hide.
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While the article was misguided, to call the author a “hateful, bigoted racist” is a bit much. @Ben: are you saying she hates white people? Hates homogeny? I didn’t glean any hatred from the author but rather a sense of misplaced liberal idealogy that is the consequence of a society and a university that places too high a value on political correctness. If anything, the author is simply guilty of being overzealous and jumping to the conclusion that an all-white cast was intentionally exclusionary. In any case, give the girl a break. She had good intentions but a bad editor.
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With sentences like “The lack of diversity in the casting of Rent by Play on! insinuates that an average person can experience life in New York City without encountering diversity ” and “Though some may feel that this is representative of a lack of qualified actors auditioning for the musical, this is unacceptable for a play in which diversity is so crucial to the storyline” it is clear that this is more than “misguided.”
This is hate and should be removed immediately.
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I wonder what he would say if he saw the recent gay mens chorus of DCs Grease?
Hey it was with an all male cast no less. Wow…………
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“This is hate and should be removed immediately.”
“WHY was this crap allowed to be published?”
“This should be removed from the website. Ashley should be removed from staff and the editor should be fired for not properly fact checking”
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What a bunch of whiny fascists you people are. Why are you so eager to CENSOR disagreeable (from your whiny perspective) speech?
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It has nothing to do with “disagreeable speech” It is the fact that Ashley insults the play and creator by publishing lies and not doing basic fact checking. At the very least she owes an apology for publishing a lie about how Jonathan Larson died
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Ashley, you have to keep in mind that Play On actors are strictly volunteers. While I too found it unusual to see an all white Rent cast, it did not detract from the show’s message or the fantastic production that the actors put their heart and souls into. Play On could not force minority actors to sign on to participate in their production. Instead they focused on finding capable actors with the vocal range and skill to fill the required roles. I think they did a great job and I would have appreciated a real review of the show. I know I was moved. The message is the same no matter who performs.
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White, black, yellow, red – it doesn’t matter your skin color. Disease and economic hardship (among other things) affects everyone! Jonathon Larson’s production of RENT focuses on those issues and gets people to open their eyes to the very real problems still facing us today. PlayOn! just took it to new levels. Not once, during this performance did I ever question why there wasn’t a black man or woman in the cast. What I did wonder was why I didn’t pay enough attention before to the very real problems facing our society STILL today…..The PlayOn! cast did a fantabulous job and I am going to see it again if I have the opportunity. I applaud them for their devotion to the piece.
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Shame on you for publishing this before ever seeing the show. This is community, not-for-profit, theater in a small town in Virginia. Perspective.
I was fortunate enough to see the original production of Rent. That year we had been to several funerals for friends who had fallen to AIDS, it was a terrifying time. None of us thought that in 20 some years a positive HIV test, would not be an immediate death sentence. The show was so incredibly moving and profound. The after thoughts had nothing to do with race, they were about the urgency of life and how fragile a gift it is.
That said, this production is wonderful. The performances are nothing less than stellar.
I hope that Ashley takes the time to see the show and write a review based on the performances. It seems like she is just a misguided young lady, who needs to open her mind. Which is really what Rent is about, opening your mind.
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I think a lot of you are missing the point about Ashley’s article. Had she taken the so called “small-minded perspective” many of you think she took I would be 100% on your side. However, Ashley has said nothing about the non-existence of HIV/AIDS in the white community, only that in a play like Rent which has become known for its groundbreaking, gritty, and down-to-earth perspective on HIV in New York City it is crucial that diversity be considered. Because it IS true that HIV exists in all communities, she simply has explained/voiced her OPINION (as so many of you have taken the liberty to do). Furthermore, in doing so she has pointed out that by casting an all white cast for Rent the director did not show the effect of HIV in a number of communities but instead portrayed it in a relatively monolithic way (showing it as it effects white people).
That being said I appreciate that PlayOn! intended to make a statement about HIV and bring awareness to the Charlottesville community and am sure that the cast, as many of you have said, did a phenomenal job. However, at the risk of repeating myself, the point of this article was not to belittle the efforts of the cast/crew of this production but rather to offer some food for thought on the difficulties of fully offering the “Rent experience” as most people expect it to be.
This is by no means saying that the director should have cast under-qualified minorities for these roles as that obviously would not be fair, but maybe to rethink putting on a show like Rent when you are unable to fully illustrate the importance and poignancy of the production. Also, to call up Jonathan Larson’s name as if to insinuate that he is rolling over in his grave is a bit dramatic don’t you think?
Although Larson may not have sat down and written: Colin (a gay, black, intellectual man) or Mimi (a Puerto Rican, junkie, stripper, with HIV), etc. that should not take away from the original casting of Rent which did give these super minorities a face and voice. THAT is the point. Rent offered a deeper meaning, perspective and most importantly a more profound look at the reality of HIV. Ashley has done a great job of analyzing the underlying meaning of Rent and offered her opinion on this multi-faceted play.
On a related note, many of you have taken to calling Ashley a “racist” and “bigot”, however, did she ever say that white people should not be in this play? NO. She has in fact, stated the importance of MULTI-CULTURALISM (an inherently NOT racist concept) in a play like Rent. Ironically, it IS racist that so many of you have gone so far as to discourage a conversation about multi-culturalism.
Finally, I think that it is cowardly and beyond my understanding that you all would hide behind your computers and cast such horrifically obscene judgment on someone you have never met. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion (hence the opinion section in this and most other newspapers and for that matter this discussion board) but is it really too much to ask that we all try to be at least somewhat civil about it?
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Opinion is just that – opinion. Arrogant UVA writers are welcome to that.
Fact is fact and can not be changed. Ashley’s printed “facts” about Jonathan Larson’s death are WRONG and hurtful. We fully expect a retraction/correction to be printed in the next PRINTED edition of the Daily Cavalier or we will be pursuing further.
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BTW Antonio – If you want to talk about “Cowardly” Ashley’s email address currently routes no where. She is not in any public forum/ social networking site and she has yet to comment on her hate speech. THAT’S Cowardly!
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Both sides have legit points. At this point a published retraction wrong details is a good idea along with maybe another story encouraging students to see the show for themselves. This Saturday is the HIV/AIDS walk along with a showing of Rent. Why not print details on the activities surrounding the partnership between Play On! and ASG for the walk?
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Antonia – UGG I just read your post.
“but maybe to rethink putting on a show like Rent when you are unable to fully illustrate the importance and poignancy of the production” implies that simply because they are all white they can’t do a good job? How can you say that when by the words of your own submission we know you haven’t taken the time to see it?!?!
So horrid – I would love to see Ashley and Antonia (probably best friends) ACTUALLY show up to a show and attempt to tell the cast to thier faces they’ve missed the mark by not being black enough. Better yet, put your money where your mouth is – volunteer with ASG, show up to UVA’s HIV Support group and ask to speak to the members of the group about their experiences(who is 100% white btw – does that mean the support group should stop meeting?!?! OH NO!!!) OR if you want more multi culturalism in Play On shows – go audition!
And why is no one willing to admit the lies that were printed about Jonathan Larson were, in fact – lies & bad fact checking.
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Wow. Where to begin.
I would like to clarify, AGAIN, that I never said that the actors did a bad job. I, in fact, said that I am sure that they did a phenomenal job. I only said that I think that part of the reason Rent is such an amazing play and the reason the original production has the reputation it has, is because of the diversity of the cast.
That being said…
@Drew: Ashley cannot directly comment on her own article in this forum because it is not something she finds appropriate. She has made her opinion abundantly clear and has opened the forum for you all to discuss her article, not bash her for her so-called bigotry and racism. On that note, your obsession with contacting her in a forum other than the one established for you to discuss her article is only further reason for her to not make herself available for further bashing.
@Rob: I appreciate your open-minded and thorough reading of the arguments presented. PlayOn! and ASG are more than welcome to promote their HIV/AIDS awareness walk on grounds. I think that it would be a great opportunity for UVa students to reach out to the C-ville community and get involved in a cause that is becoming ever-present in our lives. Also, maybe this opinion article will convince more UVa students to go and take a look at what is going on in Charlottesville community theatre.
@Ben: I never said white actors are inferior. Only that the all-white cast does not allow the audience to see the ways in which HIV affects a diverse community. There are many messages to be taken away from Rent, but the diversity of those affected by HIV cannot be grappled with if one does not see diversity in the play. Fianlly, low income New Yorkers are one of the most diverse groups of people you can find. Therefore, when depicting HIV and who it affects in NYC showing only white people is not representative of the population. However, when dealing with setting such as UVa, the population is arguably less diverse, therefore maybe it is representative to have a largely white population in an HIV support group on grounds.
For the record, none of my arguments/points are meant to belittle those who suffer from HIV, that would be ignorant and insensitive (to say the least). My point is simply to analyze this production in terms of the population that it ought to be representing. I also find it insulting that you would make this discussion about discriminating against those who suffer from HIV, and I would like to make it VERY clear here that if anyone got that sentiment from my comments, they were sorely mistaken. I do not believe that anything I have said has been negatively pointed/directedd at HIV sufferers.
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Antonia – why are you ignoring the fact that lies were published? That’s the main concern.
Also, are you saying that white people can’t play the roles of minorities? That logic goes back to an argument made by someone early on. If white people can’t play minorities then by that logic minorities can’t play whites and therefore things like The Wiz and so on must be horrible as well – yes?
Another main point is missed – Ashley’s article is very clearly intended to deter people from seeing the production. In doing so she is jeapardizing what they are doing. And whether she meant to or not that IS offensive and upseting to local HIV suffers who wiould benefit from a better awareness of the disease. I think Ben hit it right on the head. Both you and Ashley need to put up or shut up. GO volunteer at ASG or come to the next UVA HIV Support Group (Next Thursday, 5:00pm UVA ID Clinic)
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one of the more absurd pieces I’ve read on this site
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Editors –
This has gotten way out of hand. Why, after a month of requests, has a retraction and correction of the errors in “fact checking” not yet been printed. This is typical of The Daily Cavalier. Print whatever the hell you want without checking any facts and damn who you offend. You first did it to Morgan Harrington and now to Jonathan Larson. Discusting!
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It is regrettable that the Cavalier Daily has not offered any retraction on the misrepresented facts Ms. Ford presented in her opinion piece. Journalists (or, opinion writers, in Ms. Ford’s case) must be aware that their pieces become part of our recorded history, and it is awful that the editors of the Cav Daily have allowed these facts to 1.) be published without a thorough check and 2.) remain in the published piece without any type of retraction. Opinion pieces should be checked carefully because most of the time they ARE a blend of personal opinion and fact–or in this case, opinion, assumptions, fiction and fact.
Per the first amendment, Ms. Ford is entitled to her opinion (as long as it isn’t slanderous, of course). However, most opinion writers are experts in a field or very well known for their personal ideology–and readers have no idea why Ms. Ford chose this issue to write about. Is she a theatre major with a deep knowledge of how shows are cast? Is she a Renthead who is angry that the show doesn’t look like the Original Broadway Cast? Or did she audition for RENT and not get cast?
As has been mentioned above, this production of RENT does not look like the productions on Broadway. But RENT is about embracing our identities and living for the moment. Ms. Ford does not know the individual backgrounds of the cast members. She does not know how they define themselves, who they love or how addiction or disease has impacted their lives. She does not know if these people have experienced being an outcast, a loser or a deviant firsthand. She doesn’t know if the cast views this as just another production or if they have been living Jonathan’s Larson words well before the day they joined the production.
She doesn’t know because she didn’t make the effort. She made the effort to find quotes on colorblind casting; couldn’t she have made an effort to talk to individuals involved in the production? (Even when you write opinion pieces, you need to make sure you have good background information.)
Being a good journalist is NOT just about being a good writer. Being a good journalist is about searching for answers, even though it may not always be easy, and even though it may change your own biases as a writer. Ms. Ford, unfortunately, took the easy way out when she chose not to get background information from anyone in the production to help inform her piece. In fact, she may have written a much better piece if she had more of the human element in it.
The fact that there has been no retraction on AT LEAST the details of Jonathan Larson’s death is representative of the Cav Daily’s opinion of journalistic integrity.
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As a 20 year old gay black man (the demographic most harmed by HIV/AIDS is gay black men ages 18-34), I am astonished that any representation or telling of the HIV/AIDS epidemic set in NEW YORK CITY does not feature black Americans. Over 50% of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. are black!
The lack of black cast members fits with the whitewashing of queer persons in the media.
“Will & Grace,” set in NYC, how many black characters?! HARDLY ANY
American “Queer as Folk,” set in Pittsburgh, how many black characters?! NONE
2010 Charlottesville production of “Rent,” how many black cast members? None
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Reginald – you must be good friends with Ashley – Posting “facts” without really knowing them. Please review current and historical statistics on HIV/ AIDS cases both locally and nationally at http://asgva.org.
Also – as someone who was so personally offended to not see a black person in the cast I can’t help but wonder – did you audition? Were you at auditions? Do you know how many minorites auditioned verses whites?
Lastly I ask you – If I were to insult an all-black production simply because of the assumed race of it’s actors wouldn’t you be offended?
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PS – Reginald – Noah’s Arc on Logo – All minority cast – So by your logic that’s offensive, horrid right?
Again, everyone is assuming that Play On made some sort of vindictive attact at Jonathn Larson and minorities because it is assumed that they didn’t cast a minority. I still think it’s a simple case of who actually showed up to audition.
“DAMN WHITE KIDS FOR THINKING THEY ARE ALLOWED TO BE IN PLAYS!!! DAMN THEM ALL”
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We should have a correction coming soon according to the Editor in Chief.
“From: “Ross Lawrence”
To: “_____________________>
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 8:52:58 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: Review of Rent
Mr. —— —
Thank you for passing along your concerns. I am going to speak with our Opinion editors and executive editor to determine who dropped the ball on this matter, and then discuss how to proceed. One of my editors and I will be speaking with Ashley tomorrow about the piece. All factual errors will be corrected, both in a published correction and in the online edition. I expect to publish some sort of correction early next week, in all likelihood on Monday.
Thanks,
Ross”
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Wow, I read the article and the responses to the article, and I feel the bigger picture is being missed, especially with the responses to this OPINION article. I understand people’s anger and frustration with the false statement in the piece concerning the death of Jonathan Larson, he died of an aortic aneurysm. So I can understand people wanting Ms. Ford to apologize for her false statement concerning his death. But what is most shocking to me is how the original focus of the article got lost in translation. Deny it or not, AIDS/HIV transcends race, class,and gender, a fact that should bring us together, not tear us a part. The responses on here have become too white versus black and the people trying to Strawman(misinterpretation of someone’s argument) this article and the message behind it should feel ashamed. What is so amazing about Larson and “Rent” was the gripping technique of showing that AIDS/HIV affects people from all walks of life. I think Ms. Ford appreciates the efforts by the “Play On” production team and supports their efforts to educate people on AIDS/HIV, at least that’s what I got out of the article.
Ms. Ford never said that the cast should be all BLACK or all WHITE, she said that the cast should have been more of a representation of the reality with the AIDS/HIV Pandemic. The fact is, within the gay community, the demographic most harmed by HIV/AIDS is gay black men ages 18-34. Knowing this fact, what is the harm in depicting this reality within the production? Someone please answer that question for me. A lot of people were very critical of Ms. Ford for not knowing the cast personally, but a lot of people on here don’t know Ms. Ford and are accusing her of being racist, bigoted, etc,. Two wrongs don’t make a right, instead of personally attacking someone for their OPINION, people should try to educate and have a more peaceful dialogue about the issue at hand. For all you guys know, Ms. Ford could be a strong activist of gay rights, AIDS/HIV education, multiculturalism and just wants to see a very diverse community depicted properly and accurately. I am greatly disappointed with the direction the dialogue is going in. I think we all, including Ms. Ford, are extremely appreciative of Play On and its volunteers; they have worked hard and have good hearts. That being said, the fact remains, when trying to do a production that is based on not only this country, but the people of this Earth’s reality, its extremely important to show all the different people this pandemic touches as a mechanism to not only bring us together, but to educate and destroy the ignorance that people still have about AIDS/HIV. Some people on this thread have called for an apology by Ms. Ford and the CD, but I feel some of you guys need to issue an apology to Ms. Ford as well. Personal attacks will not get us anywhere, Ms. Ford made a reasonable call and argument for showing ALL the different faces affected by this disease. I don’t feel her underlying message is EXTREME or UNFAIR, criticism makes us stronger and I feel this article has shed light on something that could easily be addressed and changed for future productions.
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Marvin,
“what is the harm in depicting this reality within the production?” There is no harm in depicting it IF the auditions allow it. Ms Ford very personally attacked Play On for not casting minorities without realising that there were no minorities at auditions. Is the assumption then to be that no plays can ever be cast unless there is complete diversity?
Ms Ford has no connection to the realty of the pandemic that is HIV/AIDS. I welcome and challenge her to come sit in on a support group or volunteer with ASG and Play On this saturday during the Aids Walk to learn. As a black man living in charlottesville with HIV I am perfectly contented with the casting decisions made by Play On and the job they are doing to help raise awareness by bringing this show to Charlottesville.
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So what should a director do if African Americans drop out of the production? Or if mostly Caucasians try out? Just not hold the production?
I love how the author of this article assumes that the director simply had the entire spectrum of races to choose from for every part, and simply chose to go all Caucasian. Such ignorance.
Everyone involved in the production knows that is not the case. To assume it is the case is just poor journalism.
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Marvin:
“what is the harm in depicting this reality within the production?” There is no harm in depicting it IF the auditions allow it. Ms Ford very personally attacked Play On for not casting minorities without realising that there were no minorities at auditions. Is the assumption then to be that no plays can ever be cast unless there is complete diversity?
I was at the auditions. While I am not the director or stage manager – I spend most of my life outside of work in community theatres here in Charlottesville. I want to point out that the people cast in the show were chosen for their ability to sing, dance and act in this very difficult musical. That is the simple truth. Of course community theatres want more diversity. But we can only select from people who audition. The problem with the editorial (aside from the ridiculous lack of knowledge about Larson) is that the person who wrote it has no idea what it is like to act, direct, or stage manage in a community theatre, and it was grossly unfair to judge without any knowledge. See the show. It will move you – and I know you will forget that it is an all white cast when you see what they can do.
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In my initial post above, I think I was a bit too harsh to Ashley. The article, completely out of nowhere, had dredged up some very unpleasant memories for me when I was probably too young to deal with them.
Kudos to Ross if indeed there will be a correction or two printed. He is an honest and fair guy as I know from my interactions with him previously.
As for Ashley, I’m taking a new attitude toward UVA students who write this kind of blinded PC stuff in this paper. I am no longer going to blame them entirely for all of it. The blame lies in large part with the education they are clearly getting at UVA. Like I was back when I was delivering plasma to AIDS patients, they are really too young to realize what is going on here.
From the sheer multitude of articles I have seen in this newspaper over the past year that have been so similarly narrow minded and/or badly researched, it’s obvious that these kids are getting this stuff fed to them every day by their professors at UVA. Mr. Casteen, himself a longtime partisan warrior, has created an environment here at UVA the past 20 years that is at least as partisan and detrimental to the pursuit of truth and knowledge “wherever it leads us” as any of the radical tele-evangelist’s universities. It’s just in the other direction. All across America, universities have brushed independent scholarly pursuits and indeed independent thought aside in favor of indoctrinating young people with the ideas and belief systems that their faculty and administration want them to have.
It’s really quite depressing. Here’s hoping his replacement will be a far more fair minded and far kinder president as well.
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All this about our production of “RENT.” Well, they say all publicity is good publicity. I am the Executive Director of Play On!, and while I was not directly involved in the creative process of this production, I do know that the production team put together the very best cast from those who auditioned for the show. In community theatre, one must fill a cast from among those who show up. Unlike a professional theatre, we cannot simply issue a call for so many actors of this race or that. We cast our shows from among those who audition. Sometimes we have to cast somebody who is younger or older than the role as written. That is not any kind of “ageism.” That is the reality of community-based, all-volunteer theatre. We do the very best we can. Everyone associated with this show would have been thrilled to have an ethnically diverse cast, but that’s not who we got. The cast we have has done a remarkable job; I cannot imagine anybody doing any better. As someone who has worked in theatre (professional, educational and community), I consider this production of “RENT” to be one of the best shows I have ever seen. Seriously.
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So… Rent is a personal story written by Johnathan larson about the lives of a group of Minorities in New York City with the Struggle of HIV and life in itself. he wrote the play that way for a reason so respect that. Clearly diversity is a must. when doing a production of rent, even if you ere getting the same message out…please respect the diversity of the musical or don’t Cast a full cast of White people and call it rent…because in my opinion your not respecting Johnathan Larson Story!!
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Jonathon Larsen didn’t die of AIDS. Moron
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“Stringz” you need to lurn how to spel and get an edukasion before you tri to post in a publik forum
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I find it fascinating that no one has gone to the most important source in this discussion – the script. No where in the script is race of any kind mentioned…the closest one can come is an inference that Mimi is of Hispanic origin, because of her last name and the fact that her mother speaks Spanish.
No where can I find anything attributed to Jonathan Larson regarding his concept of the races of his characters….nor how they should be cast. In his final (only?) interview, with Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times, on the day he died, this subject apparently was not discussed.
The message of the show being received by the audience is far more important than the ridiculous assertion of race-based casting.
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Carl- If you would read the article and the other comments you would find that no one said anything about Jonathan Larson attributing races to his characters in the Rent script. In fact, I and a few others have already stated that Larson did not do this. However, Larson was extremely involved in the creative process during the production of Rent and had a wonderful working relationship with the producer and the director. I’m sure you know where this is going…
Larson may not have written races into the cast, but I think it’s safe to say that for a show on Broadway it’s not likely that you would find a cast that is made up of a majority of minorities. And with a show like Rent and what it stands for I don’t think you can convince anyone to write that off as mere coincidence. Many aspects of Rent were autobiographical in nature. Therefore, Larson recreated those events with characters who represented the diversity of race/gender/etc. which he encountered while living in NYC (Jesse L. Martin who played Collins in the Original Cast was a wait-staff trainee under Larson in a restaurant where they worked). Larson and the other heads of production for Rent most likely realized that in NYC one would be hard-pressed to go a day without coming in contact with an extremely diverse group of people (white, black, hispanic, asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, gay, straight, male, female, and the list goes on) and therefore could not produce a play set in NYC that did not represent this range of diversity. This is the point which, unfortunately, you seem to have missed.
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“Rent is a personal story written by Johnathan larson about the lives of a group of Minorities in New York City with the Struggle of HIV and life in itself. he wrote the play that way for a reason so respect that.”
Ah, I see….
There is simply no getting around the FACT that the article’s author did little, if any, effective research on her thesis. It is a very typical knee-jerk rant.
And my final point, truly is the ONLY salient point….
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I agree with Ashley, to some extent. At the very least I think you shouldn’t read op ed pieces and then lose your mind and demand the job of the article’s writer because their opinion is different than their own.
I’m a theatre outsider in that I enjoy going to see plays and shows but do not participate otherwise. I also don’t want to go see Rent because it’s cast only with white people. White people have a long and ugly history of portraying minorities in movies and theatre and whether or not one person of color even tried or out, or none of those that showed up could sing, it seems divergent from my concept of reality that someone should be forbidden from criticizing a situation where an all white cast is putting on one of the few extremely popular shows that features minority characters. Maybe it’s my unawareness of the theatre community, but come on, it’s not that tremendous of a leap that someone might think, explore or assert the same thing the writer did.
And then write an opinion editorial about it.
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Amanda -
You are a racist. If I were to judge an all-black production simply by the color of skin of the cast rather than the work and very publically declare “I also don’t want to go see Rent because it’s cast only with black people” then that would be considered racist.
Furthermore, “White people have a long and ugly history of portraying minorities in movies and theatre and whether or not one person of color even tried or out, or none of those that showed up could sing” Shakespears plays for hundreds of years were cast all male. Does that mean they all suck and you’ll never go see a Shakespearean production?
You have prejudged the performance without seeing the performance by your own admission soley based on the race of the actors. You are a racist.
In Ashley’s article she did the exact same thing AND she didn’t check her facts regarding Larson.
Ignorant, Selfish, Predjudice, Racist, Whiney.
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There is an upside to the unfortunate original piece – the comments written by “Charlottesville Minority…” & “Sean” were valuable and insightful reads. Thank you.
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@ UVA Hopeful transfer – please run the other way. Do not come here unless you want to be brainwashed into believing the crap this newspaper prints as well.
@Ashley, Amanda, Antonia (hmm all a’s – same person posting under different names?) – Hate is hate. This ain’t no place for hate. Get gone.
I love all my brothers and sister – black or white and if my whites want to demonstrate my plight I won’t NEVER hold that against them!
Can I get an Amen up in here!
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So where is the apology / retraction editors?
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@Kisha: That is some of the most nonsensical logic I have heard. Is it really so hard to believe that several people may have the same view about Rent? I have explained my point numerous times and find no point in beating a dead horse (so to speak). For that reason I choose only to contest your argument that because Ashley and Amanda share the same first letter of their names with me that we must be the same person.
Also, if there is any person out there who reads the Cav Daily, New York Times, or Washington Post and does not think critically or skeptically about the information presented to them, then I would say maybe they don’t belong in this or any other institution of higher learning. The point of newspapers and other news sources are not to indoctrinate anyone, but rather to offer unbiased information from which the audience can build their own EDUCATED opinion. That being said Opinion articles represent the OPINION of the writer, NOT of UVA or the Cav Daily and therefore are the epitome of what these news sources are trying to help the greater public to achieve. Furthermore, it is your right to agree of disagree with the points presented, all anyone can ask is that you do so civilly.
@Drew: Chill out. You heard from the editor that they would work on the printing a retraction on the miscommunicated facts surrounding Larson’s death. Patience is a virtue. Work on it.
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Antonia – You give blacks a bad name. Hate is hate.
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ROSS LAWRENCE – YOU PROMISED US A RETRACTIONW OULD BE PRINTED TODAY. WHY WASN’T IT?
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I’m a different person than the other A people.
Instead of throwing words like racist around why don’t we have a constructive discussion about it? I put much more thought in my point than to simply dismiss Play On, or anyone here, as racist.
And speaking of racism, if you can’t grasp that as the oprosessor, white people must be held to different standards than people of color, perhaps you should try to understand better what racism is before using words you don’t understand. Going to see an all white performance of The Color Purple would be much different than an all black casting of Romeo and Juliet, or an all female cast of Hamlet. While it sounds nice to say that there can be “no hate” and that we should all be held to the same expectations, it also sounds completely naive and ignorant to refuse to even consider that our society favors whiteness and maleness, and has already placed us all according to different expectations well before you or I ever showed up to read this article.
I feel very strongly about racism and seriously believe that the only solution to the problem is through respect and dialogue. If anyone here has jumped to crazy conclusions, it’s the outraged over an OP ED PIECE contingent in the comments of this article. If you want to stop racism have an open conversation with someone of a different view or experience.
Also, Kisha – some other black people feel differently than you do. Surely you appreciate the idea that you one person cannot speak for their entire culture?
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Kisha-
What do you call your language and attitude in your comments. Even if what I were standing up for was “hate” are you not reciprocating this sentiment thereby belittling you efforts in the first place.
Please reassess your attitude. Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.
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It seems to me that, aside from the misinformation about HIV/AIDS, you’ve also failed to do some fundamental journalistic groundwork. If you are going to critique the cast of a play, accusing it of a “lack of diversity,” perhaps you want to contact the director(s) and ask about the diversity of people who turned out for auditions in the first place.
Perhaps you could have interviewed cast members and asked them about the challenges of staging this show–which has been performed with an incredibly diverse cast–with a predominantly white ensemble. Let them speak about the experience, offer some thoughts on how to promote the participation of more minorities in the C’ville arts scene.
Instead of actual journalism, however, you’ve simply over-generalized from inside the University bubble, which isn’t surprising, but it still makes the UVA community look bad by association.
Shame on you.
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Small Victories – This was printed in today’s edition
“The Cavalier Daily published an opinion
column Feb. 16 (“Play on”) that incorrectly
stated that Jonathan Larson, an American
playwright best known for authoring
“Rent,” suffered from acquired immune
deficiency syndrome, or HIV/AIDS. In
fact, Larson never contracted the virus
and passed away because of an aortic
aneurysm in 1996.
The Cavalier Daily regrets the error”
While we appreciate that, it’s stil quiet evident that Ashley has no clue what she’s talking about when it comes to how HIV/AIDS affects our community. But hey, I’ll take it. Thank you editors for doing something at least half right.
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I think the discussion has gotten a bit out of hand and deviated from the author’s original intent. I will agree with Ashley, this is an all white cast of a show typically cast with diversity in the professional arena; however the show has also been performed internationally in countries that lack the racial diversity we are fortunate to have in the US. The academic in me hates that I am citing from Wikipedia but for the sake of time,
“Rent has been performed in countries around the world, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Greece, Canada, United States of America, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand and now in 2009 Israel, Puerto Rico and Austria.
The musical has been performed in twenty-three languages: Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Greek, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Hebrew” (Rent (musical). (2010, March 29). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 30, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical))
A simple search on You Tube will help you see that internationally this show is about so much more than the race of its characters and those that portray them. It is about love, greed, lust, friendships, family, glory, laughter, loss, and disease. This is what transcends and how non-diverse countries portray this show. I don’t think anyone leaves the show in Korea thinking, “Wow, I always thought Mimi was Hispanic.”
As a member of this cast I can tell you my experiences with HIV affect the portrayal of my character much more so than my race. My character is Collins, a young academic that is gay and living with HIV. He falls in love with Angel, a drag queen with a spirit that changes his life. In the Broadway and most domestic touring productions Collins is typically played by an African-American man. I am very much a white man of Irish decent, some may call me a ginger but gingers are people too. The character is also a baritone and I am very much a tenor. This is what I found more difficult to deal with than the original race of my character on Broadway.
To portray this character I was fortunate enough to draw upon my experiences working in an inner-city St. Louis HIV/AIDS Clinic. As a fresh out of graduate school, data-droning epidemiologist, I read hundreds of charts to follow our HIV patients through clinical trials. I met many of these individuals face to face and experienced the diversity of people that are affected by HIV. It was meeting these individuals that made me decide to become a nurse, which led here to UVA.
When I received the opportunity to take part in this production as Collins, I knew what I could bring to the table and I knew that my St. Louis experiences and those in nursing school, working locally with ASG and the Ryan White Clinic at UVA, were valuable connections that needed to be made. I did not once think that my race would be a challenge to speak the message that he gives in this show. I don’t think that any of our characters do. Would it be nice to have a diverse cast? Sure, but I think what this cast brings to the table is something great and we get the true message of this show out there.
Larson’s message was more about the effect HIV has on a person, a lover, a friend, and family. It has little to do with the skin tone of the person singing a song and much more to do with what’s behind it.
I hope those that are skeptical of the casting choices come see the show. It is meant to challenge you. As a performing art theater is meant to evoke emotions. We as actors do not choose which emotions it draws out of you. You are entitled to feel as you wish after the show, but I think you will leave with the deeper message of the show and not be bothered by the ginger on stage.
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Amen Dan!
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Affirmed:
Ashley’s article has misinformation.
PlayOn has a unique and needed purpose.
This conversation on race is important.
This conversation thread makes me think of 2 questions:
1. Why was their such a violently angry and defensive reaction to the critique that a play focused on HIV only portrayed how the disease affects one particular community?
2. What does such a reaction say about our discomfort with issues of race–that we would prefer to call names than explore why PlayOn might have lacked minority actors to choose from?
Ultimately, I think it would be more beneficial for so many bright UVa students to start thinking about how to ensure an organization like PlayOn has more options since no race are naturally better actors or more interested in the performing arts. Why not ask ourselves if PlayON reached out to the Paul Robeson Players, a predominantly black acting troupe on grounds? Why not ask about how and who they advertised to?
All this to say, race relations in America will get nowhere so long as we resort to labeling people racists, demanding apologies and leaving the deeper issues of representation, opportunity and access unaddressed. We need creative solutions, not vehement accusations that avoid such realities of the undercasting of minorities in mainstream productions (be it tv, movies, etc.) or the consequent tendency for minority groups to form groups so they can perform.
To solutions,
Desiree
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Dan’s the man.
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As a journalist working in the Charlottesville area, I am saddened and embarrassed by Ms. Ford’s apparent lack of either research or fact-checking on this topic. The factual errors included in this piece, particularly the irresponsible claim that the play’s author died of a disease that he never had, do much more damage to his legacy than any casting choice on the director’s part.
Having seen the play a number of times and having met many of the cast members first-hand, I can say with confidence that this play does justice both to Larson’s legacy and to the stigma attached to AIDS in the early to mid-90s, as well as the love behind the epidemic. Watching them on stage is both thrilling and heart-wrenching, regardless of their respective races.
I know the allure (as well as the challenge) of writing an article with this much controversy is great, but it is important to get the facts straight, both for the sake of your subjects and your reputation. As an aspiring journalist who no doubt is still learning and has a long road ahead of her, I hope that Ms. Ford learns from her mistakes before she enters the world of professional journalism as one of my peers.
And with one weekend left in the show, I hope that Charlottesville residents, including the author of this article, come experience the magic of this cast for themselves.
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