A small-town theater in Maine might have to cancel the performance of one of its plays next week due to the cast being predominantly white.
The Grand Theater in Ellsworth, Maine has issued a late-hour call for minority performers to help salvage its staging of Big River, which is based on Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
In Ellsworth, Maine, the demographic is predominantly White, comprising 93 percent of the population. The play has encountered challenges, particularly in casting, as they have managed to cast the character Jim, who is portrayed as a runaway slave, prior to the show opening.
This has left the smaller parts of Alice and her daughter—who are also depicted as slaves—still needing to be played by African-American actors, according to Nick Turner, the executive director at The Grand.
Turner initially intended to circumvent casting quotas by modifying the script such that Alice and her daughter would not be seen onstage; they would only be mentioned in the third person by other characters.
However, this scheme was foiled when a local philanthropist alerted the play's licensing body about his intentions.
The management informed The Grand that modifying the script would breach the agreement they had signed for staging the production, as stated Bangor Daily News .
Turner stated that this requires the theater to feature Alice and her daughter on stage, and he has postponed the opening night until April 11—a week later—to search for additional performers.
On Wednesday, Turner sent out an email to supporters revealing that the highly anticipated play might be canceled and appealed to those who qualify to come forward and help salvage the production.
In his email, he stated: "We are particularly looking for more gifted African American actors who can portray this narrative authentically and capture its genuine essence."
This isn't merely an exhibition; it's a chance to honor voices that have often been overlooked.
Turner mentioned that he would welcome anyone interested in volunteering, and previous acting experience is not required.
The director mentioned that he has been staging local performances in Colorado and Maine for 25 years, however, this marks the first occasion where he has considered canceling a production due to conflicts over performance rights.
"I've never encountered this situation previously," he informed Bangor News Daily.
He maintained that racism was not connected to the situation in the play, and regretted that their attempts were seen as exclusionary.
Turner mentioned that the theater chose to produce "Big River" more than a year ago. However, during their casting calls in January, just one Black actor showed up for auditions and was consequently cast as Jim.
"We truly made an effort," he said additionally.
Turner mentioned that The Grand had a precarious past with Big River, since it had staged the production 25 years prior.
He mentioned that production avoided those problems since white actors portrayed Black characters using blackface, a practice that wouldn't be tolerated nowadays.
Turner expressed hope that he won’t have to cancel the play and mentioned that several individuals have offered to step into the available parts, which seem quite promising.
Read more