[The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) is committed to advocating for the rights of Latinx performers. Oftentimes, our advocacy efforts are behind the scenes with producers and/or casting directors. We recently received an e-mail from La Cooperativa of Latinx Theatre Artists (or La Co-Op, for short) regarding a concern it had with the casting of a particular production in New York City. A representative was more than happy to attend a meeting with La Co-Op and the producers of that production. The official statement of that meeting (La Co-Op's official statement) is shown below. (Text that was bolded, italicized, and in red was highlighted by El Blog de HOLA.)]
Hola Familia,
We are writing to let you know about some actions La Co-Op’s
Coordinating Team has taken in response to the casting of White American
actresses in PlayCo’s production of Guillermo Calderón’s Villa. As
described by the company’s website, the play focuses on
“three women charged with deciding the future of the Villa Grimaldi,
an infamous detention camp of Chile’s Pinochet government.” However, two
of the three women cast in the show are White American actresses, one
of which is in a role where the character also
identifies as being indigenous, specifically from the Mapuche people.
After several members of La Co-Op’s Coordinating Team went to see the
production, we reached out to other Latinx theatre makers we knew who
had seen it as well, others who had not, and did our own personal
research into PlayCo’s history and the production history
of Villa– based on the information we discovered, we collectively
decided that a response was needed.
We reached out to PlayCo and the writer and director of the play and
this production, Guillermo Calderón, to get more information about the
casting decisions in this production and to request a sit-down meeting
to fully express our outrage and concerns. That
meeting took place Monday, March 27, 2017, and we were honored to have the
support of The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), and the
Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC). PlayCo’s Founding
Producer Kate Loewald and Interim Managing Director
Robert G. Bradshaw attended on behalf of the production, and
actively listened and participated in the conversation. Based on our
conversation, the attending members of La Co-Op’s Coordinating Team
(Raquel Almazán, Arlene Chico-Lugo, and Beto O’Byrne),
believe that our concerns about how the production replicates a
damaging practice were heard, that an important conversation has begun
with PlayCo about this subject matter, and we sincerely hope that it
continues.
Sr. Calderón had originally agreed to attend the meeting but opted to
withdraw for unknown reasons. PlayCo’s representatives read to us via a
written statement from him that, among several references regarding
aspects of this production and others of Villa,
the casting choice was made because he felt it was the best way to
highlight the state sanctioned violence and rape in the play, and that
casting White American bodies in a story about the Chilean torture
center, Villa Grimaldi, felt like the neutral option
that could allow more people to relate.
To be clear and explicit, La Co-Op strongly rejects the premise that
whiteness is a universal experience for Latinx people and all people of
color. Whiteness is not neutrality. We are shocked and dismayed by this
choice in casting and that the replacing of
Latinx bodies to tell our stories continues to occur. The reinforcement
of the White-dominant narrative is a painful practice that is damaging
to the psyche, the spirit, and the livelihood of Latinx theatre
practitioners and the community at large.
However, this practice happens at an alarming frequency, and La Co-Op
believes a larger forum to discuss these issues is necessary. For this
reason we have asked PlayCo to participate in a public conversation,
alongside other leading institutions, to discuss
the issues of whitewashing, colorism, and cultural responsibility. They
have agreed and we are working on the details for that town hall [meeting].
We have also asked them to undertake anti-racism training, which La
Co-Op believes that all cultural workers, artists, and theatre makers
would benefit from taking, regardless of social location, ethnicity, or
personal experiences. We sincerely hope PlayCo’s
staff undergoes this training. To view the statement issued to PlayCo,
please
CLICK HERE.
We will keep you updated on the details for the upcoming Town Hall, and
we hope you will attend and add your voice to this conversation. In
addition, we are currently collecting information about shows that have,
to various degrees, participated in the whitewashing,
or cultural appropriation of the Latinx experience, and what it feels
like to experience this work. Please
CLICK HERE to add your voice to this important collection. You can participate anonymously, if you are more comfortable in doing so.
For more information on the statistical research of performers of color in the American Theatre please visit:
http://www.aapacnyc.org/stats-2014-2015.html.
Thank you for your continued support in the fight for representation!
May we continue to imagine a world of equity and inclusion.
In Solidarity,
La Co-Op’s Coordinating Team
Raquel Almazán - interdisciplinary artist, Artistic Director - La Lucha Arts
Arlene Chico-Lugo- writer/performer, Co-Founder of Liberation Arts Collective
Beto O’Byrne, Co-Founder, Radical Evolution
Jessica Carmona - Actress, Playwright at Si Se Puede Productions, LLC
Yadira De La Riva, Performer/Writer/Producer
Christin Eve Cato, Actor/Producer, Cambreleng Productions, LLC
STAY TUNED FOR CONTINUING DEVELOPMENTS.
Elaine Del Valle, shown at right, is the writer, director, star and producer of the webseries "Reasons Y I'm Single", which is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. To see the webisodes, click here. In addition, one of the webisodes (titled "The Latina Date") was just selected to be screened as part of the Queens Book Festival kickoff event, Immigrant Series, via New York Women In Film and Television. The event will consist of a panel discussion and is scheduled to take place in May at LIC Landing in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. For more information, click here or here.
