As an acting student at NYU, I’m used to being the only person of color in the room. I have accepted the fact there are few characters of color in the plays we study. Yet, when I put up a scene in class, I often play lead roles which, in any other production, would be given to white people simply because white is the default. In the classroom, my talent is all I need. But on stage, in movies and in television shows, in order to be a convincing leading man, I need to be white as well. By casting actors of color in roles that have been traditionally played by white actors, the classroom presents a model of inclusiveness and egalitarianism that the entertainment industry at large would do well to emulate.

In her speech at the Emmy awards last Sunday, Viola Davis pointed out, “you cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” The media industry we support has deeply embedded in it, this idea that, unless otherwise stated, all characters in English-language material should be played by white actors. It’s a vicious cycle that is perpetuated not only by the industry but also by its audiences; after all, it would be ignorant to discount the impact that audience preferences and revenue potentials have on casting choices. This arbitrary system results in characters of color almost always being relegated to supporting roles or included as token stereotypes, such as Raj in “The Big Bang Theory.”

It is upsetting that ‘color-blind casting’ more often means casting white people in non-white roles, rather than living up to its more ethical purpose by casting people of color in roles that are traditionally, but not necessarily, white. Examples of the former include a now-cancelled production of The Mikado at NYU Skirball, which cast almost exclusively white actors in Japanese roles.

In an academic environment, I have the advantage of being able to play characters of many races, while many of my white classmates would not be able to play, say, Bernie in Edward Albee’s “The Death of Bessie Smith.” Some may call this academic fairness or even postcolonial sensitivity. But from what I’ve seen in the theater and film industries, that same fairness and sensitivity does not carry over into the real world, though “Hamilton” can be seen as an anomalous example. As an institution that claims responsibility for producing the next generation of actors, NYU needs to exercise its social influence by lobbying to local productions, encouraging color-blind casting in its own main stage productions and being more responsible in its selection of productions at Skirball to have a larger stake in changing the landscape of casting. We have more actors currently on Broadway than any other school, and so we are in a better position than any other institution to make sure fair casting practices can thrive outside of the classroom as well as within.

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Email Nishad More at [email protected].