The Cast Of ‘Hamilton’ Is Here, And It’s A Perfect Reminder Of Our Incredible BIPOC Talent
The cast is largely made up of actors of colour from across Australia and New Zealand.
The “exceptionally talented and diverse” cast of the highly anticipated Australian production of Hamilton has been revealed, and it proves what a lot of people have known for a long time: That BIPOC talent exists in Australia, but has been side-lined and ignored for too long.
The show, slated to open in March 2021 if COVID-19 restrictions allow for Sydney Lyric Theatre to operate at full capacity, will star relative newcomer Jason Arrow in the lead role of Alexander Hamilton.
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Arrow will lead a cast comprising largely of people of colour from Australia and New Zealand, as well as two cast members who have already appeared in the American production of the musical.
You can catch them in this adorable video:
When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s history-making Broadway show first debuted in 2015, it was praised for its casting, which treated diverse talent as the centrepiece rather than side characters. The American founding fathers were played by a cast of Black, Latino and Asian-American actors — an intentional choice to reflect the America of today, making the show more relatable for a contemporary audience.
The show put out casting calls specifically for non-white actors, encouraging actors of colour by creating space for them. The musical’s commitment to diversity happened at the same time that the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite came about. The hashtag was created by activist April Reign after all 20 acting nominations in the January 2015 Oscars went to white actors, for the second year in a row.
Hamilton was a welcome change to New York’s Broadway and, in Australia, the diverse casting efforts have shown what can be achieved when appropriate efforts are made.
Australian theatre productions are now on notice because the diversity of the Hamilton Australian cast CLEARLY shows the talent is out there and there is no excuse
— Tali Aualiitia (@taliaualiitia) November 8, 2020
So excited for all the young Australian BIPOC artists who are gonna be appearing in Hamilton Australia!! BIPOC performers in the Australian theatre industry have often been ignored (remember the Rob Guest debacle…??) but now, they're gonna get their deserved chance to shine.
— E l l i ☆ (@theatricell) November 8, 2020
A 2016 report by Screen Australia acknowledged Australian TV productions were not showcasing the cultural diversity of the country. The report found that only 12 percent of TV show characters were non-white compared to 20 percent of the Australian population being non-white. It also found that 36 percent of programs had all-white casts.
Diversity Arts Australia found, in 2019, that the leaders of Australia’s cultural institutions, such as museums and theatre companies were overwhelmingly white. Representation of culturally and linguistically diverse leaders in the performing arts sectors, including theatre, was only 5 percent compared to 39 percent of the population.
It also found that of the 95 productions by Australia’s top 10 theatre companies, only four were written and directed by people of colour.
Just this year, the Rob Guest Endowment — a prestigious musical theatre award — came under fire for selecting an all-white ensemble of award recipients. The shortlisted recipients also criticised the result, but the endowment’s response to the situation, that “the only metric considered by our judging panel was talent” and that they “did not consider race, colour, religion or gender when choosing a semi-finalist” came under further fire.
There are still so many employers and judges who imply a lack of diversity in the lineup is somehow the fault of racial minorities not applying in droves.
Or that that because they don’t factor in race in their selection process, it’s somehow now a meritocracy based on talent.
— Benjamin Law 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) August 20, 2020
This production of Hamilton shows what can be achieved in the Australian performing arts sector when the casting of diverse talent is thoughtfully considered. This could very well serve as a turning point for the industry, which is facing mounting pressure to embed diversity from top to bottom in both performing arts organisations and productions.