At the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, the role of “Richard III” was played by the actor, Arthur Hughes, who has radial dysplasia. It means he has a shorter right arm and a missing thumb.
The company said, “it was the first time it had cast a disabled actor to play the character, who describes himself in the opening scene as deformed.” The director of the production, Gregory Doran who was until recently the Royal Shakespeare’s artistic director told The Times of London that earlier this year, having an actor pretend to be disabled play “Richard III” would “probably not be acceptable these days.”
The Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, cast Colm Feore, an actor who isn’t disabled to play a Richard that has a deformed spine. In New York City, the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park was different as well, casting Danai Gurira, a black woman that isn’t disabled, as a duke who plans and kills his way to the throne of England.
There are questions about who should play the gay characters, or the transgender character, or characters of different ethnicities, and religions.
“The essential nature of art is freedom,” said Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, whose many credits include Shylock, the Jewish moneylender of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” although Abraham isn’t Jewish. “Once we impose any kind of control over it, it’s no longer free.”
The remark made by Doran, that it would “probably not be acceptable” these days the have actors pretend to be disabled playing Richard caused a stir in the theaters.
Later, Doran clarified his thinking about the casting, he explained that while any actor could be a successful Richard, he believed that the role should be reserved for disabled actors until they “have the opportunities across the board now more widely afforded to other actors.”
Some disabled actors are upset when they see “Richard III” one of the most popular disabled characters in the canon go to someone else. “We all want a level playing field where everybody can play everybody, but my entire career I’ve not been allowed to play hardly anybody,” said Mat Fraser, a disabled English actor who’s played Richard.
Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659266956182x391547630908779500/Who%20Can%20Play%20the%20King_%20Questions%20of%20Representation%20Fuel%20Casting%20Debates.%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
The company said, “it was the first time it had cast a disabled actor to play the character, who describes himself in the opening scene as deformed.” The director of the production, Gregory Doran who was until recently the Royal Shakespeare’s artistic director told The Times of London that earlier this year, having an actor pretend to be disabled play “Richard III” would “probably not be acceptable these days.”
The Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, cast Colm Feore, an actor who isn’t disabled to play a Richard that has a deformed spine. In New York City, the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park was different as well, casting Danai Gurira, a black woman that isn’t disabled, as a duke who plans and kills his way to the throne of England.
There are questions about who should play the gay characters, or the transgender character, or characters of different ethnicities, and religions.
“The essential nature of art is freedom,” said Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, whose many credits include Shylock, the Jewish moneylender of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” although Abraham isn’t Jewish. “Once we impose any kind of control over it, it’s no longer free.”
The remark made by Doran, that it would “probably not be acceptable” these days the have actors pretend to be disabled playing Richard caused a stir in the theaters.
Later, Doran clarified his thinking about the casting, he explained that while any actor could be a successful Richard, he believed that the role should be reserved for disabled actors until they “have the opportunities across the board now more widely afforded to other actors.”
Some disabled actors are upset when they see “Richard III” one of the most popular disabled characters in the canon go to someone else. “We all want a level playing field where everybody can play everybody, but my entire career I’ve not been allowed to play hardly anybody,” said Mat Fraser, a disabled English actor who’s played Richard.
Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659266956182x391547630908779500/Who%20Can%20Play%20the%20King_%20Questions%20of%20Representation%20Fuel%20Casting%20Debates.%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
