Non-disabled Richard III actor to press on despite calls for recast

[Boiler 45,445]

There seems to be a more obvious issue:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/jan/31/richard-iii-non-disabled-actor-michelle-terry-shakespeare-globe-theatre

 

The artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe has pushed on with playing Richard III in a summer production, but vowed not to “alter [her] physicality” following a backlash over not casting a disabled actor in the role.

The Globe was criticised after it announced that Michelle Terry would play the role of Shakespeare’s scheming king who describes himself as “deformed, unfinish’d”.

In recent years, disabled actors, including Mat Fraser, Kate Mulvany and Arthur Hughes, in high-profile productions have “reclaimed” a character who in real life had scoliosis – as revealed when his skeleton was discovered beneath a Leicester car park in 2012.

In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, the Globe said it was “committed to developing a culture of care, empathy, equity, conversation, and accessibility across all our work”.

Terry acknowledged “that for many, Richard III is an iconic disabled figure” and admitted her casting might feel like a “missed opportunity for a disabled artist to play a disabled character on a major UK stage. But she said that the role “will come around again”.

[Dashinka 24,480]

Wasn't Richard III also a man by self identity?

[Boiler 45,445]

3 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Wasn't Richard III also a man by self identity?

Now you are being picky.

[yuna628 9,671]

20 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Wasn't Richard III also a man by self identity?

It is tradition for men to play women roles in these plays and women are placed in male roles at the RSC all the time. Tamsin Grieg was very acclaimed in Twelfth Night. The overall tone of the plays are sometimes modernized with artistic changes made.

https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/archive/women-playing-male-roles

[Dashinka 24,480]

7 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

It is tradition for men to play women roles in these plays and women are placed in male roles at the RSC all the time. Tamsin Grieg was very acclaimed in Twelfth Night. The overall tone of the plays are sometimes modernized with artistic changes made.

https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/archive/women-playing-male-roles

Seems the tradition would not pass DIE/ESG ideals.

[Dashinka 24,480]

30 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Now you are being picky.

I am fully indoctrinated to DIE/ESG as the progressive Left tell me this is what is needed to reach utopia.  Meanwhile a person is fighting for his life after being carjacked in our nations capital, a Leftist ESG/DIE haven.  

[Boiler 45,445]

30 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Seems the tradition would not pass DIE/ESG ideals.

No PoC?

 

Now I was born not that for from Stratford and was walking distance from the Globe for quite a few years, English Literature was not my strong point but I do remember this being covered at School and that back then men or boys more normally played the female roles. Plus of course the implication we had moved on..... Not sure my Teacher, what was his name, I can remember his number, thought we would twist it back around.

[yuna628 9,671]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

No PoC?

 

Now I was born not that for from Stratford and was walking distance from the Globe for quite a few years, English Literature was not my strong point but I do remember this being covered at School and that back then men or boys more normally played the female roles. Plus of course the implication we had moved on..... Not sure my Teacher, what was his name, I can remember his number, thought we would twist it back around.

The RSC and the Globe take the position that productions can still be done the old way - with men playing women (you guys do love panto afterall). But they are also free to use women in men's roles as well, and they do in many updated versions. This is also done in other non-Shakespeare productions.. there's a reason why Peter Pan was also played by a woman in theater productions.

[Dashinka 24,480]

3 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

The RSC and the Globe take the position that productions can still be done the old way - with men playing women (you guys do love panto afterall). But they are also free to use women in men's roles as well, and they do in many updated versions. This is also done in other non-Shakespeare productions.. there's a reason why Peter Pan was also played by a woman in theater productions.

The English have a long history of doing that.  Monty Python, Benny Hill, etc.   Heck, even here in the US, there is history, Milton Berle, Flip Wilson to name a few.  My only point is if the activists are now inserting the demand that only a disabled person can play the part, why not open up all the possibilities.

[Boiler 45,445]

2 hours ago, yuna628 said:

The RSC and the Globe take the position that productions can still be done the old way - with men playing women (you guys do love panto afterall). But they are also free to use women in men's roles as well, and they do in many updated versions. This is also done in other non-Shakespeare productions.. there's a reason why Peter Pan was also played by a woman in theater productions.

Broadway producer Charles Frohman has said that a woman should play the role because casting a boy would affect the other children in the ensemble. Frohman also said that a man can't possibly play Peter Pan and that if a young boy was cast, the other children would have to be smaller than him