Casting Statement

Casting Statement

            Casting for this show I think has to be done traditionally primarily because of the year it is set in. Traditionally I would cast most things color blind because with most modern scripts today they don’t set quite the boundary on race ethnicity casting because it is not as big of an issue in today’s society as it was in the past. However, with this show I think there are certain factors that determine that it should be traditionally cast.

            When casting this I think a person should keep in mind that since it is 1937 they have to consider the racial tensions going on in St. Louis and in the South and be able to make a casting choice that supports what we know about interracial reactions during that time period. It was hardly right to be seen with someone of the opposite race much less to be dating them, which is a big theme in The Glass Menagerie in that Laura and Jim have somewhat of a romantic relationship. In those days it would be absolutely unacceptable for a young white girl to be in a romantic relationship with a male who is a minority. A good question arose while writing and I asked myself “ Is it safe to assume they are white?” “Could it be perhaps they are a minority family?” but with Amanda’s background being a wealthy and upper class one we can assume they were white because white people in that time were the only ones who were allowed to possess that social status. Although the Wingfield’s are not an upper class family as Amanda grew up in she still tries to reinforce those values in her kids and still dreams of maybe having that life back again, therefore the likelihood of her wanting Laura to date interracially and trying to set her up with someone of the opposite color would be very low.

            The South in the 1930’s was extremely segregated and that would be my main motivation for casting this traditionally because this family is already behind the eight ball with their current situation and so I don’t think they would add another obstacle to their already tough road ahead.

            With these kinds of factors influencing our casting so much I think it is imperative that the show be cast traditionally and to do everything as Tennessee Williams intended. If someone were to color blind cast this show I think it would cause a lot more trouble than its worth on the historical side of the show because it was such a big issue during these times and it would not just slip by anyone that she was romantically involved with someone of a different ethnic background.