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College pressured to cancel “West Side Story” due to lack of minority actors (1 Viewer)

knowledge dropper

Footballguy
We are getting a little too PC?

https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20190123/otterbein-opts-not-to-present-west-side-story-due-to-lack-of-minority-students-in-roles

“We have heard ... growing concern that students of color should be allowed to tell their own stories, even in an educational setting. Now is not the time to present ‘West Side Story.’”

Students’ lingering concerns about casting and a recent email from about 60 alumni have prompted the Theatre and Dance Department at Otterbein University to jettison plans for a spring production of “West Side Story.”

“Students questioned whether or not that was the best show to do because they didn’t know whether we had enough students of color to cast all the roles,” said Christina Kirk, chairwoman of the department.

“We’re in an interesting moment in our culture right now,” she said. “We had a good dialogue, talking to each other and learning from each other, and we’re making a choice to shift and do a different show.”

The new show is likely to be “Singin’ in the Rain,” a mid-1980s Broadway musical comedy based on the 1952 MGM film about Hollywood’s 1920s transition from silent films to “talkies.” Otterbein officials are working to secure the rights to the production in time for a March-April presentation, Kirk said.

 
I dont see an issue here. I defend schools that put on plays that have offensive language or didnt cast minorities in roles that the original production had white people because they are doing reenactments. 

This is basically the same. 

 
Until you posted this typical Fox News type story, I had never heard of Otterbein University. Turns out it’s a very small private liberal arts college in Ohio. 

This story will provide a good 5 minutes on Hannity towards the end of the show after the first 50 minutes are spent focusing on every aspect of the Covington kids being victimized. Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. 

 
Yeah it’s sad and dumb, kids just want to do a play, and now instead of doing something with insight into Puerto Rican immigrants in 1960s NYC the audience will get milquetoast Gene Kelly rehash.
I don't think the kids wanted to do this play...it was the kids who spoke their concerns and had good dialogue talking about this.

Otterbein theater students began voicing concerns about the choice in midspring, after the theater department announced its 2018-19 schedule.

Students and administrators discussed the matter during several meetings, with department officials ultimately deciding to move ahead with “West Side Story” but pledging to “seek out the information and guidance we need to render this story with truth and authenticity,” Kirk said in a statement to students at the time.

Late last year, after show casting decisions were announced, students reiterated their concerns. 


Rather than making this "too pc" or complaining, we should be looking at this as a situation where students and faculty came together to discuss the issue.

 
Until you posted this typical Fox News type story, I had never heard of Otterbein University. Turns out it’s a very small private liberal arts college in Ohio. 

This story will provide a good 5 minutes on Hannity towards the end of the show after the first 50 minutes are spent focusing on every aspect of the Covington kids being victimized. Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. 
I think you're either in the wrong thread or trolling this one

 
I don't think the kids wanted to do this play...it was the kids who spoke their concerns and had good dialogue talking about this.

Otterbein theater students began voicing concerns about the choice in midspring, after the theater department announced its 2018-19 schedule.

Students and administrators discussed the matter during several meetings, with department officials ultimately deciding to move ahead with “West Side Story” but pledging to “seek out the information and guidance we need to render this story with truth and authenticity,” Kirk said in a statement to students at the time.

Late last year, after show casting decisions were announced, students reiterated their concerns. 
Rather than making this "too pc" or complaining, we should be looking at this as a situation where students and faculty came together to discuss the issue.
That's a good point about the theater students, if they didn't want to do it and it was their own initiative then I agree so be it. I'm just not a fan of mob pressure. 

I will say I get it, students trying to do Hispanic accents and laying on caked shaded makeup may just not be something they want to do. But it's a great play and it doesn't really matter who plays who.

 
That's a good point about the theater students, if they didn't want to do it and it was their own initiative then I agree so be it. I'm just not a fan of mob pressure. 

I will say I get it, students trying to do Hispanic accents and laying on caked shaded makeup may just not be something they want to do. But it's a great play and it doesn't really matter who plays who.
True...I think we suffer when we try to take "art" away.  But in this instance it wasn't mob pressure or that from the outside, but students not being comfortable with it.  Im good with that.

 
Until you posted this typical Fox News type story, I had never heard of Otterbein University. Turns out it’s a very small private liberal arts college in Ohio. 

This story will provide a good 5 minutes on Hannity towards the end of the show after the first 50 minutes are spent focusing on every aspect of the Covington kids being victimized. Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. 
Oberlin was one of the first colleges to allow women and black students to enroll.

 
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Until you posted this typical Fox News type story, I had never heard of Otterbein University. Turns out it’s a very small private liberal arts college in Ohio. 

This story will provide a good 5 minutes on Hannity towards the end of the show after the first 50 minutes are spent focusing on every aspect of the Covington kids being victimized. Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. 
:tinfoilhat:

The story has nothing to do with Fox News.  It’s a local paper reporting a story on our PC culture. 

Sorry to interrupt the TDS 24/7/365 in this forum. 

 
:shrug:

I wouldn’t know.  
Here you go:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-political-correctness-has-gone-too-far-nfl-fumbling

Fox News Poll: Political correctness has gone too far, NFL fumbling

Has political correctness gone too far in the United States?  Most voters say yes -- and think it often hurts the country.

By a 68-19 percent margin, the latest Fox News poll finds voters feel political correctness has “gone too far.”  That’s about the same as last fall when it was 66-23 percent (September 2017).

And voters see fallout:  nearly half, 46 percent, think political or business leaders “frequently” make bad decisions because they are worried about being politically correct, and another 34 percent feel it happens “sometimes.”  Fifteen percent think it’s “not very often” or “hardly ever.”

[...]

 
So the university doesn't have enough students of color to cast a production of West Side Story and their fix is "well, we'll just stop doing plays that we would need diversity to cast"?

 
So the university doesn't have enough students of color to cast a production of West Side Story and their fix is "well, we'll just stop doing plays that we would need diversity to cast"?
Students of color complained that it’s not right for white kids to play the Latino parts.  

 
So the university doesn't have enough students of color to cast a production of West Side Story and their fix is "well, we'll just stop doing plays that we would need diversity to cast"?
I don't think they were suggesting that, only that they couldn't cast West Side Story. It has been years since I saw it but the Sharks were a Puerto Rican gang and it would probably not ring true with non-Latinos (although George Chakiris who played Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, was actually of Greek descent but the producers wanted him because of his "dark complexion").

Anyway, I doubt we will not probably see a production of Carmen Jones at Otterbein either in the near future.

 
I don't think they were suggesting that, only that they couldn't cast West Side Story. It has been years since I saw it but the Sharks were a Puerto Rican gang and it would probably not ring true with non-Latinos (although George Chakiris who played Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, was actually of Greek descent but the producers wanted him because of his "dark complexion").

Anyway, I doubt we will not probably see a production of Carmen Jones at Otterbein either in the near future.
How about The Wiz? 

 
so only black actors can play black famous people/characters etc or only LGBT actors can play LGBT roles ........... but anybody can play white or heterosexual roles and that's ok ?

 
So any story which FoxNews might have interest in, is not worth discussing. 
Straw Man. No one suggested that the story is not worth discussing*, only that it is something one would expect to see featured in a Fox segment.

Whether we are becoming too PC in this instance or in general is a discussion worthy topic.

*Edited to say no one but Tim is suggesting that.

 
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I mean colleges are the first bastion of PC.  To suggest that anything colleges do has any kind of wide reaching impact is stupid.

Otherwise half the country would have been stoned on LSD in the 60's and 70's.  College kids are dumb...more at 11...

 
Straw Man. No one suggested that the story is not worth discussing, only that it is something one would expect to see featured in a Fox segment.

Whether we are becoming too PC in this instance or in general is a discussion worthy topic.
Tim:  "Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. "

:shrug: Seems like Tim is.  

 
Tim:  "Anything to avoid talking about the shutdown. "

:shrug: Seems like Tim is.  
You’re exactly right. IMO, the only aspect of this story that is worth discussing is that people want to discuss it. Otherwise it’s a meaningless distraction- but so is the whole Covington story, and that story was started by liberals (though it is now carried on ad nauseam by conservatives.) 

There are so many important political stories to discuss: as we speak, for example, the shutdown, Venezuela, North Korea, the trade war, just to name a few- yet we fixate on the trivial- stuff like this, the Covington story, Kaepernick. We’re constantly on the lookout for stuff that will outrage us and at the same time prove us right. I’m probably as guilty as anybody else in this regard, but every once in a while I just get sick of it. 

 
You’re exactly right. IMO, the only aspect of this story that is worth discussing is that people want to discuss it. Otherwise it’s a meaningless distraction- but so is the whole Covington story, and that story was started by liberals (though it is now carried on ad nauseam by conservatives.) 

There are so many important political stories to discuss: as we speak, for example, the shutdown, Venezuela, North Korea, the trade war, just to name a few- yet we fixate on the trivial- stuff like this, the Covington story, Kaepernick. We’re constantly on the lookout for stuff that will outrage us and at the same time prove us right. I’m probably as guilty as anybody else in this regard, but every once in a while I just get sick of it. 
So is this whining?  I am confused because it sounds like it, but I know how much you hate it.  

 
so only black actors can play black famous people/characters etc or only LGBT actors can play LGBT roles ........... but anybody can play white or heterosexual roles and that's ok ?
I haven't seen Denzel in white face in a while.  Can you tell me what you're talking about?

 
So any story which FoxNews might have interest in, is not worth discussing.  Nope, no liberal echo chamber here.   :lmao:

I really have no idea what FoxNews has to do with this.  Strange comment and strange defense of said comment.  
Just ones like this. Seems like a perfect one to lead off a very special Tucker.

 
Otter might be a good place to attend if you are looking for chicks.  This school is not much bigger than my daughters high school. No wonder casting is difficult.

The undergraduate student body at Otterbein is mostly female.

This university is ranked at #1,305 in male to female diversity nationwide. The undergraduate population is comprised of 867 males and 1,508 females.

 

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