The Star: July 18, 2019

The Star Thursday July 18 2019
16
NEWS
news online at www.star.kiwi
Bringing diversity to arts
Reporter Georgia
O’Connor-Harding
investigates diversity in
the arts
“WE NEED to diversify the
industry, we need to diversify
audiences and we need to tell
multi-cultural stories.”
That is Showbiz Christchurch’s
general manager Michael Bayly’s
take on the ongoing challenge
the city’s theatre industry is
facing to have diversity in the
performing arts.
The topic emerged after the
company had to run a second
round of auditions for its upcoming
production of Miss Saigon.
Showbiz initially failed to
cast enough male performers
of Asian and Pacific heritage at
its first auditions in May – but
has since found four additional
performers from Vietnamese,
Filipino and Chinese
communities to fill vacant roles.
Mr Bayly said while Showbiz
was aware casting for Miss
Saigon may
have some
challenges, it
was not insurmountable.
“We as an
organisation
are making
permanent
Michael Bayly
moves forward
about the accessibility
to
DIVERSITY: Showbiz Christchurch’s general manager Michael Bayly said it was aware
casting for Miss Saigon may be challenging but it was not “insurmountable.” The
company last performed the production in 2009.
all aspects of the community.
We encourage diversity which
reflects our community,” he said.
Since the auditions, Showbiz
established a relationship with
the Vietnamese Society of
Christchurch – which includes
refugees who escaped to New
Zealand following the end of the
Vietnam War in 1975.
But other theatre-makers agree
while cultural diversity is a priority
in the arts, it is one of the
biggest issues theatre is facing.
The Court Theatre’s artistic
director Ross Gumbley said the
reality is that you have to search
the country to find appropriate
performers.
“This has always been the case
but we are slowly seeing more diversity
in our talent pool,” he said.
Independent Kai Tahu theatre
maker Juanita Hepi said there
are many barriers to having
diverse voices in the city’s theatre
industry.
This includes outreach, accessibility,
funding, connectivity,
family commitments and talent
retention.
“However the most challenging
barrier will be how we as
individuals and collectively,
respond to the inherent prejudice
and biases that continue to marginalise
diverse performers.”
“The dominant discourse in
the arts is elitist, still confined to
the Eurocentric and American
gaze which is a shame because of
the acts of creativity happening
daily in our communities, that
are not celebrated, acknowledged
or funded. Perhaps our gaze
needs to move beyond the horizon,”
Ms Hepi said.
She said there are not enough
opportunities for culturally diverse
shows in the city – and she
wants to see more.
But Mr Gumbley said things
are changing and they need to,
but creating more opportunities
for performers of different
ethnicities is a great conversation
to be having.
“We make it a priority to tell
diverse stories on our stages. It’s
important because Christchurch
has a diverse population and its
important we reflect that.”
In 2016, a controversial review
of Showbiz’ Hairspray hit
headlines over the casting of its
African-American ensemble for
the production.
Canterbury University English
and cultural professor Erin
Harrington, who wrote the review
for online website Theatreview,
said there was “so much to like.”
However, she then wrote: “I can’t
get my head around a production
that can’t see that staging a show
about integration, and that spends
as much time
with its black
cast members as
its white ones,
sees fit to have an
almost entirely
white cast. ’’
Mr Bayly said
he applauded
Erin
Harrington
the opportunity
to have the conversation
about
diversity and
ethnicity on stage, but calling the
cast “almost entirely white” was a
misrepresentation.
He said the cast was made up
of a wide range of ethnicities
including Maori, American-
Indian, African-American and
Korean.
But Dr Harrington told The
Star she wouldn’t change the
review.
She agreed it is important for
theatre to tell stories of diversity
including gender, sexuality, race,
ethnicity, ability and disability.
But Dr Harrington said Hairspray
is specifically about race, exclusion
and civil rights in America.
“There has to be a heightened
degree of thoughtfulness regarding
representation, which includes
the history of the play its
themes, as well as the way things
look on stage, which I thought
(and still think) was severely
lacking,” she said.
Dr Harrington said she struggles
to understand why companies
programme work they know
they will struggle to cast in an
ethical manner.
“There’s a great phrase that
gets used by people queer communities,
communities of colour,
disability activists and women’s
rights activists – nothing about
us, without us . . . this applies to
theatre, performance and representation,”
she said.
But Mr Bayly said with every
show it casts it has new people
auditioning coming forward it
has never met before.
“We must never anticipate we
are not able to tell those stories.
That would be keeping us closed
within our existing universe or
our existing community. We
are always looking to grow and
broaden our community and tell
a variety of stories from a variety
of points of view.”
But the obstacles theatre
companies face to cast actors
goes beyond the issue of cultural
diversity.
Mr Bayly said it is common for
Showbiz to run two rounds of
auditions – for a range of reasons
– including the availability of
performers and men particularly
over the age of 40.
•Christchurch Arts Festival,
page 22
Showbiz Christchurch’s
multi-cultural cast for
Miss Saigon is made up
of performers of diverse
ethnicities
Cast – (some principal roles
are still yet to be filled):
Tina Bergantinos-Panlilio
(Kim) – Filipino: Tina was
born and
raised in the
Philippines
where
she was
surrounded
by music.
Music has
always been a passion
for her and she started
performing at a young age.
Jack Fraser (Chris) – NZ
European: Since moving
to Christchurch in 2016,
Jack has performed for
Showbiz as Che in Evita,
as a featured soloist in An
Evening of Rodgers and
Hammerstein Classics, as
Dr Dillamond/Father in
Wicked.
James Foster (John) – NZ
European: James graduated
in 2013 from the National
Academy of Singing
and Dramatic Art with a
Bachelor of Performing Arts
(Music Theatre).
Daniel Brown (Thuy) – NZ
European/Chinese: Daniel
graduated
in 2019 from
Canterbury
University
with a
Masters of
Engineering
in
Management. He got his
start in musical theatre by
performing in MUSOC’s
production of Grease in
2016.
Hannah Austin (Ellen) – NZ
European: For as long as
she can remember Hannah
has had a love for music,
singing and performing
which led her to study at
the National Academy of
Singing and Dramatic Art.
Ensemble:
The Miss Saigon ensemble
is made up of performers
of Vietnamese, Filipino,
Malaysian, Welsh, Ngapuhi,
Swedish, Japanese,
Korean, NZ European,
Thai/British, NZ European/
Chinese, Malaysian/Chinese,
European/Samoan heritage.
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