Recently, Hamilton announced that they were seeking for the upcoming tour. However, the casting notice they put out is not sitting well with some. The ad, seeking non-white performance, may be in violation of New York City Human Rights Law. Could Hamilton’s casting call be seen as racist for not giving everyone their fair shot?
Civil rights attorney Randolph McLaughlin recently spoke to CBS2 about the issues with casting notice, saying:
“What if they put an ad out that said, ‘Whites only need apply? Why, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians would be outraged.”
McLaughlin thinks that the casting notice has violated the New York City Human Rights Law, as he went on to ad:
You cannot advertise showing that you have a preference for one racial group over another. As an artistic question – sure, he can cast whomever he wants to cast, but he has to give every actor eligible for the role an opportunity to try.”
A press rep for Hamilton told CBS2 that the casting notice was approved by Actors Equity union.
What do you think about the controversy? Is it really racist to not see all audtioners if you have intention of casting someone who is white? Do you think that Hamilton producers are quility of racism? Let us know your thoughts on the casting call controversy in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
