As BroadwayWorld previously reported, our team is committed to to being a substantial part of a collective industry-wide effort to help address racism and white supremacy in the theatre in as many ways as possible; including a number of specific steps of action that we are already at work to implement.

If you are a Black artist or an artist of color and would like to share your stories, your work, and your experiences, or to recommend someone else that we should get in touch with for one of our initiatives, please feel free to email us at contact@broadwayworld.com.

Below, read a piece (first published in 2019 and shared with us today) from writer and Broadway veteran Tome’ Cousin. He writes:

Word has reached me that [a coming] season is to include a revival of the musical Dreamgirls. It recently had a highly successful run in the United Kingdom. This revival is to be directed by the truly gifted Tony Award winning Casey Nicholaw, another white male. The production history of this musical is perhaps the most clear example of the recognition of this topic. No major Broadway or touring production of this landmark musical has ever been helmed by a director/choreographer of color. What would DreamGirls look like if directed by an African-American woman? Or Once On This Island by a Haitian? How about Fiddler on the Roof or Ragtime by a director who is of Jewish faith? Or The King and I or Pacific Overtures by an Asian? In The Heights by a person of Dominican heritage? The Color Purple by an African-American woman? Or to make another leap entirely, how about My Fair Lady or The Sound of Music helmed by a South Asian or Greek American, or Crazy For You or Gypsy directed by an African-American? On the plus side: Joel Grey‘s recent outstanding production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish was a huge step in the right direction, but when will we all take a much needed pause in the pattern to fully engaged and commit to this conversation?