Actor Bear Bellinger Claims Discrimination in Casting Marriott Theatre's EVITA

The matter of casting white actors in roles meant to be played by people of other ethnicities has once again stirred up controversy in the theatre community. In recent months BroadwayWorld has reported on such stories as a Cincinnati production of AVENUE Q with a white actor playing the Japanese immigrant named Christmas Eve and the Kent State production of THE MOUNTAINTOP with a white actor playing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The latest situation being discussed on social media involves the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, a northern suburb of Chicago. Chicago-based actor Bear Bellinger, whose February essay for Vox titled "I'm a black actor. Here's how inequality works when you're not famous," described everyday indignities he's experienced throughout his career, has posted on his Facebook page an open letter to the Marriott Theatre, written after reading a Chicago Tribune article listing the names of cast members for their upcoming production of EVITA.

According to Bellinger, only one person of Latin heritage had been cast in their production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical about the rise of Eva Peron and her husband, Argentina's president, Juan Peron.

"Even if you subscribe to the idea that most Argentines are of European origin and are therefore 'white,'" Bellinger writes, "you cannot escape the fact that their culture is Latin. Using only one actor of Latin descent is irresponsible to that truth and a lost opportunity to feature a group of people who are regularly ignored on our stages."

"You are situated outside of a city that is 28% Hispanic or Latina/o (that is a number from 2010 which has, certainly, grown since). Most of your acting talent is drawn from that city."

Bellinger also writes of having "heard complaints, time and again, from minority artists, about their treatment."

His full letter can be read on the Facebook post below.

A Time Out Chicago article, quotes a statement from the Marriott Theatre's Executive Producer Terry James:

"We at Marriott Theatre are deeply saddened by the letter that Mr. Bellinger posted today. It undermines a continuing partnership with Actors' Equity Association in efforts to encourage ALL ethnicities to join in the audition process. The theatre announced Latino director/choreographer Alex Sanchez for EVITA and encouraged all ethnicities to audition. The same is done for every production and stated in the audition notice.

"We have always respected and valued our actors; to say anything otherwise is a false and slanderous attack on our theater's reputation. We have never received a complaint from any actor for mistreatment, nor has Actors' Equity Association who we reached out to today immediately after hearing of this open letter. Great effort goes into casting such productions as THE KING AND I, mentioned in the letter, with 22 of the 26 actors in the cast identifying as Asian Pacific or other non-white, including the casting of a Latino actor as the King. Multiple productions of DREAMGIRLS and HOT MIKADO, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, HAIRSPRAY, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' and others featuring ethnically diverse casting as well. The Marriott Theatre has a history of producing ethnically diverse productions of musical theatre, including our current production of SISTER ACT."